the blue tiger
Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Blue Tiger
Scientific Name: Tirumala hamata
Other Common Names: Dark Blue Tiger, Blue Wanderer.
Status: Very common and widespread.
Description: The Blue Tiger Butterfly (Tirumala hamata) is a distinctive, large butterfly from the Family Nymphalidae that can be found in coastal areas in northern Australia. They have a wingspan of around 7cm and are largely black in colour, with a series of blue spots and streaks that reduce in size as they approach the trailing edge of the wing. Males and females are almost identical, with the only noticeable difference being the presence of a small, curved fold in the mid-hindwing of the males.
Caterpillars of the Blue Tiger Butterfly are similar to those of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). They have a series of thin, black and white bands that alternate along the length of the body, and an orange, lateral stripe positioned just above the base of the legs. The caterpillars also have pairs of filaments that are located at the front of the thorax and the rear of the abdomen.
Behaviour: Adult butterflies fly fairly slowly within several meters of the ground. Adults often seek out specific plants from which to feed, such as Monkey Rope Vine (Parsonsia straminea), Heliotopium, and Crotalaria. The leaves, pollen and nectar of these plants are thought to provide the butterflies with certain chemical compounds that may make them unpalatable to predators, or attractive to the opposite sex.
Anecdotally, I have noticed that during the warmer months this butterfly is quite active during the morning and afternoon, but will retreat to cool, dark areas to rest during the hottest part of the day. Large numbers can often be found roosting together in these situations. Similar roosting behaviour is also known to take place during the dry season, with some locations hosting many hundreds or even thousands of butterflies.
The Blue Tiger butterfly is also one of the better-known migratory species of Australia. Every few years, these migrations take on huge proportions, with millions of Blue Tiger Butterflies taking part. As with other Australian butterfly migrations, the reasons behind the Blue Tiger migration are not well understood.
Breeding is during the warmer months and is generally timed to coincide with the wet season when new growth on the host vines is available for caterpillars to eat.
Habitat: Coastal rainforest and vine thickets.
Host Plants: Corky Milk Vine (Secamone elliptica), Butterfly Vine (Cynanchum leptolepis), Heterostemma acuminatum
(Sources: www.macrokosm.com/blue-tiger/; A Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia (2016), by Braby, M.F., CSIRO Publishing)
__________________________________________
© Chris Burns 2019
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
the blue tiger
Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Blue Tiger
Scientific Name: Tirumala hamata
Other Common Names: Dark Blue Tiger, Blue Wanderer.
Status: Very common and widespread.
Description: The Blue Tiger Butterfly (Tirumala hamata) is a distinctive, large butterfly from the Family Nymphalidae that can be found in coastal areas in northern Australia. They have a wingspan of around 7cm and are largely black in colour, with a series of blue spots and streaks that reduce in size as they approach the trailing edge of the wing. Males and females are almost identical, with the only noticeable difference being the presence of a small, curved fold in the mid-hindwing of the males.
Caterpillars of the Blue Tiger Butterfly are similar to those of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). They have a series of thin, black and white bands that alternate along the length of the body, and an orange, lateral stripe positioned just above the base of the legs. The caterpillars also have pairs of filaments that are located at the front of the thorax and the rear of the abdomen.
Behaviour: Adult butterflies fly fairly slowly within several meters of the ground. Adults often seek out specific plants from which to feed, such as Monkey Rope Vine (Parsonsia straminea), Heliotopium, and Crotalaria. The leaves, pollen and nectar of these plants are thought to provide the butterflies with certain chemical compounds that may make them unpalatable to predators, or attractive to the opposite sex.
Anecdotally, I have noticed that during the warmer months this butterfly is quite active during the morning and afternoon, but will retreat to cool, dark areas to rest during the hottest part of the day. Large numbers can often be found roosting together in these situations. Similar roosting behaviour is also known to take place during the dry season, with some locations hosting many hundreds or even thousands of butterflies.
The Blue Tiger butterfly is also one of the better-known migratory species of Australia. Every few years, these migrations take on huge proportions, with millions of Blue Tiger Butterflies taking part. As with other Australian butterfly migrations, the reasons behind the Blue Tiger migration are not well understood.
Breeding is during the warmer months and is generally timed to coincide with the wet season when new growth on the host vines is available for caterpillars to eat.
Habitat: Coastal rainforest and vine thickets.
Host Plants: Corky Milk Vine (Secamone elliptica), Butterfly Vine (Cynanchum leptolepis), Heterostemma acuminatum
(Sources: www.macrokosm.com/blue-tiger/; A Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia (2016), by Braby, M.F., CSIRO Publishing)
__________________________________________
© Chris Burns 2019
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.