Page 236 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION Southeastern and southern Australia
HABITAT Woodlands and eucalypt forests with grassy understory, from
alpine to semi-arid and urban environments
HOST PLANTS Native and introduced grasses, including Cynodon spp., Poa spp.,
Themeda spp., Microlaena spp., Bromus spp., and Ehrharta spp.
NOTE Long-lived caterpillar that develops in the cooler months
CONSERVATION STATUS Least concern, and common in southern areas of its range

ADULT WINGSPAN
2 ⁄ –2½ in (56–64 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (36 mm)
HETERONYMPHA MEROPE
COMMON BROWN
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(FABRICIUS, 1775)

Hatching of Common Brown caterpillars is timed to coincide
with the start of the fall and winter rains, which produces soft
growth of the grasses. The caterpillars occur singly or in small
groups on a range of grasses. The larvae feed at night on the
leaf blades and hide under litter during the day. Caterpillar
development takes five to six months and is slow during the
cooler months with rapid growth in the spring.

Pupation occurs in early spring, the pupae lying loose on the
ground. This sexually dimorphic species flies low in grassy
areas, and males will hilltop. Males emerge in the spring before
females, with mating occurring in the spring. Females become
dormant, unless disturbed, during the hot, dry summer, while
The Common Brown caterpillar is variably males die in summer. The females become active in the early
colored brown or green, mottled with darker fall, laying eggs as the days shorten and rainfall increases.
brown, with a brown, broken middorsal line
and pale-colored, wavy, or broken lateral and
sublateral longitudinal lines. There are numerous
short setae, and the anal segment has a forked
posterior projection.

Actual size