Red-spotted jezebel
The red-spotted jezebel is a striking butterfly from Australia. From above it is grey, white and black, but under its back wings it hides bright red spots and big yellow patches. Its whole life is tied to mistletoe plants.
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Fun facts
Its chrysalis looks like a bird dropping, which probably keeps hungry birds away.
The young caterpillars live and eat together in groups, but they go off on their own as they grow.
Its caterpillars grow up to about 4 centimetres long and are black with small white spots.
Males fly high around the tallest trees on hilltops, waiting for females.
It glides with its wings spread wide, then does a few quick flaps.
Most asked questions about Red-spotted jezebel
?Where does the red-spotted jezebel live?
Only in Australia, mostly in the south and southeast, wherever mistletoe grows.
?What does the red-spotted jezebel caterpillar eat?
Mistletoe and related plants. The mother lays her eggs in clusters on them.
?How big is the red-spotted jezebel?
Its open wings measure about 6 to 7 centimetres across.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Delias aganippe
- Named by
- Donovan, 1805
- Group
- Butterflies
- Family
- Pieridae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Pieridae
- Lives on
- Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Wood white, Spotted jezebel
Where the facts come from
- Delias aganippe (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Donald Hobern. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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