File:Danaid eggfly Female.jpg

The Danaid Eggfly (Hypolimnas misippus) is a widespread species of nymphalid butterfly. It is well known for polymorphism and mimicry.

Female - Polymorphic. Female form inaria

First form : Upperside rich tawny. Fore wing : the costa, the apical half of the wing and the termen black, the inner margin of this black area follows a line crossing the cell obliquely and curving round to near apex of interspace 1 a ; a white spot beyond apex of cell; an oblique band of elongate white spots, a more transverse short subapical series of three or four much smaller white spots, and an inner and an outer sub-terminal transverse series of very small slender white lunules. Hind wing: a transverse round spot in interspace 7, the terminal margin broadly black, the latter traversed by two transverse series of paired small white lunules. Cilia of fore and hind wings white alternated with black. Underside paler tawny yellow, the disc of the fore wing deeper tawny; the markings are much as on the upperside but differ as follows :—Fore wing: three white spots along the anterior margin of cell, the black on the apical area beyond the oblique band of white spots replaced by golden. Hind wing: a black spot at base of vein 8, another at base of interspace 5, and a postdiscal transverse series of small white spots in addition to the markings as on the upperside.

Second form. Similar to the above but the disc of the hind wing on both upper and under sides white, =alcippoides, Butler.

Third form. Similar to the first form, but on the fore wing the oblique series of: elongate spots yellowish and tho middle portion of the black apical area tawny

This female butterfly mimics the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/uajith_set1/3338730768/"> Plain Tiger </a> . Because of the poisonous taste of Plain Tiger, the predators will not eat Plain tiger . Since she looks like Plain Tiger, predators will not eat her .

Female polymorphism: Females of Hypolimnas misippus show a remarkable polymorphism whereas the males are monomorphic. All four female morphs are mimics of morphs of Danaus chrysippus, and genetics of female forms, male preferences and survival capabilities have been studied in Africa (review in D.A.S. Smith, in The Biology of Butterflies, 1984, R.I. Vane-Wright & P.R. Ackery eds, Academic Press, London). Two female forms only occur in tropical America, f. misippus and f. inaria (Cramer), the latter being very rare according to Riley. In Guadeloupe, f. inaria seems to be not so rare (the ratio misippus/inaria is 4/1 in Africa).