Australian Painted Lady

Photo(s): 
Australian Painted Lady

Australian Painted Lady

Vanessa kershawi

Females lay single green eggs on food plant leaf. The whole lifecycle is approximately 53 days. 

Details Description
Type
Invertebrate
Group
Insect - Butterfly
Other Common Names
Blue-spotted Painted Lady
Identifying Characteristics

Pale brown underwings and orange and brown upper wings. Tiny blue eyespots on hind wings. Larvae are brown and spikey with a pale yellow stripe along each side. A long proboscis is used to extract nectar from flowers. The adult wingspan is up to 5 cm.
Distinctive Markings

The forewing has four white dots near the apex and a white bar running inward from the edge.
Diet

Herbivore. Native Everlasting daisies, other daisy species, grasses and introduced Capeweed, Scotch Thistle and Lavender.
Habitat

Urban areas.
Native Status
Native to Australia
Taxonomy
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Nymphalidae
Species
kershawi
Australian Painted Lady
Occurs from Christmas Island through to New Zealand including New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.

Distribution maps indicate current and historic locations where species have been sighted.

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

Conservation Status
DEPI Advisory List
Not listed
FFG Act
Not listed
EPBC Act
Not listed

The conservation status of species is listed within Victoria and Australia.

The Department of Environment and Primary Industry (DEPI) Advisory List consists of non-statutory advisory lists of rare or threatened flora and fauna within Victoria.

The Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act) lists threatened species in Victoria. Under the Act, an Action Statement is produced for each listed species.

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is the Australian Government’s key piece of environmental legislation, listing nationally threatened native species and ecological communities.