Tirumala hamata

Tirumala hamata, the dark tiger, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is distributed from the Philippines to Australia and Pacific oceanic islands such as Samoa. In Australia, the butterflies perform mass migrations to the south in some years. In April 1995, the butterfly made a rare migratory journey to New Zealand, coinciding with the appearance of Hypolimnas bolina on the islands.[2]

Tirumala hamata
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Tirumala
Species:	T. hamata
Binomial name
Tirumala hamata (MacLeay, [1826])[1]
Synonyms
Euploea hamata MacLeay, [1826] Danais australis Blanchard, 1853 Papilio melissa Stoll, [1781] Danais moderata Butler, [1876] Danais hamata var. orientalis Semper, [1879] Tirumala angustata Moore, 1883 Danaida nephthys Fruhstorfer, 1911 Danaida pelagia Fruhstorfer, 1911 Danaida sassina Fruhstorfer, 1911 Danaida tibula Fruhstorfer, 1911 Danaida melissa melissa f. melissina Rothschild, 1915 Danaida tutuilae Hopkins, 1927 Tirumala neomelissa Bryk, 1937 Danaus mendica Talbot, 1943 Danaida hamata paryadres Fruhstorfer, 1910 Danaida singaria Fruhstorfer, 1910 Danaida hamata arikata Fruhstorfer, 1910 Danais (Tirumala) melissa nigra Martin, 1910 Danais (Tirumala) hamata goana Martin, 1910 Danais leucoptera Butler, 1874 Danaus hamata talautensis Talbot, 1943 Danaus hamata pallidula Talbot, 1943 Danaus hamata subnubila Talbot, 1943 Danaida (Tirumala) melissa coarctata Joicey & Talbot, 1922 Danais obscurata Butler, 1874 Danaida gariata Fruhstorfer, 1910 Danaus hamata insignis Talbot, 1943 Danais neptunia C. & R. Felder, [1865] Danais claribella Butler, 1882 Danaida hamata neptunia f. protoneptunia Poulton, 1924 Danais melittula Herrich-Schäffer, 1869

The wingspan is about 70 mm. Adults have black wings with blue spots. They are grey with black bands between segments and orange lateral lines and a black head with white markings. Adults have been observed scratching the leaves of Heliotropium amplexicaule and Parsonsia straminea, possibly to suck out moisture,[3] or to obtain pyrrolizidine alkaloids for pheromone production and/or chemical defense.[4]

The larvae feed on a wide range of plants including Parsonsia (including Parsonsia straminea and Parsonsia velutina), Heterostemma papuana, Heterostemma acuminatum, Hoya australis, Leichhardtia, Marsdenia (including Marsdenia velutina), Secanome carnosum, Secamone elliptica, Vincetoxicum (syn. Tylophora), Cryptostegia grandiflora, Cynanchum carnosum, and Cynanchum leptolepis.