Striped Tiger

Striped Tiger

Danaus genutia genutia ( Cramer ) DANAIDAE

( = Danais plexippus ( Linnaeus ))

Photo : Amber Habib

Photo : Amber Habib

Photo Abha

Adult

Upperside orange-brown with bold black veins, black and white apical and marginal bands.

Underside pale with more prominent black lines along the veins. Wingspan 75-90mm.

Popularly known as the Monarch butterfly all over the world. Also known as the common tiger, a well known migrant, found throughout India in areas of heavy rainfall, preferring forest edges and scrub jungles and up to 2700 m in the hills. Mimics the Tiger palmfly Elymnias nesaea and the Lacewings. Visits flowers of Fiddle leaved Jatropha, Indian Chestnut, Lantana, Soapnut tree, Radish, Feather Cocks’ comb, Chinese Sumac, Cadillo, etc.

Larva

Black with a pair of fleshy filaments on segments 3 ( longest), 6 and 12, and each segment with 3 dorsal white streaks, 3 white spots and traversely elongated yellow spots.

Feeds on Milkweeds, especially Blood flower, Madagascar Jasmine, Ceropegia, Swallowwort, Marsdenia tinctoria, Raphistemma pulchellum, R.lemma, Tylophora camosa, Oxystelina exculentum, etc.

Distribution

Entire Oriental region, the Americas, Australia, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean countries.