Blue Tiger Tirumala hamata
Wingspan: 72mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: October - May
Distribution: Northern WA., NT., QLD & down the east coast through NSW to northern VIC.
Status Claire Cottage: seen annually
Status Dorrigo Plateau: occasional sightings
NOTE: Similar species: None
Wingspan: 72mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: October - May
Distribution: Northern WA., NT., QLD & down the east coast through NSW to northern VIC.
Status Claire Cottage: seen annually
Status Dorrigo Plateau: occasional sightings
NOTE: Similar species: None
An end of season Blue Tiger, Claire Cottage Dorrigo, 25 Apr 2020
Blue Tiger (Tirumala hamata) Claire Cottage 8 March 2021 12.20pm
2014 - Blue Tiger at Seventeen Seventy, Qld.
Claire Cottage Dorrigo, 2 Mar 2020
Blue Tiger on our Buddleia, 18th Dec. 2017 10.30am
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Blue Tiger on our Buddleia, 18th Dec. 2017 10.30 am
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Blue Tiger, Burleigh Heads Qld, Feb 2018
Blue Tiger, Burleigh Heads Qld, Feb 2018
Blue Tiger, 18 Dec 2017, 9.53am
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Blue Tiger, 18 Dec 2017, 9.53am
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A sometimes used NSW foodplant - the small vine Cynanchum carnosum growing beside the river North Haven, NSW
Blue Tiger Tirumala hamata
Wingspan: 72mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: October - May
Distribution: Northern WA., NT., QLD & down the east coast through NSW to northern VIC.
Butterfly Sightings:
Larva Sightings:
Larval food plants:
Breeding season on the Dorrigo Plateau: N/A
Status Dorrigo Plateau: uncommon
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Distribution & Habitat: Widly distributed across much of coastal Australia
Items of Interest:
Last sighting in 2019: 08/05; in 2020 30/04
Distribution of its five known Apocynaceae food plants:-
Cynanchum carnosm is a plant of salt marshes in NSW. We have found it growing beside the boardwalk in Urunga and near the river mouth in North Haven (just south of Port Macquarie).
Cynanchum leptolepis endemic to Australia, found in NT, CYP, FNQ & CeQ. Ranges from close to sea level up to 400 m. Grows in open forest and vine thickets
Marsdenia velutina found in WA, NT, CYP, FNQ. Ranges from close to sea level up to 250 m. Grows in open forest, vine thickets and rainforest.
Heterostemma acuminata is only found in tropical rainforests
Secamone elliptica grows in Northern New South Wales and Queensland and is said not to be found south of Iluka.
MIGRATION: Blue Tigers are only seen on the Dorrigo Plateau when migrating, their numbers fluctuate each year. In January & February, 2004, we recorded as many as ten or more on some days. However most years if present they only occur in much smaller numbers. The Blue Tiger appears more common on the Coffs coast than it is up here on the nearby Plateau.
Like so many of Australia's butterflies the Blue Tiger is considered less common today than in the past due to changes in land management in its coastal breeding grounds. Changes that often include the destruction of salt water marshes where one of its its foodplant's is found.
Wingspan: 72mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: October - May
Distribution: Northern WA., NT., QLD & down the east coast through NSW to northern VIC.
Butterfly Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: Oct 2014, 2020(2) Nov 2004(2), 2007 Dec 2004(6), 2005, 2010, 2014, 2017(4) ; Jan 2002, 2004(many), 2005, 2006, 2015(many), 2016, 2017, 2021 Feb 2001, 2002, 2004(many), 2005, 2006, 2011 2015(3), 2016(2), 2017; Mar 2001, 2015; 2020(8), 2021 Apr 2004, 2020 ; May 2019, 2020;
- Elsewhere on DORRIGO PLATEAU: Occasional sightings.
Larva Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: None
- Elsewhere on DORRIGO PLATEAU: None to date
Larval food plants:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: None:
- Elsewhere on DORRIGO PLATEAU: None:
- ELSEWHERE: Apocynaceae: Cynanchum carnosum (Mangrove Milk Vine), Cynanchum leptolepis, Heterostemma acuminatum, Marsdenia velutina, Secamone elliptica
Breeding season on the Dorrigo Plateau: N/A
Status Dorrigo Plateau: uncommon
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Distribution & Habitat: Widly distributed across much of coastal Australia
Items of Interest:
Last sighting in 2019: 08/05; in 2020 30/04
Distribution of its five known Apocynaceae food plants:-
Cynanchum carnosm is a plant of salt marshes in NSW. We have found it growing beside the boardwalk in Urunga and near the river mouth in North Haven (just south of Port Macquarie).
Cynanchum leptolepis endemic to Australia, found in NT, CYP, FNQ & CeQ. Ranges from close to sea level up to 400 m. Grows in open forest and vine thickets
Marsdenia velutina found in WA, NT, CYP, FNQ. Ranges from close to sea level up to 250 m. Grows in open forest, vine thickets and rainforest.
Heterostemma acuminata is only found in tropical rainforests
Secamone elliptica grows in Northern New South Wales and Queensland and is said not to be found south of Iluka.
MIGRATION: Blue Tigers are only seen on the Dorrigo Plateau when migrating, their numbers fluctuate each year. In January & February, 2004, we recorded as many as ten or more on some days. However most years if present they only occur in much smaller numbers. The Blue Tiger appears more common on the Coffs coast than it is up here on the nearby Plateau.
Like so many of Australia's butterflies the Blue Tiger is considered less common today than in the past due to changes in land management in its coastal breeding grounds. Changes that often include the destruction of salt water marshes where one of its its foodplant's is found.