These plants contain poisons which appear to protect the Caterpillars from predation, as in other Uraniids.

cocoon and pupa
(Photo: courtesy of Jan MacDonald and Maya Harrison, Mackay)

The Caterpillars pupate in a sparse cocoon in a crevice or between dead leaves.

The adult moths are black with iridescent bands of yellow and pink. The underside is an iridescent pale green with black bands. The moths have a wingspan of about 10 cms.

(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The species occurs in the tropical north of Australia, in Queensland.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

They fly by day, and feed on the nectar of various flowers. They rest with their wings open and out flat. In January in bright sunlight in the morning hours, the adult moths are common as singles and as mating pairs in light rainforest on both gentle and steep hillsides, in the area west of Cairns. They flutter fairly slowly and range from ground level to the treetops. They may be seen both laying eggs and resting.

Further reading :

David Carter,
Butterflies and Moths, Collins Eyewitness Handbooks, Sydney 1992, p. 190.

Ian F.B. Common,
Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 12.4, p.384.

Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards,
A Guide to Australian Moths, CSIRO Publishing, 2007, p. 150.

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(updated 10 November 2010)