Oreixenica correae

Oreixenica correae (Olliff, 1890)
(one synonym: Xenica fulva)
Correa Brown
SATYRINAE , NYMPHALIDAE

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

Oreixenica correae
(Photo: courtesy of R.P. Field; © Museum Victoria)

These Caterpillars are green with sparse prominent hairs. Later instars may acquire longitudinal pale lines and a forked tail. Early instar Caterpillars feed typically in the afternoons, otherwise hiding at the bottom of the foodplant. Later instars hide by day and feed at night. They feed on various species of Grass ( POACEAE ) including :

Purple-Sheath Tussock Grass ( Poa ensiformis ), and

Soft Snow Grass ( Poa hiemata ).

The pupa is green or brown with darker brown markings, and is suspended head down from a cremaster. It has spiky projections along the sides and back.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Museum Victoria)

The upper surfaces of the wings of the adult butterflies are brown with yellow patches. The upper sides of each of the fore wings each have an eyespot near the wing tip, and the hind wings have a similar one near the tornus. In the females, the fore wing eyespots are double.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Museum Victoria)

Underneath, the wings are much the same but paler, and the hind wings each have an extra eye spot. The butterflies have a wing span of about 3 cms.

The eggs are green and spherical. They are laid singly on leaves of a foodplant.

The species is found in the mountains of southern New South Wales and Victoria.

(Photos: courtesy of Ted Cadwallader)