Try a Google search.

I just typed in "Butterfly identification +SE QLD" but don't use the inverted commas unless you want to make the search use the exact words. I pulled up heaps of info.

Set your search for Australia before pressing GO.

Doug.

goldhills - just the thing for you:

http://www.ento.csiro.au/about_insects/index.html

http://www.ento.csiro.au/anic/resources.html

http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/butter.html

http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/papi/papilionidae.html

I used these a few months ago to identify some caterpillars that decided my lemon tree was a tasty treet - had them all in my bookmarks

hope they help

cheers

Thanks

Doug, I did a google on - butterflies SE Qld - before I posted this yesterday. They had heaps of info but not for this area. I couldn't find the butterfly on the Bris sites or the northern ones. Also some of them didn't show the butterflies with wings open which makes it harder to identify. I'll try your words this time and see if it works better.

I'll check those out too, Paradisi. I have bookmarked sites for caterpillars, birds, insects, etc but I haven't any butterfly ones yet.

I'll let you know how I go.

I have spent ages going through these sites and others I found but still haven't been able to identify the butterfly or moth I saw. I may have missed it though as after looking at so many I occasionally got mixed up with some pages but don't think I missed too much.

I have seen it twice now but both times while flying so didn't get a very good look at it. It was mainly black with a little white and to large red spots on the lower half of its wings. The red spots were quite obvious and I thought it would have made it easier to identify. Does anyone know what type it could possibly be?

This probably isn't it, but I thought I would show you anyway.
Cheers,
Dee.

Here is a link that might be useful: butterflies

I bet it is it Dee as I have seen those around too,
Just cannot remember if it was Nth Qld or SE Qld.
Very Pretty .....MM.

Hi Dee, that seems to be similar but the red spot on the ones I saw are larger and more central on the lower part of the wing. It says under the picture that the female had more extensive red markings but the females just had more small spots around the edges. Also the ones I saw were only about 75mm - 80mm, orchid swallowtails apparently reach 125mm.

This has really got me curious as I thought it would be a simple one to identify. I have wasted so much time over this but I'm getting determined to find out what it is. :)

goldhills - I'm sure its a swallowtail of some sort - - one idea is to get into the University of Southern Queensland or Griffith University and find out who is doing a thesis or doctorate on butterflies of the region - - that's how I got a contact for the bats around home.

I'm off to a biology residential in armidale in two weeks - I'll ask around the University of New England to see who the experts are.

It's amazing - most professors or doctorate students are more than keen to help out individuals with their queries.

Also - the Queensland museum has a great enquiry centre - they might be worth checking out.

I got all of the sites through google and I don't have them bookmarked

cheers

Tony

Here's another.....

Here is a link that might be useful: butterflies

You could try QLD Museum too - go to www.qm.qld.gov.au. They have an enquiry form you can fill out and they might be able to help. I know of one called a rose swallowtail, but that's probably one of many common names it might have! Happy hunting

Sorry so long in replying and thanks for your help.

I contacted Qld Museum and have had a couple of possibles but no definites. Their suggestions were a male Orchard Swallowtail, Clearwing Butterfly, Dainty Swallowtail, or Fuscous Swallowtail. I'm keeping a the lookout to see if I can spot another one so I can have a closer look.

If I had only seen the butterfly once I wouldn't have been so sure but I have seen it twice on different days so am reasonably sure as I took particular notice the second time. I will just have to keep looking.

Hi, my son found a butterfly on the beach quite injured and brought it home so it's wings could dry out. It has black wings with a distinctive bright 1cm red vertical stripe on its upper wings and the wings also seem to have blue/yellow in them. It's fairly hard to tell as it's night time now so there's poor lighting and it's very beaten up...not sure if it will survive. Have been trying to find out what it is and what type of flowers it might like.