Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Compiled by Michael Fox www.megoutlook.wordpress.com/flora-fauna/butterflies/ © 2014 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 1 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 2 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Lycaenidae Candalides erinus Small Dusky-blue Wingspan: Male 22mm Female 22mm Caterpillar food plants: Dodder Laurel Cassytha pubescens August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 3 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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. August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 4 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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. August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 5 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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. Lycaenidae Psychonotis caelius Small Green-banded Blue Wingspan: Male 30mm Female 32mm Caterpillar food plants: Soapy or Red Ash Alphitonia excelsa August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 6 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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) August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 7 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Nymphalidae Doleschallia bisaltide Australian Leafwing Wingspan: Male 70mm Female 80mm Caterpillar food plants: Love Flower Pseuderanthemum variable August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 8 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 9 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Nymphalidae Hypocysta adiante Orange Ringlet Wingspan: Male 24mm Female 32mm Caterpillar food plants: Kangaroo Grass Themeda triandra Mating August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 10 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Nymphalidae Hypocysta irius Orange-streaked Ringlet Wingspan: Male 33mm Female 35mm Caterpillar food plants: Various grasses Family: Poaceae August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 11 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Nymphalidae Hypocysta metirius Brown Ringlet Wingspan: Male 31mm Female 31mm Caterpillar food plants: Graceful Grass Ottochloa gracillima August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 12 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 13 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 14 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Nymphalidae Phaedyma shepherdi White-banded Plane, Common Aeroplane Wingspan: Male 55mm Female 57mm Caterpillar food plants: Chinese Elm Celtis sinensis (Weed) August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 15 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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. August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 16 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 17 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Nymphalidae Vanessa itea Yellow Admiral Wingspan: Male 50mm Female 50mm Caterpillar food plants: Native Mulberry Pipturus argenteus Males hilltop August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 18 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 19 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 20 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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. August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 21 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve 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 and chrysalis August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 22 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Papilionidae Papilio anactus Dainty Swallowtail/Dingy Swallowtail Wingspan: Male 67mm Female 72mm Caterpillar food plants: Backyard citrus Native Citrus spp. Caterpillar August 4, 2014 Mt Gravatt Environment Group – www.megoutlook.wordpress.com Page 23 of 27 Butterflies of Mt Gravatt Conservation Reserve Pieridae Belenois java Caper White Wingspan: Male 55mm Female 55mm Caterpillar food plants: Brush Caper Berry Capparis arborea Pieridae Catopsilia pyranthe Lemon Migrant Wingspan: Male 58mm Female 58mm Caterpillar food plants: None identified in Reserve