Delias argenthona

Delias argenthona (Fabricius, 1793)
Northern Jezabel
PIERINAE , PIERIDAE

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

Delias argenthona

This Caterpillar starts life as one of an array of yellow barrel-shaped eggs laid on the leaf of a food plantj each with a height of about 1 mm.

early instars
(Photo: courtesy Brett Howton, Narangba, Queensland)

The Caterpillar may be one of several shades of colour: either yellow, brown, green or pink. It has long white hairs growing out of rows of white spots, and a black head and tail. The Caterpillar grows to a length of about 2 cms.

It lives and feeds communally in a sparse web of silk on various species of Mistletoe ( LORANTHACEAE ) including :

Twin Forked Mistletoe ( Amyema bifurcata ),

Sheoak Mistletoe ( Amyema cambagei ),

Box Mistletoe ( Amyema miquelii ),

Drooping Mistletoe ( Amyema pendula ),

Christmas Mistletoe ( Amyema sanguinea ),

Coast Mistletoe ( Muellerina celastroides ),

Decaisnina signata,

Dendrophthoe glabrescens,

Dendrophthoe curvata, and

Diplatia furcata,

as well as

Northern Sandalwood ( Santalum lanceolatum, SANTALACEAE ).

late instars
(Photo: courtesy Brett Howton, Narangba, Queensland)

The pupa has a length of about 2 cms. It is orange or yellow with black spikes, and is attached to a leaf of the food plant.

The adults are white on top, with a black tip to each forewing and a wide black margin to each hindwing both containing white spots. The wingspan is about 6 cms.

Male

Female
(Specimens: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

Underneath, the forewings are similar, but the hindwings have a yellow base, then a white band, and have a black outer half containing an arc of red splotches.

(Photo by Bob Neville, courtesy of Christine Hall, Kilkivan, Queensland)

The species is found in New Guinea, and in the north of Western Australia through the Northen Territory and Queensland to New South Wales.

Butterflies of this species may be purchased for release at weddings etc.