Danaid eggfly
Female Danaid eggflies vary so much in colour and pattern that different forms once received different scientific names, most of them close copies of an unrelated toxic butterfly.
| Where | Open scrub, gardens and grassy ground |
|---|---|
| Size | 56 to 90 mm wingspan |
| When | June to April |
Males are glossy black with a large white spot ringed in blue on each wing, while females are highly variable and often patterned quite differently, some closely resembling the toxic plain tiger butterfly rather than the male's pattern.
Caterpillars feed on a wide range of low plants including purslane and species of morning glory and hibiscus, and adults are most active following seasonal rains across their range.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Black, White, Blue
Active
Day
To people
Females mimic a toxic relative for protection, but the species itself is harmless to touch.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Uniformly tawny orange with black wingtips and white spotting confined to the forewing tip, lacking the large white wing patches edged in black veining shown by mimicking female Danaid eggflies.
Questions
Is the Danaid eggfly dangerous to people?
Females mimic a toxic relative for protection, but the species itself is harmless to touch.
When can you see the Danaid eggfly?
The Danaid eggfly can be seen from June to April, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Swiss Natural History Collections - SwissNatColl, CC BY 4.0, GBIF Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Brush-footed butterflies›Hypolimnas
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.