Tirumala hamata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Tirumala hamata, the dark tiger, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is distributed from the Philippines to Australia and Pacific oceanic islands such as Samoa. In Australia, the butterflies perform mass migrations to the south in some years. In April 1995, the butterfly made a rare migratory journey to New Zealand, coinciding with the appearance of Hypolimnas bolina on the islands.
The wingspan is about 70 mm. Adults have black wings with blue spots. They are grey with black bands between segments and orange lateral lines and a black head with white markings. Adults have been observed scratching the leaves of Heliotropium amplexicaule and Parsonsia straminea, possibly to suck out moisture, or to obtain pyrrolizidine alkaloids for pheromone production and/or chemical defense.
The larvae feed on a wide range of plants including Parsonsia (including Parsonsia straminea and Parsonsia velutina), Heterostemma papuana, Heterostemma acuminatum, Hoya australis, Leichhardtia, Marsdenia (including Marsdenia velutina), Secanome carnosum, Secamone elliptica, Vincetoxicum (syn. Tylophora), Cryptostegia grandiflora, Cynanchum carnosum, and Cynanchum leptolepis. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Wanderer sighting in Brisbane on a given day, based on 229 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 61st most-seen of the 1083 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January to April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Wanderer in Brisbane on a given day, against about 10% in May to December, the lowest months. Those are among Brisbane's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Wanderer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Blue Wanderer sightings, Brisbane has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Sydney (Australia, under 5%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Blue Wanderer that you can see in Brisbane (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Australian Common Crow (about 40%), Common Evening Brown (about 30%) and Meadow Argus (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Wanderer is recorded against all the insects logged in Brisbane (229 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
