In captivity: the caterpillars are antagonistic to each other, and inclined to be cannabalistic.

     
(Photos: courtesy of Bob Miller and Ian Hill)

The pupa is cream with brown markings and sparse hairs. Its length is about 1 cm. It is formed attached to the underside of a foodplant leaf.

male
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The male adults are blue on top with a large white patch on each hindwing. The females are black with a large white patch on each wing.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

Underneath, both sexes are white with a black border. Along the underside of the costa of each forewing there is an iridescent pale green stripe. Along the margin of the underside of each hindwing there is a row of black spots each ringed in pale iridescent green. The adults have a wingspan of about 3 cms.

an egg, highly magnified
(Photo: courtesy of Bob Miller and Ian Hill)

The eggs are white, round flattened and rough. The are laid typically in ones or twos by a vein under a leaf of a young foodplant.

(Photo: courtesy of Don McNicol)

The species occurs in New Guinea and adjacent islands, and over the eastern coastal areas of Australia including

Three subspecies have been recognised, although their standing is controversial :

(Photo: courtesy of Nick Monaghan, Tewantin, Queensland)

Further reading :

Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 794-795.

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