Malayan Egg-Fly

inside the Butterfly Wing with lotsof plantsk flowers, butterflies and two people, one of them is sitting at a wood bench

The Malayan Egg-Fly (Hypolimnas anomala), native to Southeast Asia / Northern Australia, will make its first appearance in the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing this month. We received 40 indviduals from our supplier, so there’s a good chance you’ll see one of these in the Butterfly Wing until the end of the month.

The Malayan Egg-Fly has a unique feature not seen in most butterflies; they actively care for their young. They lay their eggs in clusters, and the female perches over the eggs to protect them. The female stays with the eggs until they hatch, and the caterpillars crawl away. As soon as we get a photo of these new to us butterflies, we will add it to the kiosk so visitors will be able to identify them in the Wing.

By Nathan Brockman, Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing Curator