02/02/2026
A little beauty now regularly sighted on Mt Coot-tha.
Butterfly of the Month – February 2026
The Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) is a relative newcomer to Australia, originally from India and Sri Lanka, and was recorded first in Brisbane (Boondall Wetlands) in February 2021 by Brisbane’s Big Butterfly Count. It has been seen regularly since.
The butterfly belongs to the Nymphalidae family and is closely related to the Glasswing (Acraea andromacha). Sighting and identification is made easy by the butterfly’s bright orange colour on the upper wing side in the male which has a lightly brown-orange tinge in the female. The wings in both genders are adorned with black spots. The hindwings’ outer margin shows a black band with small white spots. These white spots are substantially larger on the underside which is otherwise very similar in pattern, shows, however, a much lighter base colour. The Tawny Coster’s wingspan ranges from 48mm for the male to 54mm for the female.
Tiny eggs are ribbed and laid in clusters on the underside of host plant leaves. The emerging larvae are equipped with black spines. Apart from a lighter shade during the early instar stages, the larval colour is brown. The subsequent pupa resembles that of the Glasswing with its base cream colour and striking black markings.
The Tawny Coster shares the same habitat with the Glasswing. It’s preferred host plant in Brisbane appears to be the Spade Flower (Pigea stellarioides). Whether it also feeds on Passiflora foetida (like it does in parts of northern Australia) may need to be established. Brisbane Big Butterfly Count sightings have almost always been in hill topping locations.
The butterfly has first been recorded in 2012 in the Northern Territories and northern Western Australia. It has gradually made its way further South. While it’s not a daily occurrence, Acraea terpsicore is here to stay. After the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and the Cabbage White (Pieris rapae), the Tawny Coster is the third butterfly having established itself in Australia.
Images:
AR - Anitava Roy CC BY-SA 4.0; CM – Cliff Meyer; DP – Dharmendra PadhIyar CC BY-NC 4.0; RB – Renju Box CC BY-NC 4.0; SG – Soham Gajre CC BY-NC 4.0; VI – Vinayaraj CC BY-SA 4.0; YG – Yuwaraj Gurja CC BY-NC 4.0
