| Heteronympha cordace | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Heteronympha |
| Species: | H. cordace |
| Binomial name | |
| Heteronympha cordace (Geyer, 1832) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Heteronympha cordace, the bright-eyed brown, is a brown colored butterfly endemic to Australia. It was described by Carl Geyer in 1832.
Heteronympha cordace has a wingspan ranging from 38–42 mm (1.5–1.7 in), with females generally larger than males and with stouter abdomens. [1] The uppersides of the wings are black to dark brown with orange to brownish-orange markings. The markings contain a blue-centered black subapical eyespot and a larger blue-centered black subtornal eyespot. [2] The underside of the wings are lighter in hue and have more extensive orange areas. [3]
The Heteronympha cordace butterfly occurs in disjunct populations across Australia, in New South Wales, southern Victoria, south eastern South Australia, and Tasmania. Populations of the butterfly are known from swampy areas in the alpine of the Great Divide to coastal areas in both the east and west. It is not common in any areas and colonies tend to be static, and many populations have become extinct as a result of habitat loss. [3]
Adult butterflies have a slow, meandering flight pattern close to the ground among the larval host plants, and near food plants Melaleuca and Leptospermum that grow near the breeding habitat. One generation is completed annually, with adults occurring mainly from late December to February.
It is fond of sedgeland and low shrubland in swamps and along creeks, often with dense stands of the larval food plant. It occurs mostly at altitudes from 600–1,800 m (2,000–5,900 ft) but can occur as low as sea level in Tasmania. [1]
The larval food plant of Heteronympha cordace is Carex appressa . [3] The female butterfly lays a single egg or very few on the underside of the lower leaves of Carex appressa. The eggs are .8 mm (0.031 in) in diameter, green, nearly spherical, and have thin longitudinal ribs. [3] The larva is green to greenish brown and generally 25 mm (0.98 in) long. The larva has a darker middorsal line with paler dorsolateral and lateral lines. The head of the larva is slightly concave and reddish brown to mottled brown. [3] [4] The pupa of the butterfly is green with greenish-yellow wings, and about 14 mm (0.55 in) long. Pupation occurs either on a low leaf of a host plant or nearby a host plant, and the pupa is suspended with its head downwards by the cremaster. [3]
Papilio zelicaon, the anise swallowtail, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, giving the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the swallowtails. Its wingspan is 52–80 mm. Its body is somewhat shorter than the rather similar western tiger swallowtail, with which its range overlaps; it also lacks the black stripes, converging toward the tail, of the latter. There is a somewhat darker subspecies, P. z. nitra, which is rare throughout the range, though somewhat more often found at lower elevations.
The New Zealand red admiral is a butterfly endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is kahukura, which means "red cloak". The red admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae and the tribe Nymphalini. There are two subspecies: V. g. gonerilla, which occurs on the mainland of New Zealand, and V. g. ida, which occurs on the Chatham Islands.
Ornithoptera euphorion, the Cairns birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly endemic to Queensland, and is Australia's largest endemic butterfly species. Other common names include Cooktown birdwing and northern birdwing. The names Cairns and Cooktown in its common name reference the Australian cities in the region where this butterfly is found.
Papilio aegeus, the orchard swallowtail butterfly or large citrus butterfly is a species of butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is found in eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Geitoneura klugii, the common xenica or Klug's xenica, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It is a southern Australian butterfly that is easily camouflaged because of its resemblance to the ground where it is usually found fluttering. It has a wingspan of about 38 millimetres (1.5 in). The upper and lower side of the forewing is black with brownish-black markings and contains a black spot with a white centre. The orange hindwing is set off by a black border and a black-rimmed eyespot. The underside of the hindwing ranges from grey to brown and consists of darker markings.
The Yellow admiral or Australian admiral is a butterfly native to Australia, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Islands. The Māori name is kahukōwhai, which means "yellow cloak". The yellow admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae as well as the tribe Nymphalini.
The Arctic ringlet or Disa alpine is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of family Nymphalidae. It is associated with wet muskeg and bogs in subarctic and Arctic climates, and is often found near the tree-line. The larva overwinters twice before undergoing metamorphosis into an adult. It is found in Arctic Europe, Arctic European Russia, Sajan, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Yablonoi and Arctic North America.
Zizina labradus, the common grass blue, grass blue, or clover blue, is a small Australian butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.
Protographium leosthenes, the four-barred swordtail, is a medium-sized butterfly of the family Papilionidae found in Australia. It is similar to the five-barred swordtail found in both Australia and India.
Polyura (pyrrhus) sempronius, the tailed emperor, is a large butterfly by Australian standards, with a wingspan of some 75 mm for males and 85 mm for females. The uncommon but widespread butterfly occurs in a variety of habitat types in northern and eastern Australia, where it occurs predominantly in the warm and subtropical coastal regions. It is a resident species where its food plants, certain legumes and kurrajongs, are native.
The bright copper is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae.
The silky hairstreak or chlorinda hairstreak is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Emile Blanchard in 1848. It occurs in Australia. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Pseudalmenus, described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1902.
Appias ada, the rare albatross, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found on the Moluccas, New Guinea, Indonesia, Australia and the Solomon Islands.
Hesperilla malindeva, commonly known as the malindeva skipper or two-spotted sedge-skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland.
Dispar compacta, commonly known as the dispar skipper, barred skipper, or barred grass-skipper, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1882 as Telesto compacta and is endemic to eastern Australia.
Hesperilla munionga, the alpine sedge-skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria.
Dixeia pigea, the ant-heap small white or ant-heap white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae that is native to Africa.
Pachliopta polydorus, the red-bodied swallowtail, is a butterfly from the family Papilionidae found in north-eastern Queensland, Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Hypocysta angustata, the black and white ringlet or pied ringlet, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the Cape York Peninsula in Australia and in the rainforests of New Guinea.
Carex appressa, the tall sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cyperaceae. It is native to New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and generally in the South West Pacific.