Bug FAQBlue Tiger
Tirumala limniace · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Also called: Blue Tiger Butterfly
The Blue Tiger butterfly has a wingspan of about 9 to 10 cm, with females larger than males. It migrates in large groups during the monsoon season in southern India and often mud-puddles while moving.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The underside of the forewing is black, while the apex and the underside of the hind wings are olive-brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 90 to 100 mm; males are smaller than females.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
In southern India it shows gregarious migratory behaviour and mud-puddles during migration.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on plants in the Asclepiadaceae family, including Asclepias, Calotropis, Crotalaria, Epibaterium, soybean, Heterostemma, Hoya, Marsdenia, and Wattakaka.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Newly hatched larvae are about 1.2 cm long and weigh 5 mg, doubling in size and quadrupling in weight within two days. The larva is green with golden scattered spots and a beaded dorsal crescent.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The species migrates extensively during the monsoon season in southern India.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to South and Southeast Asia. A single adult was recorded in the Balearic Islands in 2019, the first European record.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When does the Blue Tiger migrate?
It migrates in large groups during the monsoon season in southern India.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do Blue Tiger caterpillars eat?
They feed on several Asclepiadaceae species such as Asclepias, Calotropis, Crotalaria, Epibaterium, soybean, Heterostemma, Hoya, Marsdenia, and Wattakaka.
Source: Wikipedia
How big is the Blue Tiger butterfly?
Its wingspan is about 90 to 100 mm, with females larger than males.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirumala_limniace
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.