Common Brown Heteronympha merope merope
Wingspan: 56 mm - 64 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: MALES: October - April FEMALES: November - April
(Note three subspecies are known: (Heteronympha merope merope, H. m. duboulayi & H. m.salazar)
Distribution: Rockhamton, QLD to Port Lincoln, SA (H. m. merope), South-Western WA (H. m. duboulayi) & Tasmania & Islands H. m.salazar)
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: common
Wingspan: 56 mm - 64 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: MALES: October - April FEMALES: November - April
(Note three subspecies are known: (Heteronympha merope merope, H. m. duboulayi & H. m.salazar)
Distribution: Rockhamton, QLD to Port Lincoln, SA (H. m. merope), South-Western WA (H. m. duboulayi) & Tasmania & Islands H. m.salazar)
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: common
Like all the Browns the cryptic colouring of this butterfly's undersides make it difficult to see at rest on the forest floor. And like many of the other Browns, the upperside of its wings is orange and brown - easy to see when it is flying.
Common Brown Heteronympha merope
Wingspan: 56 mm - 64 mm
(Note three subspecies are known: (Heteronympha merope merope, H. m. duboulayi & H. m.salazar)
Distribution: Rockhamton, QLD to Port Lincoln, SA (H. m. merope), South-Western WA (H. m. duboulayi) & Tasmania & Islands H. m.salazar).
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: common
Butterfly Sightings:
Larva Sightings:
Larval Food Plants:
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
First warm season sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau:
28/11/18 - 10.30am (female). 05/12/18 - 12.15pm (male).
09/11/19 - 11.00am (female).
00/00/20 - (female) 21/10/23 (in drought-03.00pm) - (male)
Last autumn sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau:
Females 31/03/18 - 03.15pm // 29/04/19 - 03.00pm //
Interesting information (from Australian Butterfly Conservation):
Both males and females emerge in Spring – but only the males (often in huge numbers) take flight to search for partners. Once mated the well-hidden female butterfly enters a state of suspended-animation called ‘aestivation’ – and sleep or hibernate right through the often extreme Summer months. This enables them to live for as long as 8-9 months – waiting for the grasses to regrow in late Summer and early Autumn. It is only then that they will take to the wing – being very thirsty and hungry they will then frequently visit flowers.
Because of this it is rare to see a male and female Common Brown butterfly at the same time. This puzzled early butterfly hunters and it still puzzles many today – particularly as the male and (larger) female look like two different species of butterfly!
Wingspan: 56 mm - 64 mm
(Note three subspecies are known: (Heteronympha merope merope, H. m. duboulayi & H. m.salazar)
Distribution: Rockhamton, QLD to Port Lincoln, SA (H. m. merope), South-Western WA (H. m. duboulayi) & Tasmania & Islands H. m.salazar).
Status Claire Cottage: common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: common
Butterfly Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE:
- Oct 2016(m),
- Nov 2004, 2006, 2012, 2017(m&f), 2019, 2021(m), 2023(m),
- Dec 2008(f), 2014(f), 2016(f), 2019, 2020(f), 2021(f), 2023(m&f),
- Feb 2010, 2023(2f), 2024(f)
- Mar 2007, 2008(f), 2014(f), 2017(f), 2018(f), 2023(4f), 2024(0f),
- Apr 2004, 2010, 2016(m & f)
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: None to date
Larva Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: None to date
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: None to date
Larval Food Plants:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: POACEAE: Microlaena stipoides, Themeda triandra (Kangaroo Grass), *Ehrharta erecta, (Panic veldt grass)
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: (as for Claire Cottage)
- ELSEWHERE: (as for Claire Cottage plus) POACEAE: Cynodon Dactylon (Couch), Poa poiformis (Coast Tussock-grass), Poa tenera (Slender Tussock-grass), *Brachypodium distachyon , (False Brome).
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
First warm season sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau:
28/11/18 - 10.30am (female). 05/12/18 - 12.15pm (male).
09/11/19 - 11.00am (female).
00/00/20 - (female) 21/10/23 (in drought-03.00pm) - (male)
Last autumn sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau:
Females 31/03/18 - 03.15pm // 29/04/19 - 03.00pm //
Interesting information (from Australian Butterfly Conservation):
Both males and females emerge in Spring – but only the males (often in huge numbers) take flight to search for partners. Once mated the well-hidden female butterfly enters a state of suspended-animation called ‘aestivation’ – and sleep or hibernate right through the often extreme Summer months. This enables them to live for as long as 8-9 months – waiting for the grasses to regrow in late Summer and early Autumn. It is only then that they will take to the wing – being very thirsty and hungry they will then frequently visit flowers.
Because of this it is rare to see a male and female Common Brown butterfly at the same time. This puzzled early butterfly hunters and it still puzzles many today – particularly as the male and (larger) female look like two different species of butterfly!