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Butterflies Of New Zealand
The butterflies of New Zealand include twelve endemism, endemic species, as well as several introduced and migrant species. Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths, is the third largest insect order (biology), order in New Zealand. Species list Conservation Very little is known about any butterfly extinctions since human settlement of New Zealand since they leave few remains. The majority of New Zealand invertebrates are found in forests, so it is possible that some butterflies became extinct due to the large scale forest clearance after human settlement. , Report Ref. ME612, Ministry for the Environment, Wellington, New Zealand. See also *List of Lepidoptera of New Zealand *Fauna of New Zealand *Environment of New Zealand |
Zizina Otis Labradus
''Zizina labradus'', the common grass blue, grass blue, or clover blue, is a small Australian butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. Description Adults are purplish blue on the upper wing surface with a black body and black or brown wing margins. These margins are larger on the female than the male. The lower wing surface is brown to pale brownish grey with a pattern of fawn bands and spots, with the body covered in white or grey hairs. The wingspans of females are slightly larger than males, females having a wingspan of 23 mm and males 20 mm. Common grass blues have a weak, fluttering flight and so usually fly near ground level close to a food source. Eggs are white or pale blue and have a mandarin shape with a pitted surface. Caterpillars reach about 7 mm in length, and their appearance is primarily green with a yellow stripe at the sides and a darker green stripe on the back, and brown or black head usually obscured under the thorax. In captivity, fed on an arti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erebiola Butleri
''Erebiola butleri'', or Butler's ringlet, is an elusive New Zealand endemic butterfly, discovered in 1879 by John Enys at the alpine pass at the head of the Rakaia River. It is the only member of the genus ''Erebiola''. ''Erebiola'' is derived from Erebus, the ancient Greek world of darkness between Earth and Hades, while the specific name, ''butleri'', was after Arthur Gardiner Butler of the British Museum who played a major role in early descriptions of New Zealand butterflies. Its Māori name is ''pepe pouri'', which means dark moth, and shares the name with the black mountain ringlet and the forest ringlet butterfly. Description Butler's ringlet has a wingspan of 35–43 mm, with a 40 mm average for males and a 37 mm average for females. Both males and females are smoky brown, though males tend towards the richer browns while the females tend towards the paler browns. The underside of the hindwing has wedge-shaped silvery-white marks. Both the under ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Percnodaimon Merula
''Percnodaimon merula'', the black mountain ringlet, is a satyrid butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is currently the only recognised species in the monotypic genus ''Percnodaimon,'' endemic to New Zealand, although there may be other undescribed species in the genus. The black mountain ringlet is notable for living exclusively in rocky areas of New Zealand's Southern Alps, usually above 1200 m. Its eggs are laid on rocks, its larvae feed on mountain ''Poa'' species, and it pupates under a stone. It has distinctive dark velvety wings and a zig-zag flight pattern over the scree slopes on which it lives. Taxonomy This species has had a complicated taxonomic history. It was originally described as ''Erebia pluto'' by Richard W. Fereday in 1872 from the Craigieburn Range in the South Island, and was moved to the new genus ''Percnodaimon'' by Butler in 1876. It was known as ''Percnodaimon pluto'' for many years, and Wise in 1967 regarded this as the correct name for the spec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melanitis Leda Bankia
''Melanitis leda'', the common evening brown, is a common species of butterfly found flying at dusk. The flight of this species is erratic. They are found in Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia extending to parts of Australia. Description Wet-season form: Forewing: apex subacute; termen slightly angulated just below apex, or straight. Upperside brown. Forewing with two large subapical black spots, each with a smaller spot outwardly of pure white inwardly bordered by a ferruginous interrupted lunule; costal margin narrowly pale. Hindwing with a dark, white-centred, fulvous-ringed ocellus subterminally in interspace two, and the apical ocellus, sometimes also others of the ocelli, on the underside, showing through. Underside paler, densely covered with transverse dark brown striae; a discal curved dark brown narrow band on forewing; a post-discal similar oblique band, followed by a series of ocelli: four on the forewing, that in interspace 8 the largest; six on the hindwin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanessa Kershawi
The Australian painted lady (''Vanessa kershawi'') is a species of butterfly mostly confined to Australia, although westerly winds have dispersed it to islands east of Australia, including New Zealand. Debate surrounds the taxonomy of this species. Some believe that the Australian painted lady should be a subspecies of the painted lady (''Vanessa cardui'') due to the similarity in lifestyle and behaviour. Furthermore, the painted lady is found around the globe, but Australia is the only location in which it varies enough to be considered a separate species. However, due to the distinct genitalia of the males, and variation in colouration, many others consider the Australian painted lady to be a separate species. During spring, adult butterflies migrate south in large numbers from northern states of Queensland and New South Wales. To find mates, male Australian painted ladies exhibit territorial behaviour, which involves a male perching on vegetation in a sunny spot on a hilltop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanessa Gonerilla Ida
