Moth Butterfly

Appearance

Fore wing: costa arched; apex subacute; termen convex; tornus rounded; dorsum sinuate, ciliated, about three-fourths the length of the costa; cell about half the length of the wing; vein 6 out of 7 beyond apex of cell, upper discocellular therefore absent, middle and lower discocellulars subequal, vertical; vein 7 ends on termen well below apex of wing; vein 8 out of 7, from apical half, ends on costa before apex of wing; vein 9 out of 7 from just before middle; veins 10 and 11 free; vein 12 terminates well beyond end of cell on costa.

Hind wing: irregularly pear-shaped; costa slightly but widely angulated near base, then straight to apex; termen strongly rounded, tornus well marked, produced into a lobe; dorsum long, slightly convex; cell about half length of wing; middle discocellular short, concave, lower twice length of middle, strongly oblique; vein la very short, ends before middle of dorsum: vein 3 from well before lower apex of cell; vein 7 at base much closer to apex of cell than to base of wing; vein 8 very slightly arched near base, then straight to apex of wing. Antennae about half length of fore wing, no distinct club but gradually increasing to apex; palpi porrect , gradually tapering to apex, third joint of moderate length, as thick at base as apex of second joint; eyes naked; body heavy and robust, reminding one in its stoutness of the body of ''Charaxes''.

Distribution

The species occurs from India to the Philippines, including the tropical coast of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland.

Reproduction

Oval flattened and slug like with a hard and smooth covering. The caterpillars can devour the entire broods of green ant nests. The protective orange carapace is virtually impervious to the bites of soldier ants and it is so heavy that the ants cannot flip it over to get at the caterpillar's soft underbody. Once the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly inside the nest, its soft body is vulnerable to the ants who can swarm and dismember intruders. However, as the butterfly quickly moves toward an exit, it is protected by white scales from its new wings; the scales are slippery enough to prevent most ants from getting a foothold and these scales stick to the ants' jaws, disorienting and distracting them.

"The jaws would most effectively take hold of the skin of an ant larva, piercing its skin at the same time in six places; they would then draw the piece so seized within the closed cavity formed between the labrum, labium and maxillae so that the juices of the larva could be easily sucked out."