Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve
Compiled by Michael Fox www.megoutlook.wordpress.com/flora-fauna/butterflies/ © 2015 Creative Commons – free use with attribution to Mt Gravatt Environment Group
Hesperiidae Hesperilla ornata Spotted Sedge-skipper
Wingspan: Male 30mm Female 35mm
Caterpillar food plants: Saw Sedge Gahnia aspera
Males hilltop
Hesperiidae Ocybadistes walkeri Greenish Grass-dart
Wingspan: Male 20mm Female 20mm
Caterpillar food plants: Grasses Blady Grass Imperata cylindrica Guinea Grass Panicum maximum (Weed)
Male sex brands
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Hesperiidae Trapezites iacchus Brown Ochre
Wingspan: Male 33mm Female 34mm
Caterpillar food plants: Wattle Mat-rush Lomandra filiformis Creek Mat-rush Lomandra hystrix Spiny Headed Mat-rush Lomandra longifolia
Males hilltop
Hesperiidae Trapezites symmomus Splendid Ochre
Wingspan: Male 42mm Female 46mm
Caterpillar food plants: Wattle Mat-rush Lomandra filiformis Creek Mat-rush Lomandra hystrix Spiny Headed Mat-rush Lomandra longifolia
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Lycaenidae Candalides absimilis Common Pencil-blue
Wingspan: Male 30mm Female 31mm
Caterpillar food plants: Tuckeroo Cupaniopsis anacardioides Easter Cassia Senna pendula (Weed) Golden Rain Koelreuteria elegans (Weed)
Female (left)
Lycaenidae Candalides erinus Small Dusky-blue
Wingspan: Male 22mm Female 22mm
Caterpillar food plants: Dodder Laurel Cassytha pubescens
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Lycaenidae Catopyrops florinda Speckled Line-blue
Wingspan: Male 22mm Female 22mm
Caterpillar food plants: Poison Peach Trema tomentose Native Mulberry Pipturus argenteus
Speckled Line-blue from top side. Note the tails resting on leaf.
Caterpillar with attendant ants on food plant Trema tomentosa. Speckled Line-blue caterpillars are not dependent on the presence of ants.
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Lycaenidae Jalmenus evagoras Imperial Hairstreak
Wingspan: Male 32mm Female 37mm
Caterpillar food plants: Sickle Leaved Wattle Acacia falcata Early Black Wattle Acacia leiocalyx
Imperial Hairstreaks mating.
Caterpillar and chrysalis with attendant “Kropotkin” ants – Small Meat Ant Ants provide protection in return for sugary fluids secreted by caterpillar.
Kropotkin is a reference to Russian biologist Peter Kropotkin who proposed a concept of evolution based on “mutual aid” between species helping species from ants to higher mammals survive.
Imperial Hairstreaks will only return to breed where both caterpillar food plants and the ants are present.
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Lycaenidae Leptotes plinius Zebra Blue, Plumbago Blue
Wingspan: Male 22mm Female 23mm
Caterpillar food plants: Plumbago zeylanica (native) Plumbago auriculata (exotic)
Plants not found in Reserve. May be in surrounding gardens.
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Lycaenidae Psychonotis caelius Small Green-banded Blue
Wingspan: Male 30mm Female 32mm
Caterpillar food plants: Soapy or Red Ash Alphitonia excelsa
Caterpillar on Red Ash
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Nymphalidae Acraea andromacha Glasswing
Wingspan: Male 53mm Female 56mm
Caterpillar food plants: Spade Flower Hybanthus stellarioides Corky Passion Vine Passiflora suberosa (Weed)
Males Hilltop
Nymphalidae Danaus plexippus Monarch or Wanderer (Introduced)
Wingspan: Male 93mm Female 92mm
Caterpillar food plants: Balloon Cotton Bush Gomphocarpus physocarpus (Weed) Red-headed Cotton Bush Asclepias curassavica (Weed)
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Nymphalidae Doleschallia bisaltide Australian Leafwing
Wingspan: Male 70mm Female 80mm
Caterpillar food plants: Love Flower Pseuderanthemum variable
Drinking nectar with proboscis.
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Nymphalidae Euploea core Common Crow
Wingspan: Male 69mm Female 72mm
Caterpillar food plants: Monkey Rope Parsonsia straminea and other Parsonsia spp.
