Vagrans egista

Vagrans egista propinqua (Miskin, 1884)
(one synonym: Atella egista)
Swordgrass Brown
ARGYNNINAE , NYMPHALIDAE

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

(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis)

The Caterpillars of this species are green or brown with a white lateral line each side. They have black branched spines and a brown head. They feed on:

Brown Boxwood ( Homalium circumpinnatum, SALICACEAE ).

The pupa is green and spiky, with silver spots. Its length is about 2 cms. It is formed hanging head downward from a cremaster under a leaf at an angle to the vertical.

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

The wings of the adult butterflies are orange with dark brown edges to the wings and some sparse dark brown markings. The undersides are orange-brown with arcs of white, black, orange and grey spots.

The eggs are yellow and spherical, and are laid singly on leaves of a foodplant.

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

The butterflies have a wingspan up to 6 cms.

The species is found across south-east Asia, from India to the Solomons, Fiji, and Samoa, as various subspecies. The subspecies propinqua is found on the tropical north-east coast of Queensland.