Attributes of Hypolimnas misippus
Mimic
Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside of male is purple-black with a large white patch on each wing. The most common form of the female is orange above; forewing has a black apical area divided by a band of white spots, hindwing has a black marginal band. The orange female mimics an African butterfly, Danaus chrysippus.
Wing Span: 2 3/16 - 3 1/2 inches (5.6 - 9 cm).
Life History: Males perch on or near the ground to watch for receptive females. Caterpillars live and feed communally.
Flight: Two broods from April-May and September-December.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various plants in the mallow (Malvaceae), acanthus (Acanthaceae), morning glory (Convolvulaceae), and purslane (Portulacaceae) families.
Adult Food: Not reported.
Habitat: Tropical open, weedy areas.
Range: Tropics and subtropics of Asia and Africa. Is now resident on several of the Caribbean Islands, and may have been introduced by slave trading ships. Infrequently wanders to Mississippi, Florida, and North Carolina.
Conservation: Not required for a rare stray.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 200 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 09, 1975 | legacy.reporter (Cavanaugh) | Craven County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| September 19, 2004 | legacy.reporter (M. Dunn) | Chatham County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
  |
May 15, 2010 | legacy.reporter (David Cimprich) | Coryell County, Texas, United States | April 04, 2011 | Details |
| August 20, 2008 | legacy.reporter (Jacqueline Kern) | St Johns County, Florida, United States | September 29, 2008 | Details | |
| September 19, 2004 | legacy.reporter (Mike Dunn) | Chatham County, North Carolina, United States | October 25, 2006 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Brevard County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Monroe County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Volusia County, Florida, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Hancock County, Mississippi, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Craven County, North Carolina, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 1950 | legacy.reporter | Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details | |
| January 01, 2001 | legacy.reporter (Charles Bordelon and Ed Knudson) | Cameron County, Texas, United States | December 31, 2004 | Details |
