The Great Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina jacintha) is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family.

The Great Eggfly varies in colour. The male looks different from the female. The male is black-brown with three pairs of white spots surrounded by purple iridescence. The female is black-brown with no spots and edged with white markings.

Great Eggfly Butterfly (female)

It has a wingspan of 7-8 centimetres (3 inches).

The Great Eggfly is native to Asia and Australia. The jacinthais native to Asia. It prefers lightly wooded aread, forests, and moist scrublands.

The female Great Eggfly lays 1-5 eggs on a leaf and guards them. She keeps ants away from the eggs. The eggs hatch after 4 days and the caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the plant. The caterpillar pupates into a chrysalis, a casing in which the pupa can metamorphose into an adult butterfly. The butterfly emerges from the chrysalis after 7-8 days.

Great Eggfly Butterfly (female)

Great Eggfly Butterfly (female)

Great Eggfly Butterfly (female)

Great Eggfly Butterfly (female)

Great Eggfly Butterfly (male)

Location of photographs: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM