Taractrocera papyria agraulia

Common name: Western Grassdart

Meaning of name:

Unknown.

Distribution:

Occurs in coastal areas from Perth to Esperance.

Description:

This butterfly has a wingspan of up to 20 millimetres.

Notes:

When basking, the forewings are opened only slightly, while the hindwings are held flat. Occurs in grasslands, eucalypt open woodland and suburban areas. The caterpillars are known to feed on Austrodanthonia, Austrostipa, Cynodon, Echinopogon, Imperata, Microlaena, Phragmites, Poa, Ehrharta, Oryza, Paspalum, Pennisetum and Carex species.

We have photographed this butterfly in September.

References:

The Complete Guide to Butterflies of Australia. Michael F Braby. 2004

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/d8ec367c-4374-4872-a6d9-9e3fe2ab5da5

Butterfly House https://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/hesp/papyria.html