both in DOLICHODERINAE.

The Caterpillar feeds on various species of Oxalis ( OXALIDACEAE ), including :

Initially it just eats the surface of a leaf, but later instars eat the whole leaf. When not feeding, the Caterpillar hides in an ants nest chamber in the soil at the base of the foodplant. The Caterpillar grows to a length of about 2 cms.

pupae
(Photo: courtesy of L. Hunt)

The pupa is initially green, changing to brown as it matures. Its length is about 1 cm. It is formed in the ants nest.

(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

The adults are brown on top with chequered margins. Each fore wing also has a large yellow patch and two black spots.

(Photo: courtesy of Museum Victoria)

Underneath, the fore wings are yellow and the hind wings are pale brown, both with arcs of darker brown spots outlined in white. The butterflies have a wing span of about 3 cms.

The eggs are pale green and mandarin-shaped. They are laid in groups of a dozen or more and covered in scales. They are usually laid on the upper surface of a lower leaf of a foodplant.

The species has been found in

Further reading :

Andrew Atkins, John Moss,
Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club Newsletter, No. 48 (March 2008) pp. 4-8.

Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 627-628.

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