DESCRIPTION

- Size: 55mm wingspan for the male and 60mm for the female

- Color: black with spots and a green stripe on the fore wings and only a green stripe on the hindwings

- Presence of small ocher spots on the edge of the four wings in the female.

BEHAVIOR: (Jacques LAMY)

Powerful, erratic flight. Occurs very briefly for foraging, sometimes foraging in flight.

Males practice "hill-topping", settling on dominant trees or shrubs, and patrolling with rapid flight in the canopy.

INTERSPECIFIC RELATIONS (Jacques LAMY):

Very aggressive species which deliberately attacks any other butterfly on its territory, particularly the "blue butterflies", P. montrouzieri.

INTRASPECIFIC RELATIONS (Jacques LAMY):

Males often move in groups from one flowering bush to another. Frequently attack each other.

HABITAT

It frequents dense, humid or dry forests and can be found along trails and at forest edges.

(Jacques LAMY):

Gathers many plant species, Scaevola sp., Lantana sp., "Margueritier" and many others.

REPRODUCTION

The female lays a hundred small greenish, spherical eggs. It places them one by one on the upper surface of the young leaves of the host plant. The incubation time is 4-5 days and the larval stage is 21-23 days. Young caterpillars are black then turn pale green. The duration of the pupal stage is 14 to 15 days. The chrysalis is usually pale green in color, the butterfly that emerges from it can live for 7-10 days.

HOST PLANT OF THE CHENILLE (Jacques LAMY):

in the forest: "blue cherry" (Elaeocarpus angustifolius).

Also "apple-cinnamon" (Annona squamosa)

DISTRIBUTION IN NEW CALEDONIA

Grande Terre and Loyalty Islands

Harvested at: Pic du Pin, Grands Lacs, Port Boisé