| European Painted Lady (previously known as Cynthia cardui) NYMPHALINAE, NYMPHALIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center)
|
| European Painted Lady (previously known as Cynthia cardui) NYMPHALINAE, NYMPHALIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center)
This Caterpillar is black with branched hairs. It is a popular caterpillar to raise in schools. It has been reported to feed on over 100 plant species, including:
and it is a pest outside Australia on
The adult butterflies have a wing span around 5 cms. They are mottled orange and black, with a small white markings in the black areas, and each hindwing has a blue streak at the tornus.
The undersides are paler but have a similar pattern.
They are a worldwide species, occurring for example in :
The caterpillar is seldom found in Australia. The adults of this species have mainly been found in
Further reading :
Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia,
CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, p. 581.
Carl Linnaeus,
Insecta Lepidoptera,
Systema Naturae,
Volume 1, Edition 10 (1760), Class 5, Part 3, p. 475, No. 107.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(updated 1 October 2012, 12 December 2013, 30 June 2020)