(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

The pupa is pale yellow with a black spike on the head, and with other black and yellow markings. It is often attached to a leaf.

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

The female adult butterflies have white forewings with black edges containing white spots, and yellow hindwings with black edges which may contain yellow spots.

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

The male butterflies are white with black tips to the forewings, which also have two black subapical spots.

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

Underneath, the sexes resemble their upper sides, but with a yellow ground colour rather than white.

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

Both sexes have a wingspan of about 5 cms.

egg: highly magnified
(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

The eggs are laid singly, and are green and barrel shaped with ribs.

(Photo: Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, 15 July 2004
courtesy of Ian McMillan)

The species occurs from India to Samoa, including :

(Photo: Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, 15 July 2004
courtesy of Ian McMillan)

In Australia: the subspecies ega occur in the north and east, including

Christmas Island 1987

Further reading :

Michael F. Braby,
Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 1, pp. 325-326.

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(updated 1 May 2009)