Heteronympha merope

Heteronympha merope, the common brown, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, endemic to the southern half of Australia. The wingspan is about 60 millimetres (2.4 in) for males and 70 mm (2.8 in) for females.

Heteronympha merope
both males Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Heteronympha
Species:	H. merope
Binomial name
Heteronympha merope Fabricius, 1775
Synonyms
Satyrus archemor

female

The larvae feed on Poaceae species, including Brachypodium distachyon, Cynodon dactylon, Ehrharta erecta, Poa poiformis, Microlaena stipoides, Poa tenera and Themeda triandra.^[1] The common brown butterfly is emerging ten days earlier than it did 65 years ago due to the effects of climate change.^[2]