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Tirumala septentrionis
The Dark Blue Tiger (Tirumala septentrionis) is a Danaid butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia. Closely resembles Tirumala limniace, Cramer, but is always sufficiently distinct to be easily recognized, even on the wing. From T. limniace it differs on the upperside in the ground-colour being darker and the semihyaline markings narrower, more distinct, and of a bluer tint, In the fore wing, in interspace 1 the two streaks are narrower, never coalescent, the upper one forming an oval detached spot; the short streaks above vein 5 are outwardly never truncate, always acute. In the hind wing the two streaks if the discoidal cell united at base are wide apart at their apices, the lower one never formed into a hook. On the underside this species is generally darker, the apex of the fore wing and the whole of the ground-colour of the hind wing not being of the conspicuous golden brown that they are in Tirumala limniace.
The Himalayas from Simla to Sikhim, into Assam, Myanmar and Southeast Asia; Orissa ;W.B, Southern India., the Western Ghats and Nilgiris; Sri Lanka.
Ist and last photos courtesy of Claire Chamberlin. I'm pretty sure they are the same spotting, just taken with a better (SLR) camera!
thanks for the clarification shekainahdalaban. I have many of the T limniace in my garden in India.
(Tirumala septentrionis ) Is specifically called a Darkhan Dark blue blue tiger it can be easily identified from other Tirumala because it has the darkest blue shades and wider black border than the rest.http://ifoundbutterflies.org/plugins/content/jw_sigpro/sigpro.transparent.gif
@Ashish
Is this butterfly a Dark Blue Tiger (Tirumala septentrionis?) or one of the other Tirumala butterflies do you think? How to tell the difference?
The caterpillar of this butterfly feeds on Tylophora ovata vine and related plants.