Euploea darchia (Small Brown Crow)

Euploea darchia darchia
Euploea darchia niveata

Other Common Names

White-margined Crow, Darwin Brown Crow

Notes

Like its close relative E. sylvester, I had not photographed this species in all my trips to Cairns; I’ve seen them occasionally but have never had the chance to get any shots. I had more luck with the NT subspecies which I found in many places around Darwin, and they were usually happy to settle while I took some photos.

I finally managed to get photos of the Queensland subspecies in June 2022, where 3 or 4 of them were passing the winter in a small wooded area alongside the path running alongside the Mount Whitfield Conservation Park, close to the Yellow Arrow Carpark on Aeroglen Drive. I had checked out the same spot on just about every previous visit I’d made to Cairns without finding this butterfly, so it was a bit of a relief to get some shots of it this time.

Sightings

Darwin – April 2018, April 2024
Cairns – June 2022

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