Moth Butterfly

Identity

Liphyra brassolis is an unusually large lycaenid in the subfamily Miletinae. Westwood named it in 1864. [2]

Appearance

Adults span about 7 cm. Orange and brown areas form a variable patchwork on the wings; the underside is paler and less sharply contrasted. [2]

Range and habitat

The range spans tropical parts of Asia and extends to the Solomon Islands and northern Australia. Australian records include the Kimberley, the Northern Territory and Queensland. [2]

Life cycle

Pale green eggs are laid singly or in small groups on branches associated with the host ants. Before pupation, the mature larva retains its final skin around the pupa as a protective enclosure. [2][1]

Food and host plants

The caterpillar lives in nests of the green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, where it consumes ant brood. Its feeding apparatus is concealed beneath the broad front of its body. [1]

Behaviour

Ants bite the larva's upper surface and attempt to overturn it, which would expose its more vulnerable underside. The broad, low body helps shield that underside while the caterpillar moves through the nest. [1]

Remarkable detail

The larval armour is flexible. Overlapping, scale-like setal sockets and reinforcing lance-shaped setae strengthen the body covering without forming a rigid shell. [1]

Ecology

Early-instar larvae have less developed mechanical protection than mature larvae. [1]

Sources

The setae of parasitic Liphyra brassolis butterfly larvae form a flexible armour for resisting attack by their ant hosts ↗
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society / Harvard University · Accessed 2026-10-13
Liphyra brassolis ↗
Australian Lepidoptera · Accessed 2026-10-13

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