Acraea andromacha

Acraea andromacha (Fabricius, 1775)
Glasswing
(erroneously: Acraea andromache Eltringham, 1912)
HELICONIINAE, NYMPHALIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Acraea andromacha
(Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

These Caterpillars feed on various Passion vines ( PASSIFLORACEAE ), including the Australian natives :

Lacewing Vine ( Adenia heterophylla ),

Red Passionflower ( Passiflora cinnabarina ),

Austraalian Native Passionfruit ( Passiflora herbertiana ),

as well as the introduced :

Sweet Calabash ( Passiflora maliformis ),

Love in a mist ( Passiflora foetida ),

Banana Passionfruit ( Passiflora mollissima ),

Corky Passionfruit ( Passiflora suberosa ), and

White Passionfruit ( Passiflora subpeltata ),

and also :

Shrub Violet ( Hybanthus aurantiacus, VIOLACEAE ) and

Spade Flower ( Hybanthus enneaspermus, VIOLACEAE ).

Sadly, the female butterfly will also lay her eggs on other introduced PASSIFLORACEAE such as:

Passionfruit ( Passiflora edulis ),

Lilikoi ( Passiflora elata ), and

Granadilla ( Passiflora ligularis ).

but the caterpillars cannot thrive on these plants.

(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

The caterpillars are brown, with branched black spines arising from black spots all over the body. The caterpillars bunch together initially, but as they mature, separate onto different leaves. They grow to a length of about 3 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

The pupa is cream, with striking black markings, and rows of black outlined orange spots along the abdomen. It has two blunt horns on its head. It hangs head downward by a silk cremaster from the foodplant. It has a length of about 2 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The forewings of the adult butterflies are transparent, with black spots.

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

The hindwings are white with a subterminal black arc, and a black border containing white spots. The mouthparts are unusual in being bright yellow. The butterflies have a wing span of about 6 cms. They are inclined to congregate around larval foodplants.

eggs
(Photo: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The eggs of this species are barrel-shaped, ribbed, and a creamy-yellow, and each has a height of about 1.5 mm. They are laid in clusters of a dozen or more, on a leaf or stem of a foodplant.