Female of Common Eggfly mimicking Euploea core, Melbourne Zoo
Male Common Eggfly, Melbourne Zoo
The Great Eggfly is a black bodied butterfly with a wingspan of about 7–8½ cm. The species has a high degree of sexual dimorphism. The female is mimetic with multiple morphs.[2]
The upperside of the wings are jet black which is offset with 3 pairs of white spots. 2 on the forewing and 1 on the hind. These white spots are suffused with purple. In addition the upperside of the hind wing bears a series of small white dots.
The upperside of the wings of the female is a brownish black and do not have any spots like those of the male. The edges bear white markings which are similar to the Common Indian Crow.
Great Eggflies are found in Madagascar in the west through to South and South-East Asia, South Pacific islands (French Polynesia, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu) and occurs in parts of Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
The Great Eggfly is a fairly common butterfly found in lightly wooded country, decidous forests, thick and moist scrub and the greener parts of human habitation.
Great Eggflies are known for maternal care with the females guarding leaves where eggs have been laid. Males are also very territorial. The female hovers over a plant to check for ants which will eat her eggs. After selecting a plant which has no ants on it, she lays a single but often 2 - 5 eggs on the undersides of the leaves.
Host plants include Fleuria interrupta, Sida rhombifolia, Elatostemma cuneatum, Portulaca oleracea, Laportea interrupta[3], Triumfetta pentandra[4], and Assystasia sp.
After about 4 days the eggs hatch. The caterpillars immediately disperse. They are black with an orange head. The last segment is also orange. The head bears a pair of long branched black horns. The body surface is also covered with long, branched, orangish black spines. These spines look whitish and transparent immediately after molting but soon become the usual orange. In later instars the spiracles are surrounded by thin, dirty orange rings. Infection by Wolbachia bacteria is known to excluslusively kill male specimens [5][1].
The pupa is suspended by just one point. It is brown with a grey tinge on the wings. The abdominal segments have distinct tubercules. The surface of the pupa is rough. The butterfly emerges after 7 to 8 days as pupae (female development is always a bit longer).
The caterpillars feed on Elatostema cuneatum, Fleurya interrupta,Pseuderanthemum variabile, and also on Sida rhombifolia as well as onSynedrella nodiflora
^ Clarke C, Sheppard PM.(1975) The genetics of the mimetic butterfly Hypolimnas bolina (L.). Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 272(917):229-65
^Bell, T. R. 1910. Common Butterflies of the Plains of India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 20(2):287-289
^ Rajagopalan, A. 2005 A new food plant of the Great Eggfly. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 102(3):355
^ Dyson EA, Kamath MK, Hurst GD (2002) Wolbachia infection associated with all-female broods in Hypolimnas bolina (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): evidence for horizontal transmission of a butterfly male killer. Heredity. Mar;88(3):166-71
