Melanitis leda

Melanitis leda (Linnaeus, 1758)
(erroneously: Hipio banksia)
Evening Brown
SATYRINAE , NYMPHALIDAE

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

Melanitis leda
(Photo: courtesy of Stephanie Noverraz, taken at Nimbin)

The Caterpillar of this species feeds on various members of the Grass family ( POACEAE ), including :

Golden Beard Grass ( Chrysopogon fallax ),

Giant Spear Crass ( Heteropogon triticeus ),

Cogon Grass ( Imperata cylindrica ),

Southern Cut Grass ( Leersia hexandra ),

Molasses Grass ( Melinis minutiflora ),

Itchgrass ( Ophiuros exaltatus ),

Rice ( Oryza sativa ),

Sugar Cane ( Saccharum officinarum ),

Millet ( Sorghum vulgare ),

Buffalo Grass ( Stenotaphrum secundatum ), and

Kangaroo Grass ( Themeda triandra ).

Caterpillars have also been found on members of the Sedge family ( CYPERACEAE ), including :

Tall Sedge ( Carex appressa ), and

Creek Carex ( Carex polyantha ).

The Caterpillae is cylindrical, and green with white spots. It has two dark reddish hairy horns on its head, and a pair of horns on its tail. The Caterpillars feed in daylight near a leaf tip, often in a small group. They rest on the underside of a leaf along a vein.

Caterpillar preparing to pupate
(Photo: courtesy of Nick Monaghan, Tewantin, Queensland)

The pupa is smooth and green. It hangs by a silk cremaster from the foodplant. Its length is about 2 cms.

pupa

The adult has two forms: the winter (dry) season form is dark brown with an orange patch containing double eyespot near the tip of each forewing. These is usually a single eyespot on the top of each hindwing. Each wing has a recurved margin. The wingspan is about 7 cms.

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

The summer (wet) season form is paler.

summer form
oops: a bird must have snapped at a bit of its wing!
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The underside (of both forms) is variable: generally a cryptic brown with a number of small eyespots.

(Photo: courtesy of Nick Monaghan, Tewantin, Queensland)

The eggs are spherical and pale yellow, and have a diameter of about 1 mm. They are laid at dusk in groups of one to five on the underside of young foodplant leaves.