The New Zealand red admiral (''Vanessa gonerilla'') is a butterfly endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is ''kahukura,'' which means "red cloak". The red admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae and the tribe Nymphalini. There are two subspecies: ''V. g. gonerilla'', which occurs on the mainland of New Zealand, and ''V. g. ida'', which occurs on the Chatham Islands. Description The red admiral is a medium-sized butterfly with a 50–60 mm wingspan. The top side of the forewings is mostly black, with a central bright red bar running back from the front edge. There are white spots, fringed with light blue, near the forewing tips. The rear wings are a dark reddish brown with a red patch containing four black circles; the centre of each circle is pale blue. The underside of the rear wings is a mottled collection of white/brown/black shapes, which camouflages the butterfly when at rest. When revealed, the underside of the forewings display a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanessa Gonerilla Gonerilla
The New Zealand red admiral (''Vanessa gonerilla'') is a butterfly endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is ''kahukura,'' which means "red cloak". The red admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae and the tribe Nymphalini. There are two subspecies: ''V. g. gonerilla'', which occurs on the mainland of New Zealand, and ''V. g. ida'', which occurs on the Chatham Islands. Description The red admiral is a medium-sized butterfly with a 50–60 mm wingspan. The top side of the forewings is mostly black, with a central bright red bar running back from the front edge. There are white spots, fringed with light blue, near the forewing tips. The rear wings are a dark reddish brown with a red patch containing four black circles; the centre of each circle is pale blue. The underside of the rear wings is a mottled collection of white/brown/black shapes, which camouflages the butterfly when at rest. When revealed, the underside of the forewings display a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanessa Itea
The yellow admiral or Australian admiral (''Vanessa itea'') is a butterfly native to Australia, New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Islands. The Māori name is , which means "yellow cloak". The yellow admiral is a member of the family Nymphalidae, the subfamily Nymphalinae as well as the tribe Nymphalini. Description It is a medium-sized butterfly, with a variable wingspan of 48 to 50 mm in Tasmania, and 48 to 55 mm in New Zealand. The upperside of the forewings are dark brown to black toward the outer edges, with three small white patches and a wide, bright yellow bar, and dull red nearer the body. The rear wings are dull red with a black border, and a row of black circles with light blue centres near the edge. The underwings are very different - the rear wing is various shades of brown with cryptic, irregular markings; the underside of the forewing has a blue eyespot on a black background that is highlighted by a yellow area above and below. Distribution ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypolimnas Bolina Nerina
''Hypolimnas bolina'', the great eggfly, common eggfly, varied eggfly or in New Zealand the blue moon butterfly is a species of nymphalid butterfly found from Madagascar to Asia and Australia. Appearance Race ''bolina'' ''H. bolina'' is a black-bodied butterfly with a wingspan of about . The species has a high degree of sexual dimorphism. The female is mimetic with multiple morphs. Male Males are monomorphic. The dorsal wing surface is jet black but features three prominent spots, two on the forewing and one on the hindwing. To a human observer these appear as white spots fringed with blue-violet. They actually consist of a white center overlain by bright ultraviolet iridescence, a colour generated by nanostructures on the wing scale surface. Numerous smaller white spots fringe the fore- and hindwings. The ventral surface lacks any ultraviolet iridescence and consists essentially of banded white markings set against a brownish background. Female Females are owing to the presen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Junonia Villida Calybe
The meadow argus (''Junonia villida'') is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, commonly found in Australia and Nelsons Island. It is also known as Albin's Hampstead eye in the United Kingdom, where it has occurred only as an accidental import. Description The meadow argus has two brownish wings, each covered with two distinctive black and blue eyespots as well as white and orange marks that appear on the edge of the wings. The eyespots are a defense mechanism that are not only used to frighten predators away, but also to confuse the predators into thinking that the eyespots are the target, allowing the butterfly to escape with only a small part of the wing being lost. The underside of the wings are mainly unmarked, except the lower part of the forewing has similar markings as the upperside. The wingspan measures 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in males and 4.3 centimetres (1.7) in females. As the butterfly rests, it can sit in four different positions depending on the current s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danaus Petilia
''Danaus petilia'', the lesser wanderer, is a species of butterfly in the nymphalid Danainae subfamily. It is a migratory species which is found in Australia and in tropical countries. Previously considered a subspecies of '' Danaus chrysippus'', this species came about through allopatric speciation. The deep sea barrier called Lydekker's Line Richard Lydekker (; 25 July 1849 – 16 April 1915) was an English natural history, naturalist, geologist and writer of numerous books on natural history. Biography Richard Lydekker was born at Tavistock Square in London. His father was Gerard ..., located by the Molluccas and the Sahul Shelf, was what separated ''Danaus petilia'' from ''Danaus chrysippus cratippus''. Its caterpillars feed on native and introduced cotton bush species. A common butterfly with nomadic populations, particularly in central Australia where many native host plants die of during dry periods, and in south eastern Australia where it is too cold for them ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
