Blue Wanderer

Tirumala hamata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae

Also called: Australian blue tiger, Blue Tiger

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Blue Wanderer
Photo: Daniela, CC BY 2.0

The Blue Wanderer has a wingspan of about 70 mm and black wings with blue spots. It lives from the Philippines through Australia to Pacific islands such as Samoa, and sometimes migrates south in Australia. Adults may scratch leaves of Heliotropium amplexicaule and Parsonsia straminea, while the caterpillars feed on a variety of vines and shrubs.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Adults have black wings marked with blue spots.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan is about 70 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Found from the Philippines to Australia and Pacific islands such as Samoa. In some years Australian populations migrate south in mass movements.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Adults have been seen scratching leaves of Heliotropium amplexicaule and Parsonsia straminea, likely to obtain moisture or chemicals. Caterpillars feed on many plants such as Parsonsia species, Heterostemma, Hoya australis, Marsdenia, Secamone, Vincetoxicum, Cryptostegia, and Cynanchum.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

It is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Mass migrations to southern Australia occur in some years. A rare migration reached New Zealand in April 1995.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range includes the Philippines, Australia and Pacific islands like Samoa.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

In April 1995 it was noted alongside the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina during its New Zealand migration.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Blue Wanderer photo 3
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA
Blue Wanderer photo 4
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA
Blue Wanderer photo 5
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0
Blue Wanderer photo 6
Photo: Geoffb60, CC BY-SA

Questions people ask

What plants do the caterpillars eat?

The larvae feed on many vines and shrubs, including various Parsonsia, Heterostemma, Hoya australis, Marsdenia, Secamone, Vincetoxicum, Cryptostegia, and Cynanchum species.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Nymphalidae)

MonarchMonarchDanaus plexippusRed AdmiralRed AdmiralVanessa atalantaPainted LadyPainted LadyVanessa carduiGulf FritillaryGulf FritillaryDione vanillaeSpeckled WoodSpeckled WoodPararge aegeriaEuropean Peacock ButterflyEuropean Peacock ButterflyAglais io

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirumala_hamata

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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