Hypolimnas bolina, commonly known as the Blue Moon butterfly or Great Eggfly, is a striking and widely distributed species in the Nymphalidae family. Native to tropical and subtropical regions, it is found across Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands, inhabiting diverse habitats like forests, gardens, and open fields, from Japan southwards through Australasia.
This butterfly is known for its sexual dimorphism and mimicry. In western parts of its range, there is a single female form which mimics melanic Euploea butterflies - which are toxic and distasteful to predators - whilst further east there are many morphs, and most of these are non-mimetic. Curiously, the males of the species are monotypic throughout the distribution of H. bolina, exhibiting the characteristic 'blue moon' on each wing, and are also not mimetic. We receive livestock from butterfly farms in Thailand and the Philippines, which produce very colourful butterflies in a range of forms - see the photos for illustration - and often interbreed to produce even more colourful varieties. Some colour forms seem to be seasonal also, possibly triggered by changes in temperature or day length, or by other selective factors. Therefore, bolina is a very interesting species to keep and breed.
The caterpillars are black with spiny orange projections - similar to those of Siproeta - and feed on host plants like Nettles, Chinese Violet, Morning Glory, Mexican Petunia, and Plantain. They are easy to care for, however eggs require more moisture to hatch than other butterfly species, so be sure to keep humidity high when attempting to hatch eggs at home. Breeding is easy and each female butterfly lays hundreds of eggs. Adult butterflies enjoy both nectar from flowers and juices from fruit. The ease of keeping and breeding this species makes it an ideal introduction to tropical butterflies.
Difficulty - Easy (1/10) in all stages.
Host plants - Nettles (Urtica dioica), Chinese Violet (Asystasia), Morning Glory (Ipomoea), Giant Sage (Brillantaisia), Plantain (Plantago), Mexican Petunia (Ruellia).
Conditions - Room temperature or warmer; enjoys humidity in all stages but eggs are particularly sensitive.
Lifecycle - Continually brooded; adults can live for several weeks.
