Small Grass Yellow (Eurema smilax)
Appearance: Upperside yellow with black terminal band on the fore wing. Underside uniformly yellow with numerous dark spots and patches. Two seasonal forms; the wet-season form has the underside spots and patches very faint and indistinct compared to the dry-season form.
Wingspan: 3.0–3.3 cm
Season: Breeds continuously throughout the year.
Range: All across Australia; occasional migrant only in parts of southern Australia and TAS.
Habitat: Wide variety of habitats.
Photo: Female (wet-season form), Alice Springs, NT, 23 / 08 / 2009.
Notes
The Small Grass Yellow is a common and widespread species that can be found all over the country, although in the far south and in TAS it only occurs as an occasional migrant. There are two seasonal forms, the wet-season form having the dark spots and patches on the underside very faint and indistinct compared to the dry-season form.
There are several very similar species in the genus Eurema, in particular the Large Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe), the Scalloped Grass Yellow (Eurema alitha), and the No-brand Grass Yellow (Eurema brigitta). The Small Grass Yellow can be distinguished from these through the lack of a black terminal band on the upperside of the hind wing and a small but conspicuous indent in the black terminal band on the upperside of the fore wing.