Common Jezebel Butterfly

Plain Tiger Butterfly (or Danaid Eggfly mimicing Plain Tiger?)

Plain Tiger is a beautiful butterfly and commonly found in India. But it is difficult to identify. Danaid Eggfly females mimic Plain Tiger and look very similar.

I was totally confused. How do I differentiate between a Danaid Eggfly female and a Plain Tiger? I did not find a convincing answer online so I wrote to one of the biggest authorities on this subject, Peter Smetacek.

Here is the answer. The arrangement of black spots is different in a Plain Tiger and female Danaid Eggfly. That's why image 1 and 2 below is that of a Danaid Eggfly and image 3 is that of a Plain Tiger.

Danaid Eggfly (female)

Danaid Eggfly (female)

Plain Tiger

Notice the difference between Danaid Eggfly and Plain Tiger. The spots are very different in both the species.

There are two more differences which Peter explained to me over email.

1. In flight, the Danaid Eggfly female is much stronger. The Plain Tiger flutters about weakly compared to the Danaid Eggfly female.
2. On the upper side, the hindwing border is a very stable difference between the two species.

Peacock Pansy Butterfly

Great Eggfly Butterfly

Female

Male

Common Mormon Butterfly

Pioneer Butterfly

Lime Butterfly (Lime Swallowtail Butterfly)

Identification: Black and white butterfly with red spots on the hindwing. There is a small blue colour patch too (above the red).