Mycalesis terminus

Mycalesis terminus (Fabricius, 1775)
(one synonym : Celebina tira)
Orange Bush Brown
SATYRINAE , NYMPHALIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 7 May 2008)

(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

The Caterpillar of this species is brown with a faint dark dorsal line and obscure diagonal markings. It has forked projections on the head and the tail. It grows to a length of about 3 cms. The Caterpillar feeds on various grasses ( POACEAE ) such as :

Kangaroo Grass ( Themeda triandra ),

Guinea Grass ( Panicum maximum ),

Blady Grass ( Imperata cylindrica ), and

Oplismenus species.

Early instars feed on leaftips, sheltering under the leaftip when not feeding. Later instars feed nocturnally, resting by day head downward at the base of the plant.

The pupa is green with a dark doral line, and irregular ridges with white edges. It has a length up to 1.5 cms. It hangs head down fron a cremaster attached to the foodplant or a nearby object.

(Specimen: courtesy of Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The adults are dark brown with a large orange patch on each forewing, and with one eyespot on each forewing and three on each hindwing.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

Underneath, the wings are brown, each with a central pale yellow band, and a subterminal arc of eyespots. The butterflies have a wing span of about 4 cms. The adults are noted for their attraction to rotting fruit, from which they suck the juice. They also drink dew and sap.

The eggs are laid in small ( 1 - 7 ) clusters on the underside of a leaf of a foodplant. They are each spherical, yellow, and have a diameter of about 1 mm.

The species is found in New Guinea and Queensland.