Great Eggfly

The popular name 'Eggfly' refers to the extraordinary parental behaviour of several members of the genus including antilope, anomala and bolina, which have a unique way of safeguarding their offspring. Prior to laying any eggs they they inspect various leaves to ensure that there are no ants present. The eggs of antilope and anomala are laid in large batches on the upper surface of a leaf, while those of bolina are usually laid in very small batches on the under surface. After ovipositing the females then stand guard over their eggs, forming a protective umbrella to shield them from parasitoid wasps. They remain in this position until all the eggs have hatched and the caterpillars have dispersed, by which time the protective female has usually died in situ.
Hypolimnas bolina is found throughout India. It is an extremely widespread species, found also in south Arabia, across south-east Asia to Fiji and the Solomon Islands, and is also found in Australia and New Zealand.