The Queensland Naturalist. 
5 7 
April, 1928 
Iii its general habits it shows a preference for sunny 
glades, especially on hill-tops. I11 these situations it 
glides lazily along in a regular beat, and if disturbed 
merely retreats for a time, returning very soon. Even if 
violently frightened by a miss-shot of the net, it will 
eventually come back and settle in the same place. Like 
many other butterflies, lazy as it appears, you must not 
think you are going to have an easy capture, for its eyes 
are upon you, and when the sweep is made it has instantly 
dropped towards the ground, and sailed away in a very 
speedy manner. 
The native food plants are the wild limes, Atalantia 
glauca, Citrus australis (wild orange), and Citrus aus- 
tralasica (finger lime). Atalantia glauca is common on 
the Darling Downs, hence the appearance of the Anactus 
butterfly there not uncommonly. At Kilrock, Jandowae, 
the larvae Were seen in various stages. In the old coastal 
scrubs near Brisbane the wild orange abounded, and a 
few are still found a few miles below Bulimba. At Tam- 
bourine the finger lime has now probably been almost 
exterminated. 
Eurycus cressida cressida,* Fabr. 
A common species in various localities round Bris- 
bane, usually termed the “big greasy” by our boys and 
girls. The male and female are very different in appear- 
ance, though both have areas of the wings devoid of 
scales, and are hence largely transparent, especially in 
female. The male has the forewing hyaline with base, 
and a large ovoid, spot in middle, and another smaller at 
end of cell deep black, the border suffused black. The 
hind wings are mostly black with a central band of 
white divided by veins into irregularly shaped spots; five 
subterminal spots dull reddish, usually much obscured by 
black scales, but occasionally deep red, as brilliant as 
on the under side; the apex of body ringed with red. 
The female is transparent with a small spot in end of 
cell of foreWings and termen dusky with five whitish 
spots. The sexual characters are remarkable. 
Though usually a poor, yellowish-brown insect when 
taken on the wing, the female upon emergence from the 
pupa is really very pretty and exhibits a bright yellow 
radiance such as is seen in some clanaid butterflies of 
*Cressida, daughter of Calchas, a Trojan priest who took 
part with the Greeks. 
