Butterflies in the genus Acraea – such as the Acraea Elegant, Acraea egina, feed selectively on plants with cyanoglycosides (poisons!) belonging to plant families such as the Passifloraceae (the Passion Flower family). So they are brightly coloured to advertise that they are poisonous, or at least distasteful to birds and other predators; and as such they serve…
I chased this butterfly for quite a while before it settled down on a leaf and let me take a photograph! I did not know what it was at the time, but subsequently discovered that it is a species which is endemic to Sulawesi called Hypolimnas diomea Hewitson, 1861. William C. Hewitson being the gentleman who…
What stands out most about this butterfly are its bright yellow eyes. I don’t know what function the yellow has, if any, but it offers a beautiful contrast to the black, white and brown colours of the rest of the butterfly. I’m not sure how it got its name: The Courtesan (Euripus nyctelius) . It may…
