Ringed Xenica (Geitoneura acantha)
No photo available
See field guides listed below.
Other Common Names: Eastern Ringed Xenica
Family of Butterflies: Nymphalidae (Browns and Nymphs)
Tony Morton’s documented records of Ringed Xenica from the local area (between 2000 to 2013): Five
Date Location Notes 29-Feb-2000 Vaughan walk
16-Jan-2001 Green Gully Rd. walk
23-Feb-2001 Gully, Chewton/Fryerstown Road female
26-Dec-2005 Glen Luce springs one only
6-Feb-2006 Glen Luce springs river very dry
Other documented local observations: None
Distribution Across Victoria (from Field 2013): Found across most of southern and central Victoria.
Larval Host Plants (Field 2013): Grasses such as Weeping grass (Microlaena stipoides) and Poa sieberiana.
Larval association with ants (Field 2013): None.
Adult Flight Times in Victoria (from Field 2013): Adults have been recorded from November to May, and most commonly from January to March.
Conservation Status:
National Butterfly Action Plan (2002): No conservation status Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: Not listed
Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Not listed Advisory List of Threatened Victorian Invertebrates (DSE 2009): Not listed
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Butterflies of the Mount Alexander Shire – A Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club publication Other Notes: Mount Alexander Shire is near the northern/inland extent of its distribution in Victoria. One generation per year, with larvae overwintering. It is common in moist shady gullies and wet eucalypt forests.
References and further reading:
Braby, M. F. (2004) The Complete Field Guide to the Butterflies of Australia. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (2009) Advisory List of Threatened Invertebrate Fauna in Victoria – 2009. Department of Sustainability and Environment, East Melbourne, Victoria (http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/environment-and-wildlife/threatened-species-and- communities/threatened-species-advisory-lists)
Field, R.P. (2013) Butterflies: Identification and Life History. Museum Victoria Publishing, Melbourne.
Sands, D.P.A. and New, T.R. (2002) The Action Plan for Australian Butterflies. Environment Australia, Canberra (http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/action-plan-australian-butterflies)
Museum of Victoria Bioinformatics – Australian Butterflies: The Victorian Fauna http://museumvictoria.com.au/bioinformatics/butter/
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Butterflies of the Mount Alexander Shire – A Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club publication