Argynnina cyrila

Argynnina cyrila Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914
Cyril's Brown
(previously known as Xenica cyrila)
SATYRINAE, NYMPHALIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA

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

These Caterpillars initially are green with white stripes, sparse prominent hairs, and a black head. Later instars may become brown, and develop a diamond shaped pattern along the back. The caterpillars have a pair of horns on the head and also on the tail.

(Photo: courtesy of R.P. Field, Museums Victoria)

The caterpillars feed on various species of :

Grass ( POACEAE).

The caterpillars grow to a length of about 2.5 cms.

The pupa is black with length of about 1 cm. It is suspended from a cremaster from the foodplant.

(Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens, Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria)

The upper surfaces of the wings of the adult butterflies are brown with yellow patches. The upper sides of the hind wings have one eyespot each, and the forewings each have a row or three white spots.

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

Underneath, the forewings are fawn with black and off-white patches, and a row of three white spots. The underside of each hindwing is fawn with dull orange patches, and a dull eyespot. The butterflies have a wing span of about 4 cms. They are commonly encountered in lush gullies, where the males activly fly around defending territories and visiting local flowers. The females are more secretive.

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

The male adults of this species seem to have a predilection for congregating at hill tops.

egg, magnified
(Photo: courtesy of Ken Walker, Melbourne, Victoria)

The eggs are bright green and spherical, and each is covered in a microscopic embossed pattern of about 80 columns of about 80 shallow hexagons. The eggs have a diameter of about 1mm. They are laid singly on a foodplant.

underside
(Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens, Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria)

The species is found in

southern Queensland,

New South Wales,

Victoria, and

South Australia.

head, close-up
(Photo: courtesy of Laura Levens, Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria)