Acraea andromacha (Glasswing)

Other Common Names

Little Greasy, Small Greasy

Notes

I saw a couple of these butterflies in the Botanic Gardens in Cairns, and then several of them on a hilltop above the rainforest overlooking the town. Unfortunately they didn’t land often, and when they did they were generally chased off almost immediately by one of the many butterflies of several species which were hilltopping at the time. As a result I don’t have any particularly good photos, but they are good enough to allow identification of the species.


I spotted one specimen at Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains in February 2006, but wasn’t able to get close enough for any photos. However when I returned in March I found a few of these butterflies flying around the edge of a clearing, and I was able to get a number of photos. And what’s more, I found Catopyrops florinda in the same place 🙂

Since that time I’ve seen a number of Glasswings in the Blue Mountains, mainly in the lower parts such as Glenbrook but occasionally at higher altitude at Blackheath.

Sightings

Cairns – October 2005, September 2008
Glenbrook – March 2006
Blackheath – January 2008, March 2016

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