''Alcides metaurus'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Uraniidae The Uraniidae are a family of moths containing four subfamilies, 90 genera, and roughly 700 species. The family is distributed throughout the tropics of the Americas, Africa and Indo-Australia.Carter, David, ''Eyewitness Handbook to Butterflies ...

. It is known from the tropical north of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. ''Alcides metaurus'' (Hopffer, 1856)
. lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is about 100 mm. Adults are black with iridescent bands of yellow and pink. The underside is iridescent pale green with black bands. They are on wing during the day and feed on flower nectar. They rest with their wings open and out flat. The larvae feed on various

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as '' Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, ...

species, including '' Endospermum medullosum'', ''E. myrmecophilum'', and ''Omphalea queenslandiae''. These plants contain poisons which might protect the larvae from predation. The various instars have colours varying from green with a black band, to black with white bands and a red thorax, to red with black bands and orange legs. Pupation takes place in a cocoon made in a crevice or between dead leaves.

References

Uraniidae Moths described in 1763 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Geometroidea-stub