Male sex brand
Caterpillar and chrysalis
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Nymphalidae Hypocysta adiante Orange Ringlet
Wingspan: Male 24mm Female 32mm
Caterpillar food plants: Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra
Mating
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Nymphalidae Hypocysta irius Orange-streaked Ringlet
Wingspan: Male 33mm Female 35mm
Caterpillar food plants: Various grasses Family: Poaceae
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Nymphalidae Hypocysta metirius Brown Ringlet
Wingspan: Male 31mm Female 31mm
Caterpillar food plants: Graceful Grass Ottochloa gracillima
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Nymphalidae Hypolimnas bolina Common or Varied Eggfly
Wingspan: Male 76mm Female 86mm
Caterpillar food plants: Love Flower Pseuderanthemum variable
Females are variable, photos show a female
Nymphalidae Junonia villida Meadow Argus
Wingspan: Male 40mm Female 43mm
Caterpillar food plants: Trailing Speedwell Veronica plebeia Star Goodenia Goodenia rotundifolia
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Nymphalidae Melanitis leda Evening Brown
Wingspan: Male 60mm Female 63mm
Caterpillar food plants: Native and non-native grasses Blady Grass Imperata cylindrica Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra Barbed Wire Grass Cymbopogon refractus Guinea Grass Panicum maximum
Summer/winter and wet/dry season forms have different colours and wing edge shaping.
Caterpillar
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Evening Brown cont.
Upperside colours (left)
Underside (right)
Evening Browns rarely sit with wings open … we normally just see a flash of orange as these butterflies swarm out of the grass when distrubed.
Nymphalidae Phaedyma shepherdi White-banded Plane, Common Aeroplane
Wingspan: Male 55mm Female 57mm
Caterpillar food plants: Chinese Elm Celtis sinensis (Weed)
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Nymphalidae Polyura sempronius Tailed Emperor
Wingspan: Male 70mm Female 80mm
Caterpillar food plants: Acacia spp. Chinese Elm Celtis sinensis (Weed)
Status: Uncommon but widespread
Chrysalis (right) looks like a miniature watermelon.
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Nymphalidae Tirumala hamata Blue Tiger
Wingspan: Male 72mm Female 72mm
Caterpillar food plants: Migrant species – no food plants found in Reserve
Alkaloid sources: Parsonsia
Female (left)
Male (left)
Male sex brands
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Nymphalidae Vanessa itea Yellow Admiral
Wingspan: Male 50mm Female 50mm
Caterpillar food plants: Native Mulberry Pipturus argenteus
Males hilltop
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Nymphalidae Vanessa kershawi Australian Painted Lady
Wingspan: Male 43mm Female 47mm
Caterpillar food plants: None identified in Reserve.
4pm resting for night
8:30am warming in sun ready to fly
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Papilionidae Graphium sarpedon Blue Triangle
Wingspan: Male 57mm Female 60mm
Caterpillar food plants: Hairy-leaved Lollybush Clerodendrum tomentosum Camphor Laurel Cinnamomum camphora (Weed)
Puddling – drinking water from ground
Males hilltop
Mating
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Papilionidae Graphium eurypylus Pale Triangle
Wingspan: Male 59mm Female 62mm
Caterpillar food plants: None found in Reserve
Chrysalis found on Soursop – a fruit tree planted in the reserve.
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Papilionidae Papilio aegeus Orchard Swallowtail
Wingspan: Male 102mm Female 108mm
Caterpillar food plants: Backyard citrus Crow's Ash Flindersia spp.
Male (left)
Female laying eggs (right)
1st & 5th stage caterpillar (left)
Chrysalis (right)
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Papilionidae Papilio anactus Dainty Swallowtail/Dingy Swallowtail
Wingspan: Male 67mm Female 72mm
Caterpillar food plants: Backyard citrus Native Citrus spp.
Caterpillar
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Pieridae Appias paulina Yellow Albatross
Wingspan: Male 55mm Female 55mm
Caterpillar food plant: Alchornea ilicifolia Native Holly
Female
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Pieridae Belenois java Caper White
Wingspan: Male 55mm Female 55mm
Caterpillar food plant: Brush Caper Berry Capparis arborea
Pieridae Catopsilia pyranthe Lemon Migrant
Wingspan: Male 58mm Female 58mm
Caterpillar food plants: None identified in Reserve
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Pieridae Delias nigrina Black Jezebel
Wingspan: Male 34mm Female 35mm
Lifespan (adult) – 2 to 6 weeks
Caterpillar food plants: None identified in Reserve
Male – upper side (left) underside (right)
Female (left) Scales (right) – thousands of scales create spectacular colour schemes.
Butterflies use sharp claws to scratch leaves and taste the leaf species.
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Pieridae Eurema brigitta No-brand Grass-yellow
Wingspan: Male 33mm Female 36mm
Caterpillar food plants: Fishbone Cassia Chamaecrista nomame
Pieridae Pieris rapae Cabbage White (Introduced)
Sometimes confused with Cabbage Moth Plutella xylostella
Wingspan: Male 44mm Female 44mm
Caterpillar food plants: Common Peppercess Lepidium africanum (Weed)
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