Common Crow (Euploea core)
Appearance: Upperside and underside dark brown with numerous white patches that form an almost continuous band on the hind wing. Males have a single, elongated sex-brand on the upperside of the fore wing.
Wingspan: 7 cm
Season: Several generations all around the year.
Range: Tropical and subtropical areas of northern WA, northern NT, northern and eastern QLD, north-eastern NSW, and Sydney. Migrants occasionally reach temperate regions of south-eastern QLD, eastern NSW, and eastern VIC.
Habitat: Open forest, woodland, and monsoon forest.
Photo: Male, Lane Cove NP, NSW, 23 / 02 / 2008.
Notes
As its name suggests, the Common Crow is a common and widespread species of the tropical and subtropical regions of northern and eastern Australia. Migrants occasionally appear in the temperate regions of eastern Australia all the way south to central and eastern VIC. The Common Crow can be encountered in open forests, monsoon forests, and woodland, where males are usually found resting on exposed branches of shrubs and trees to watch over their territory. In Sydney the butterflies can also be seen in suburban gardens.
In the tropical regions of QLD and the NT there are several very similar species in the genus Euploea. The easiest way to distinguish these species is through the shape of the sex-brand on the fore wing upperside of the male. Common Crow males have a single, elongated sex-brand, whereas males of the similar Two-brand Crow (Euploea sylvester) have two elongated sex-brands and males of the No-brand Crow (Euploea alcathoe) completely lack the sex-brand.
Additional Photos
