When not feeding, the Caterpillar rests on the underside of a leaf. The Caterpillar grows to a length of about 2.5 cms.

The pupa is silver-cream with black markings. It is suspended by a cremaster from a food plant, and has a length of about 1.5 cms.

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

The wings of the adult butterflies are black, with a number of white spots, and a large white patch on each hind wing.

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

The undersides are similar to the upper surfaces. The butterflies have a wingspan of about 5 cms.

The eggs are green and spherical with a diameter of about 1 mm. They are laid singly on the undersides of leaves of food plants.

The species is found as 12 subspecies across Indonesia and New Guinea, and staudingereana is found in tropical north Queensland.

Further reading :

Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 556-557.

G.A. Wood, The life history of Neptis praslini straudingereana de Niceville (Lepidoptera:Nymphalidae:Nymphalinae), Australian Entomological Magazine, Volume 14 (1987), p. 3.

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