Bug FAQDanaid Eggfly
Hypolimnas misippus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Also called: Common Diadem, False Plain Tiger, Mimic Diadem, mimic butterfly
Male Danaid Eggfly butterflies have dark velvety brownish-black upper wings with distinctive white spots edged in blue. They occur across Africa, Asia, Australia and many Indian Ocean islands, and are also found in the West Indies with occasional strays in Central and North America.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males are uniformly dark brown-black on the upper side and show white spots that are bordered with blue.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They live in a wide range of habitats across Africa, Asia, Australia and many islands of the Indian Ocean.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on the leaves of common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) and Asystasia lawiana. Adult males are most active in the late afternoon after rain.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larva is cylindrical, mostly black with a darker black line along its back. The pupa hangs suspended, short and thick, blending into its surroundings.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in late summer, mainly March to April. They are rarely seen during dry weather.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In the Americas they are present in the West Indies and occasionally wander into Central and North America. Their core native range includes Africa, Asia and Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Female eggflies can look like the toxic Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) or the Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 6 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, Connecticut.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars look like?
The caterpillars are cylindrical, mainly black with a darker black dorsal line running along their backs.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult Danaid Eggflies active?
Adults fly in late summer, especially from March to April, and are most active in the late afternoon after rain.
Source: Wikipedia
Which harmless butterflies can the female Danaid Eggfly be confused with?
Females may resemble the toxic Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) or the Monarch (Danaus plexippus).
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypolimnas_misippus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.