Tirumala petiverana

Tirumala petiverana, the blue monarch, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical Sub-Saharan Africa. Their habitat consists of Afromontane, lowland and riverine forests as well as moist savanna.^[1][2]

Tirumala petiverana
male, Bobiri Forest, Ghana
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Tirumala
Species:	T. petiverana
Binomial name
Tirumala petiverana (Doubleday, [1847])
Synonyms
Danais limniace var. petiverana Doubleday, [1847] Tirumala leonora (Butler, 1866) Tirumala phrynichus Fruhstorfer, 1910 Tirumala septentrionides Stoneham, 1958

The wingspan is 60–75 mm. There is one generation per year. Adults are on wing from February to May (with peaks in April) in Zimbabwe.

The larvae feed on Pergularia extensa, Pergularia daemia, Daemia, Hoya, and Marsdenia rubicunda.^[3]

• 
  male mud-puddling
• 
  female feeding on sunflower nectar