Is it a Moth or is it a Butterfly....

In fact it is something called the Moth Butterfly Liphyra brassolis major. It appeared at the moth trap last night, it is a rarely encountered local species found in South-east Asia and Tropical Australia. It has a fascinating life cycle as its larva live inside Green Tree Ant nests. They are protected by a hard orange carapace making them impervious to the ants bites. The larva can devour a whole nest before pupating and emerging as this butterfly. This is the third individual that I have caught this year.

 When it is off the boards I will post a picture of the upper side of its wings