Geitoneura klugii

Geitoneura klugii (Guerin-Meneville, 1830)
Klug's Xenica
(erroneously: Satyrus kluggi)
SATYRINAE, NYMPHALIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA

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

Geitoneura klugii
(Photo: courtesy of M. and P. Coupar, Museums Victoria)

The Caterpillars of this species are yellowish-green, with darker green lines along the body. The anal segment has a pair of green projections tipped with brown. They feed openly in daylight on common grasses (POACEAE), including :

Coast Spear-grass ( Austrostipa flavescens ),

False Brome ( Brachypodium distachyon ),

Perennial Veldt Grass ( Ehrharta calycina ),

Common Tussock Grass ( Poa labillardieri ),

Red Anther Wallaby Grass ( Rytidosperma pallidum ), and

Kangaroo Grass ( Themeda triandra ).

They grow to a length of about 4 cms.

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

The pupa is green with yellow ridges. It is suspended from a cremaster on or near a foodplant. Its length is about 1.5 cms.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Paul Kay)

The adult butterflies have a wing span of about 4 cms. The upper surfaces of the wings are orange with variable dark brown markings, and an eyespot on each wing. The males have an extra dark line running from near the middle of each forewing to the middle of the hind margin. This sex-brand appears silver in some angles of the lighting.

male, showing sex brand
(Photo: copyright of Brett and Marie Smith, at Ellura Sanctuary, South Australia)

The undersides are very similar, but the eyespots under the hindwings are vestigial.

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

The eggs are cream coloured and spherical with a diameter of about 0.8 mm. They are laid singly or in pairs on a leaf of a foodplant.

The species is found along the southern coastal region of Australia, including

South Australia, and