''Eurema smilax'', the small grass yellow, is a small
pierid
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia.DeVries P. J. in Le ...
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
species found in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, including
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...
. It is also present on
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
.
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
is about 30 mm. The upper surfaces of the wings are yellow with a black band around the edge, and a black dot near the middle. The undersides are yellow with variable brown markings.
Australian Insects
/ref>
The species exhibits seasonal ''wet-season'' and ''dry-season'' forms.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on '' Cassia fistula'', ''Neptunia monosperma Neptunia may refer to:
* ''Neptunia'' (plant), a genus of plants within the subfamily Mimoseae
* Neptunia (''Darkwing Duck''), a cartoon character in the television series ''Darkwing Duck''
*, an Italian coaster
*''Hyperdimension Neptunia'', a vid ...
'', ''Neptunia gracilis Neptunia may refer to:
* ''Neptunia'' (plant), a genus of plants within the subfamily Mimoseae
* Neptunia (''Darkwing Duck''), a cartoon character in the television series ''Darkwing Duck''
*, an Italian coaster
*''Hyperdimension Neptunia'', a vid ...
'', '' Senna acclinis'', '' Senna coriacea'', '' Senna coronilloides'', '' Cassia nemophila'', '' Senna artemisioides petiolaris'' and '' Senna guadichaudii''.
References
Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia
by Michael F Braby, 2004
smilax
Butterflies described in 1805
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