Clearwing swallowtail

Description:

The Clearwing Swallowtail or Big Greasy is a medium-sized swallowtail butterfly (family Papilionidae). The adults are dissimilar in appearance. Males have translucent forewings with two black spots and a fine black border thickest at the apex of the wing. The hindwing has a thick black border surrounding a central white area with black veining. The black border encloses a series of red spots, whose size and number can vary. Females have wings that are a semi-translucent tawny colour, similar to aged greaseproof paper. This colouration is most intense immediately after the butterfly emerges, but soon fades and renders the wing almost totally transparent. Patterning of the female wing is similar to that of the male, but greatly reduced and diffused, with white areas on the hindwing extremely reduced and all red markings replaced by pale pink. Both sexes have a black body heavily marked with red scales.

Habitat:

Cressida cressida is found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia and occurs predominantly in drier forest throughout its range; in Australia, it is often encountered in dry Eucalyptus forest where its hosts grow as small scrambling vines in open areas. It is most common in forests bordering the Great Dividing Range.

Notes:

Spotted in Paluma Range National Park, Australia.(sources:see reference)