Australian painted lady

Australian painted lady
Australian Painted Lady
Victoria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Nymphalini
Genus: Vanessa
Subgenus: Cynthia
Species: V. (C.) kershawi
Binomial name
Vanessa (Cynthia) kershawi
(McCoy, 1868)
Synonyms

Cynthia kershawi McCoy, 1868
Vanessa cardui kershawi

Vanessa kershawi, commonly known as the Australian Painted Lady, is a butterfly that is mostly confined to Australia, although westerly winds have dispersed it to islands east of Australia, including New Zealand. During spring adult butterflies migrate south in large numbers from northern states of Queensland and New South Wales. In 1889, this migration was so large that trains were unable to generate sufficient traction because of the large numbers of butterflies resting on the tracks.

A major food plant is Ammobium alatum.

Distinguishing features

See also Painted Lady#Distinguishing features

Vanessa kershawi is similar to the near-cosmopolitan Painted Lady V. cardui and is sometimes considered a subspecies of that butterfly. The Australian species' four ventral eyespots are less clearly defined, and it always sports at least three (often four) conspicuous blue pupil spots on each dorsal hindwings' eyespots. V. cardui has either a few tiny pupil spots, or more often none at all.

Gallery

  • Vanessa cardui, compare hindwing eyespots

  • Vanessa kershawi adult soon after hatching. Note blue center of hindwing eyespots.

  • Australian painted lady feeding

  • Australian painted lady on yellow flower

References


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