New Zealand Invertebrates

DSC_2701 Blue moon butterfly (Hypolimnas bolina nerina) male courting female. This subspecies is common and widespread in the western Pacific and Australia, and is also a vagrant to New Zealand. Males courting females take up a strategic 'perch' in sunlit clearings, and aggressively drive off other other male blue moons in territorial displays *

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DSC_2701 Blue moon butterfly (Hypolimnas bolina nerina) male courting female. This subspecies is common and widespread in the western Pacific and Australia, and is also a vagrant to New Zealand. Males courting females take up a strategic 'perch' in sunlit clearings, and aggressively drive off other other male blue moons in territorial displays *

DSC 2701 Blue moon butterfly common eggfly Hypolimnas bolina nerina male courting female subspecies common widespread western Pacific Australia vagrant New Zealand perch territorial display Kuranda Queensland