Danaid eggfly

November 20, 2009 at 4:45 pm (Butterflies)

Hypolimnas misippus(female)

The Danaid Eggfly or Mimic (Hypolimnas misippus) is a widespread species of nymphalid butterfly. It is well known for polymorphism and mimicry.

Female – Polymorphic:

First form: Upperside rich tawny. Fore wing: the costa, the apical half of the wing and the termen black, the inner margin of this black area follows a line crossing the cell obliquely and curving round to near apex of interspace 1 a; a white spot beyond apex of cell; an oblique band of elongate white spots, a more transverse short subapical series of three or four much smaller white spots, and an inner and an outer sub-terminal transverse series of very small slender white lunules. Hind wing: a transverse round spot in interspace 7, the terminal margin broadly black, the latter traversed by two transverse series of paired small white lunules. Cilia of fore and hind wings white alternated with black. Underside paler tawny yellow, the disc of the fore wing deeper tawny; the markings are much as on the upperside but differ as follows: Fore wing: three white spots along the anterior margin of cell, the black on the apical area beyond the oblique band of white spots replaced by golden. Hind wing: a black spot at base of vein 8, another at base of interspace 5, and a postdiscal transverse series of small white spots in addition to the markings as on the upperside.

Second form: Similar to the above but the disc of the hind wing on both upper and under sides white, =alcippoides, Butler.

Third form: Similar to the first form, but on the fore wing the oblique series of: elongate spots yellowish and tho middle portion of the black apical area tawny

Male: Upperside rich velvety dark brownish black. Fore wing: a broad oval oblique white spot from below vein 3 to vein 7, and a preapical smaller similar white spot; both spots crossed by black veins and surrounded by iridescent blue. Hind wing with a much larger similar rounded white spot, surrounded with iridescent blue, but the veins crossing it yellowish, not so prominent as on the fore wing; two or three minute specks of white at the tornus. Cilia of both fore and hind wings white alternated with black.