(Specimen : courtesy of Ken Fairey)

The pupa has a length of about 1 cm. It is brown with a dark dorsal stripe and a dark spot at each side. Is formed in curled leaf.

Female
(Photo: courtesy of Kell Nielsen, Gold Coast)

Both sexes of the adult butterfly have a thin tiny tail near the tornus of each hind wing. The females are fawn with a patchy white pattern, and an arc of dark spots along the margin of each hind wing. Both underneath are fawn with a pattern of white bands, and an arc of black spots around the margin of each hind wing.

Male
(Photo: courtesy of Kell Nielsen, Gold Coast)

The adult male butterflies are brown with a purple sheen on top. Both sexes have a wing span of about 3 cms.

Female
(Specimen: courtesy of Christine Ashe)

The eggs are pale green and nearly spherical. They are laid singly on the underside of a leaf or a flowerbud of a foodplant.

egg (arrowed)
(Photo: courtesy of Rohan & Kell Nielsen, Gold Coast)

The species occurs as several races across south-east asia, including:

as well as subspecies pseudocassius over much of Australia, including :

(Specimen: courtesy of Ken Fairey)

Further reading :

Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 833-834.

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