Delias mysis

Delias mysis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Delias
Species: D. mysis
Binomial name
Delias mysis
Fabricius, 1775

Delias mysis, the Union Jack or red-banded Jezebel, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is endemic to northern Australia, New Guinea and neighbouring islands. The common name is a reference to the flag of the British Empire. The butterfly was given this name, because the patterns and colours on the underside of the wings of the males resembles the flag.

The species has a wide variety in colours and patterns, hence a great deal of subspecies have been named.

The wingspan is 60–70 mm.

The larvae feed on mistletoe species, especially Dendrophthoe glabrescens.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/28/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.