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Australian Wildlife

  Blue Tiger (Tirumala hamata)





Blue Tiger | Tirumala hamata photo
Blue Tiger butterfly photographed at Buderim, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.







BLUE TIGER FACTS

Identification
The Blue Tiger is unmistakable with blue streaks oval spots on a dark background. They have a slow weak flight. Adults congregate in large numbers along creek banks along northern Queensland coast in dry season.

Size
wingspan: 72mm

Habitat
rainforest, vine thickets

Food
rainforest vines

Breeding
lays eggs on rainforest vines. The caterpillars feed on the leaves (usually Secamone elliptica) and pupate on the plant.

Range
coastal Queensland and New South Wales, and top of Northern Territory



Classification
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Nymphalidae
Genus:Tirumala
Species:hamata
Common Name:Blue Tiger