General Description

Upperside of wings is brown, with a broad orange area in the fore wing. A narrow brown and white chequered margin. The orange area is smaller on the females. The underside of the wings has a diffuse brown and white pattern, with a small dull orange area in the fore wing. Wingspan to 2.5 cm. The final larval stage is 18 mm long, narrow elongated slater-shaped (onisciform), setaceous, edged with short hairs, with a longitudinal lined pattern of black, brown and white. The pupa is 12 mm, yellowish brown or green coloured, short, stout, shiny and unornamented.

Biology

The larvae of this butterfly have a symbiotic relationship with small black Iridomyrmex ants, and are protected from predation by these ants by having pheromones that are the same as the ants'. Larvae feed on native and introduced creeping yellow oxalis. The pupa occurs loosely attached by the cremaster (hook like structure at tip) to a silk pad in the ant nest or under rocks and debris near the hostplant.

Distribution

South-eastern Australia.

Habitat

Moist grassland or open woodland areas, particularly where the grasses or understorey are sparse and open.

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