Great eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina)

Great eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina) is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, with a wingspan of 70–85 mm and coloration consisting of black, white, and blue. The females are mimetic and exhibit a wide range of morphs. They are commonly found in lush vegetation, deciduous forests, and dense, humid shrublands.

The males are monomorphic; the dorsal (upper) surface of their wings is deep black, featuring three striking patches—two on the forewings and one on the hindwings. These patches appear white with blue-purple edges. Each patch consists of a white center overlaid with a bright ultraviolet sheen, a color produced by nanostructures on the surface of the wing scales. Smaller white spots also adorn the margins of both the forewings and hindwings.



The ventral (underside) surface of the wings lacks this ultraviolet sheen and is instead dominated by a pattern of white stripes against a brownish background. Males have a lower body mass relative to their wing area—resulting in a lower "wing loading"—and possess more elongated wings, which gives them a higher aspect ratio. These characteristics also serve to distinguish males from females.

Females exhibit extensive variation, driven by both genetic polymorphism and phenotypic plasticity. This polymorphism is most apparent on the dorsal wing surface, where various morphs display different combinations of white, orange, and blue. One of these genetic morphs is believed to be a form of mimicry, imitating one or more species within the genus *Euploea*.

The ventral wing surface of the female is similar to that of the male. Due to phenotypic plasticity, individuals tend to develop darker coloration if they mature in cooler environmental temperatures.

Females lay up to five eggs on the underside of host plant leaves. The caterpillars leave the site within four days. The caterpillar is black with an orange head, featuring a pair of long, branched black horns, and its body is covered in long black and orange spines. The chrysalis is brown with a grayish tinge on the wing areas. The adult butterfly emerges after a 7–8 day pupal stage.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Euarthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Tribe: Junoniini
Genus: Hypolimnas Hübner (1819)
Species: Hypolimnas bolina Linnaeus (1758)

SYNONYMS

Hypolimnas alcithoe Cramer (1779)
Hypolimnas alcithoides Roepke (1938)
Hypolimnas alcmene Cramer (1779)
Hypolimnas antigone Cramer (1779)
Hypolimnas aphrodite Fruhstorfer (1903)
Hypolimnas auge Cramer (1779)
Hypolimnas avia Fabricius (1793)
Hypolimnas bolina auge Cramer (1777)
Hypolimnas bolina charybdis Butler (1879)
Hypolimnas bolina iphigenia Cramer (1775)
Hypolimnas bolina jacintha Drury (1773)
Hypolimnas bolina nerina Fabricius (1775)

PUBLICATIONS

Linnaeus, C. (1758) Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae, 10th ed., Vol. 1, 824 pp. [in Latin] Available at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886

VERNACULAR NAME

Australia: Varied Eggfly
Chinese (simplified): 幻紫斑蛱蝶
Chinese (traditional): 幻紫斑蛺蝶 - 幻蛺蝶
English: Great Eggfly, Common eggfly
French: Ové commun
German: Große Eierfliege, Gewöhnliche Eierfliege
Hong Kong: 幻紫斑蛺蝶
Japanese: リュウキュウムラサキ
Java: Kupu gajah
Korean: 남방오색나비
Macao: 幻紫斑蛺蝶
Maharashtra: मोठा चांदवा
Marathi: मोठा चांदवा
New Zealand: Blue moon, Blue moon butterfly
Spanish: Mariposa luna azul
Taiwan: 幻紫斑蛺蝶
Thai: ผีเสื้อปีกไข่ใหญ่

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium