Lampides boeticus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Lampides boeticus, the pea blue, or long-tailed blue, is a small butterfly that belongs to the lycaenids or gossamer-winged family. The Latin species name boeticus refers to Baetica, a province of the Roman Empire in the Iberian Peninsula. Its common name refers to the long streamers on its hind wings, the male's bright iridescent blue colour, and peas, which is the typical host plant of the butterfly.
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1767 and was initially named Papilio boeticus. This species can be found in Europe, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Australia. It is also found in the Hawaiian islands. It is also found in the Maldives.In New Zealand this species is regarded as being self introduced as was first observed in November 1965.
This species inhabits the edge of forests, mountain meadows and hot flowery places at an elevation up to 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) above sea level. The wingspan is 24–32 mm for males and 24–34 mm for females. In these small butterflies (although unusually large for their family) the males have a mainly blue violet upper face of the wings with... Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pea Blue sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 105 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 875 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, September and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pea Blue in Melbourne on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–August and October, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pea Blue sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
61st of 71
Of the 71 cities where we can rate Pea Blue sightings, Melbourne ranks 61st at about 10%. The best odds are in Kanpur (India, about 30%), Nanchang (China, about 30%) and Wuhan (China, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Pea Blue that you can see in Melbourne (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Lesser Grass Blue (about 20%), Zizina labradus (about 10%) and Saltbush Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pea Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Melbourne (105 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
