| Large Yellow Grass-dart (previously known as Bibla anisomorpha) HESPERIINAE, HESPERIIDAE, HESPERIOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)
|
| Large Yellow Grass-dart (previously known as Bibla anisomorpha) HESPERIINAE, HESPERIIDAE, HESPERIOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)
This Caterpillar is pale green with a brown dorsal line. The head has white and brown stripes.
The caterpillar has been found feeding on plants in the Grass family (POACEAE), including :
The caterpillar grows to a length of about 2 cms. It rests, and in due course pupates, in a shelter created amongst food-plant leaves. The shelter is sometimes composed of twisted leaves, and sometimes straight leaves.
The adult butterflies of this species are dark brown on top with orange markings. The wingspan is usually a bit over 2 cms. The females are a little larger than the males, and have a more convex forewing margin.
Underneath, they are yellow with pale yellow markings, although the forewings are darker toward the trailing edges.
The species may be found in open eucalypt forest over the northern half of Australia, including:
The eggs are white and hemispherical, with no ribs. They stay white throughout their development until they hatch.
Further reading :
Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia,
CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 1, pp. 194-195.
Wesley Jenkinson,
Life history notes on the Large Yellow Grass-Dart Taractrocera anisomorpha
(Lower, 1911) Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae,
Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club,
Metamorphosis Australia,
Issue 95 (December 2019), pp. 19-23,
Oswald B. Lower,
Revision of the Australian Hesperiadae,
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia,
Volume 35 (1911), p. 146, No. 68.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(updated 18 February 2010, 5 January 2024)