Scarce blue tiger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Scarce blue tiger |
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| male, Thailand | |
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The Tirumala gautama, often called the scarce blue tiger, is a beautiful butterfly. It lives in India and parts of Southeast Asia. This butterfly belongs to a group known as "crows and tigers." These are part of the larger brush-footed butterflies family.
What Does It Look Like?
The scarce blue tiger butterfly has a dark, almost smoky black color on its upper wings. It has special see-through, bluish-white stripes and spots. These markings help it stand out!
Forewings
On the front wings, you'll see a long, thin stripe. There's also a shorter, curved stripe near the top. Inside a part of the wing called the "cell," there are two thin stripes that join together. You might also spot an uneven spot near the tip of the wing. A curved line of stripes crosses the middle of the wing. These stripes change shape from wide to narrow. Closer to the edge, there are uneven rows of spots. The very edge has a more regular line of small dots.
Hindwings
The back wings also have two stripes that join in the "cell." There's a small, separate stripe between their ends. Some areas of the wing are white. Other sections have two stripes that join at their base. Further out, there are single, wide, short stripes. Just like the front wings, the back wings also have rows of spots near the edge.
Body and Underside
The underside of the wings looks similar to the top. However, the see-through markings are even clearer. The butterfly's antennae are black. Its head and body (thorax) are black too, but they have bluish-white spots and stripes. The lower part of its body (abdomen) is dark brown on top and yellowish underneath.
Different Types
There's a slightly different type of scarce blue tiger found in the Nicobar Islands. It's called gautamoides. This type is a bit smaller than the main gautama butterfly. Its wings are also narrower. On its front wing, the top stripe in the cell is very short. On its back wing, the stripes in the cell are much wider. One of these stripes might even have a small hook shape.
