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Luminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Euploea mulciber
Lepidoptera / Nymphalidae
The Striped Blue Crow combines conspicuous blue male forewings with fine white hindwing streaks in the female. Singapore accounts document its development and several larval food plants.
Read the species account
Euploea mulciber is a danaine butterfly in Nymphalidae. The Singapore accounts concern the nominate subspecies mulciber. [2]
Singapore males have bright blue forewings and reddish-brown hindwings. Females have narrow white hindwing streaks, the feature behind the common name Striped Blue Crow. The undersides are brown with pale spots and streaks. [2]
Females in the Singapore population also have blue outer forewings containing white spots, with pale markings in the brown basal half. [4]
Singapore females lay single, ribbed creamy-yellow eggs beneath leaves. Larvae pass through five instars; mature caterpillars have transverse white and dark bands and four pairs of fleshy processes with red bases. The suspended pupa becomes silvery and bears small black dorsal spots. [4]
Singapore adults visit nectar flowers, including Lantana, Bidens and Syzygium. [4]
Lambkin’s 2026 Flores rearing study reports larval differences between gelderi and the nominate form and proposes that mulciber represents a species complex. [5]
In the Singapore account, caterpillars cut a leaf’s midrib or petiole before feeding beyond the cut. Silk threads secure the partly severed leaf. [4]
Singapore’s third Red Data Book lists Euploea mulciber mulciber as native and Least Concern. [6]
The illustrations retain the pattern of the depicted sex: fine pale hindwing streaks in females and the distinct male forewing colour in male references.
Keep the enclosure away from direct sunlight, dampness and large changes in temperature or humidity. Handle the frame, clean only its exterior, and inspect for loose fragments, moisture and pests. Retain the specimen’s original labels and follow the enclosure maker’s care instructions. [7]
University of Florida BioCosmos · Accessed 2026-10-09
National Parks Board, Singapore · Accessed 2026-10-09
National Parks Board, Singapore · Accessed 2026-10-09
Horace Tan; ButterflyCircle, 2012 · Accessed 2026-10-09
Trevor A. Lambkin; Australian Entomologist 53(1), 2026 · Accessed 2026-10-09
National Parks Board, Singapore · Accessed 2026-10-09
Canadian Conservation Institute; Fiona Graham · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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