Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi)

About Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi)

• Kingdom: Animals
• Phylum: Arthropods
• Class: Insects
• Order: Butterflies and Moths
• Family: Brush-footed Butterflies

The Australian painted lady is a species of butterfly mostly confined to Australia, although westerly winds have dispersed it to islands east of Australia, including New Zealand. Debate surrounds the taxonomy of this species. Some believe that the Australian painted lady should be a subspecies of the painted lady due to the similarity in lifestyle and behaviour. Furthermore, the painted lady is found around the globe, but Australia is the only location in which it varies enough to be considered a separate species.