Dainty Swallowtail Butterfly Chrysalis

The Chrysalis at last ! After about 12 days from first spotting the early instar caterpillar, we noticed the chrysalis. It was green with pale patches, looking very much like a swollen stem - almost like a stem gall induced by the citrus gall wasp. The chrysalis was slung up securely with a thin thread-like girdle. One end of the chrysalis was bifurcated. It is quite likely to over winter, so it should be a few months before the adult emerges. A lovely experience for us !

comments (5)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Very thoughtful of you to document all these stages, we now have them nicely grouped together:
https://www.jungledragon.com/specie/8169/photos Posted 8 years ago
1. Leuba Ridgway
  
  Lion
  
  That's great Ferdie. Posted 8 years ago

Martin Lagerwey

Lion

Looks like a twig to me. Nicely done, Leuba. Posted 8 years ago

Leuba Ridgway

Lion

Thank you Ferdie and Martin. Could not get better shots because of the long thorns. I spent about three days looking for the late instar caterpillar and thought that a bird had found it, then Mark accidentally broke off a branch of the plant and there it was !
Also, I was worried that this newly purchased finger lime would be decimated but the damage was minimal. Posted 8 years ago
1. Martin Lagerwey
  
  Lion
  
  The limes do fine, growing faster than they get eaten. My lime gets egg deposition on a regular basis but all get eaten by those pest red bugs. If I want an adult, I have to pick a fresh egg and grow it out in a jar. Posted 8 years ago

The Dainty swallowtail

"Papilio anactus" is a medium-sized butterfly from the family Papilionidae, that is endemic to Australia. For protection against predators, this non-poisonous butterfly mimics the poisonous male "Cressida cressida", another swallowtail butterfly that obtains its toxic properties through its host plant, the Dutchman's pipe.

Info 16 0

Similar species: Moths And Butterflies

Species identified by Leuba Ridgway