About Theclinesthes serpentata (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869)
This is a very small butterfly, with an 18 mm (0.71 in) wingspan for both male and adult female specimens. On the upper side of the wings, there are broad brown margins, with blue colouration closer to the thorax. The wing underside is brown with white patches. Males and females have identical colouration that ranges from mid to dark brown and purple-blue to blue. Fully grown larvae reach 9 mm in length, have a textured skin surface, and their colour ranges from pale green to grey-green. The caterpillars camouflage against their host plant saltbush, but can be identified by black and yellow stripes running along their back. In saltbush landscapes, this butterfly can be the most abundant butterfly species in the local area. It has a wide distribution because its preferred food plant is dispersed across multiple biomes and regions. This allows the butterfly to occupy a diverse range of habitats and tolerate arid, temperate, and urban environments. Its diet consists mainly of saltbush species: larvae eat saltbush leaves and flowers, while adults can also feed on some weed species. Because of this reliance, the butterfly spends most of its life around saltbush, and can be found flying close to the plant during seasonal flowering months. The exact lifespan of this butterfly, the saltbush blue, is unknown.
