Phaedyma shepherdi

Phaedyma shepherdi (Moore, 1858)
(one synonym : Neptis latifasciata)
Common Aeroplane
LIMENITINAE , NYMPHALIDAE

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

Phaedyma shepherdi

This Caterpillar hatches from an egg that is pale yellow or green, and knobbly. The egg is laid singly on the tip of a leaf of a food plant.

The Caterpillar is coloured with patches of green and brown. It has five pairs of spiny filaments, one pair on each of the mesothorax and metathorax, and a smaller pair on each of the abdominal segements two and eight, and another pair on its head. When disturbed, the caterpillar everts an organ under the head which makes a pungent smell. The Caterpillar feeds on the foliage of many trees from a variety of different familes, such as :

Lacebark ( Brachychiton discolor, STERCULIACEAE ),

White Kurrajong ( Brachychiton populneus, STERCULIACEAE ),

Grewia papuana ( BOMBACACEAE ),

Bird Lime Tree ( Cordia dichotoma, BORAGINACEAE ),

Velvet Bean ( Mucuna gigantea, FABACEAE ), and

Hackberry ( Celtis paniculata, ULMACEAE ).

The Caterpillar hides underneath a curtain of bits of leaf that it cuts and hangs on the leaf where it rests. It grows to a length of about 3 cms.

The pupa is patchy brown, and hangs from a black cremaster attached under a leaf of the food plant. It has a length of about 2 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Trevor Jinks, North Burnett)

The adults are dark brown on top, with a number of white patches tinged with pale green. Underneath the base colour is a pale brown, but with the same pattern of white patches. The butterflies have a wing span up to 6 cms.

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

The species occurs in :

New Guinea and adjacent islands as a number of subspecies, and

Queensland as subspecies shepherdi.

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