Chiang Dao NS, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Nymphalidae
Sub-Family : Apaturinae
Genus : Euripus
Species : Euripus nyctelius nyctelius
The Courtisan is a Southeast Asian species found in an area stretching from Northeast India, through Thailand to Indonesia and the Philippines. It is sometimes called the Golden Eye and is a low elevation species found in primary rainforest at elevations between sea level and about 800m. The species is sexually dimorphic and the sexes differ greatly both in appearance and in size. The female is also polymorphic and mimics other species known to be distasteful to predators. It is a medium size buttterfly with a wingspan of 50-70mm, the females being the larger. Females are rarely seen and the males are fairly elusive spending much of their time in the tree tops, occasionally descending to puddle on damp ground. Males are very territorial and will chase off any other males that encroach on their patch.
Larval foodplants are Trema sp. (Cannabaceae) and the female lays her eggs singly on the upperside of a leaf on the host plant. The eggs hatch in around 3 days and the whole lifecycle from egg to adult takes from 27-31 days.
This species is not easy to photograph and when I approached this one it decided to move partially under the shade. At least it didn't fly away so I guess I should be grateful !
You can see what the underside looks like 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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