Lamnamkok NP, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Family : Nymphalidae
Sub-Family : Apaturinae
Species : Euripus nyctelius nyctelius
The Courtisan is a Southeast Asian species found in an area stretching from Northeast India to Indonesia and the Philippines. It is sometimes called the Golden Eye and is predominately a lowland species found in primary rainforest at elevations between sea level and about 500m.
The sexes differ greatly and the female mimics other species known to be distasteful to predators. It is a medium size buttterfly with a wingspan of 50-70mm, the females being larger than the males. Females are rarely seen and the males are fairly elusive spending much of their time in the tree tops, occasionally descending to 'puddle' on river beaches.
You can see what the male looks like, and why it's called the Golden Eye, in the first comment box below. Just click on the image to see the full size version.
All my insect pics are single, handheld shots of live insects in wild situations.
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