Adult

Wingspan: male 32 mm; female 37 mm. Upperside: black, with a large pale iridescent greenish-blue central area; fore wing with a black bar at end of cell; hind wing with obscure whitish subterminal spots, two black spots near tornus each inwardly edged with orange-red, followed by a white terminal line, and termen with a long black tail at vein CuA2 and projections at M3, CuA1, and 1A+2A. Underside: ground colour yellowish-buff, with a series of narrow black spots and bands, followed by a chestnut-brown subterminal band and then a black terminal line; hind wing with tornal markings similar to upperside. The female is similar to the male but has the termen of the fore wing more rounded, the pale greenish-blue central area on the upperside of the fore wing often paler and whitish, and the abdomen broader.

Egg

0.6 mm wide; bluish-white; mandarin shaped, with a coarse reticulated pattern of square pits and ridges with short spines

Larva

Mature larvae 18 mm long, shining smoky green to black, with a yellowish-green to brown ventrolateral band, each segment with an oblique whitish dorsolateral line and a pale spot at base of each tubercule, fine marginal hairs; all tubercules with whitish median line; ventral surface pale green or brown, legs black; meso- and metathorax with paired dorsal and dorsolateral tubercules; abdominal segments 1 to 6 and 8 with paired dorsal tubercules, segments 2-6 with dorsolateral tubercules; anal plate black outlined with whitish; head black.

Pupa

13-14 mm long; shining black with junctions of segments and appendages, and veins on wings, yellowish or brownish-orange, sometimes with more extensive orange-brown markings on abdomen.

Information sourced from:

Braby, M. F. (2000) Butterflies of Australia: Their Identification, Biology and Distribution. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.