Commander
This butterfly's caterpillar builds a barrier of its own droppings strung along silk on a leaf tip, and predatory insects appear to avoid crossing it.
| Where | Forest streams, riverbanks and low hills |
|---|---|
| Size | 50 to 75 mm wingspan |
| When | January to December |
The Commander is a strikingly patterned butterfly, reddish brown above with a broad white band crossing both wings and short black lines near the wing bases. In flight the pattern forms a pale V shape across the open wings.
It lives in heavily forested country with high rainfall, from sea level up into low hills, and males often gather for hours on river sand, stream beds and damp boulders. Caterpillars feed on Mussaenda and other Rubiaceae shrubs and shelter behind a chain of their own droppings on the leaf tip.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Brown, White, Black
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to people; males gather for long spells on damp sand and stream boulders.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The Colour sergeant is patterned in black and white, or black and orange yellow in females, rather than the Commander's reddish brown ground colour crossed by a white band.
Questions
Is the Commander dangerous to people?
Harmless to people; males gather for long spells on damp sand and stream boulders.
When can you see the Commander?
The Commander can be seen from January to December, 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›Moduza
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.