''Tisiphone helena'', the Helena brown or northern sword-grass brown, is a

nymphalid The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a red ...

butterfly. It is endemic to tropical northern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is about 60 mm. The larvae feed on ''

Gahnia ''Gahnia'' (sawsedge, saw-sedge) is a genus of sedges native to China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and a number of Pacific Islands. The common name is due to the toothed margins. It often forms tussocks. Species Accept ...

'' species, including ''

Gahnia sieberiana ''Gahnia sieberiana'', commonly known as the red-fruit saw-sedge, is a tussock-forming perennial plant in the family Cyperaceae, endemic to Australia. It is a widespread plant that favours damp sunny sites. Many insect larvae have been recorded ...

''.

External links

Australian Caterpillars

"''Tisiphone'' Hübner, [1819]"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' Satyrini">819]"">"''Tisiphone'' Hübner, [1819]"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' Satyrini Butterflies described in 1888 Butterflies of Australia Taxa named by Arthur Sidney Olliff {{Satyrini-stub