General Description

Above: white with black terminal bands containing a series of white dots. Below: similar to above but with the addition of yellow spots and streaks. Wingspan up to 5.5 cm.

Biology

Caper White butterflies are a migratory species. They breed where their food plants Native Orange, Capparis mitchellii, other Capparis species and Currant Bush, Apophyllum anomalum, grow in Central Australia, Queensland, coastal New South Wales and Flinders Ranges, South Australia. Their host plants do not occur naturally in Victoria. The butterflies get blown south into Victoria by the warm winds of spring and summer most years.

Distribution

Common in northern Australia, migrates to southern Victoria most years.

Habitat

Breeds in arid areas where its host plants, Capparis species, are abundant.

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