Australian Fritillary  |  

Argynnis hyperbius inconstans, the Australian fritillary, belongs to the family Nymphalidae. Males and females of this subspecies differ in appearance. The male Australian fritillary has a wingspan of 60 mm. The upperside of the wings are light orange-brown in colour, with numerous rounded black markings and a double black subterminal line (line near the edges of the wings). The underside of the forewings are marked the same as the upperside, however they are pinkish-orange in colour, and the apex of the wings (the anterior corners) are light orange. The underside of the hindwings are light orange with black markings edged with silver. Females have a wingspan of 66 mm. The colour and markings of the female are similar to the male, however the background wing colour is a slightly paler orange, some black markings are more pronounced, and the apex of the wings are sometimes tinged green. The subspecies’ eggs are dome-shaped, pale yellow in colour and 0.9 mm x 0.7 mm in size. The first instar has a brown body with a lateral white stripe and pairs of white dorsal spots. The second instar has a brownish black body with a short thick scoli (an external spine). The third and fourth instar stages have a black head with two blunt horns, a black body Argynnis hyperbius inconstans (Australian fritillary) Conservation Advice Page 2 of 12 with a broad orange dorsal stripe. The pupa are approximately 26 mm long and are orangebrown in colour with dark brown markings that fade with age.