Caterpillar getting ready to pupate
(Photo: courtesy Brett Howton, Narangba, Queensland)

The Caterpillars are intially communal, but later instars become solitary. They feed at night, hiding by day some distance from their foodplant. They can grow to a length of about 6 cms.

(Specimen: courtesy Butterfly House, Coffs Harbour)

The pupa is brown with black spikes. It hangs by a cremaster from a silk pad under a twig or leaf, and has a length of about 3 cms.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Klaus-Rusch Photo Gallery)

The adult male butterfly is black with a large white spot in middle of each wing. These spots are surrounded by a remarkable purple iridescence when viewed obliquely. The male wingspan is about 8 cms.

female
(Specimen: courtesy of Jonathan Tritter and the Butterfly House, Coffs Harbour)

The female is similar but also has an orange mark on each forewing, and is much more variable in coloration. She is also larger, having a typical wingspan of about 9 cms.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of Butterfly House, Coffs Harbour)

The undersides of the wings of both sexes are black with a diagonal white band and a curved arc of white spots on each wing.

(Specimen: courtesy of Anna Piper and the Butterfly House, Coffs Harbour)

The eggs are spherical and pale yellow or green. The are laid in small irregular groups under leaves of foodplants.

Nauru, 1984

The species is found from Madagascar through south-east Asia, including :

The subspecies nerina is found from Christmas Island across the whole of mainland Australia, to Vanuatu, including

The butterflies may be purchased for release at weddings etc.

female
(Courtesy : Instant Scratchies)

Further reading :

Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 567-569.

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