In the males, the oval white
patches on the upper sides are suffused with a beautiful
iridescent royal blue. It is striking when viewed in
bright light and with the proper wing orientation. The
females lack the bold white markings above, but have a
steely blue streak below the apex towards the front
margin.
The underside of both sexes are similar, but are very
variable in the width of the bands and markings. The
ground colour is light brown and there is a diffuse
purplish band at the center of the hind wing which runs
from the lower margin to the front margin.
Similar species: Male Danaid Eggfly - It is a much
smaller species and the upper sides are black or nearly
so, but the rest of the markings are very similar.
However, the underside is very different - it is a rusty
brown with broad white bands.
It is capable of very swift flight when alarmed. The
males are territorial and love to sit at a premium
location along a forest path, or the opening to a glade,
and spend much of their time waiting for females to come
by. They frequently inspect those passing by going after
them, but soon come back to take charge of the area.They
frequent flowers for nectar but do not mud-sip or feed
on rotting plant food sources. |
