Tirumala septentrionis
Dark blue tiger (Tirumala septentrionis) is a butterfly in the danaid group found across the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. It has a wingspan of about 80–115 mm.
It closely resembles Tirumala limniace but is darker on the upperside, with narrower, more distinct blue markings. On the forewing, interspace 1 shows two narrow streaks that never fuse, and the upper streak forms an oval detached spot; the short streaks above vein 5 stay acute. On the hindwing, the two discoidal streaks at the base are widely separated at their tips, and the lower streak is never hooked. The underside is generally darker, and it lacks the conspicuous golden-brown ground color seen in T. limniace.
Geographic range includes the Himalayas (Simla to Sikkim), Assam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Southeast Asia, Odisha, West Bengal, southern India, the Western Ghats and Nilgiris, and Sri Lanka.
This species is very common during the migratory season in southern India, making up about 78% of the local butterfly population. Males and females migrate in roughly equal numbers.
Caterpillars are similar to those of T. limniace and feed on Vallaris dichotoma. Other host plants include Cosmostigma racemosa, Heterostemma brownii, and Cocculus species.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:22 (CET).