Chien C. Lee

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  • As if fashioned from liquid gold, a nearly mature Nymphalid butterfly chrysalis (Euploea sp.) hangs from the underside of a ginger leaf. Highland Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • The shady understory of the Ecuadorian rainforest hosts a great diversity of butterflies that are adapted specifically for this dimly lit ecosystem. Although we often rank butterflies on how gaudy and beautiful their wings patterns are, among the most remarkable of the understory are those that bear transparent wings, such as this Glasswing Butterfly (Dulcedo polita). When perched under the right conditions they can appear almost invisible. Esmeraldas, Ecuador.
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  • Godart's Map Butterfly (Cyrestis acilia), larva. Central Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Malayan Lacewing Butterfly (Cethosia hypsea) caterpillars utilize warning coloration to signify to predators that they are unpalatable. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Glasswing Butterfly (Cithaerias cliftoni), male. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • The glass-like quality of a White-spotted Clearwing (Greta annette) becomes revealed against the dappled light of the cloud forest understory. Although a great variety of marine organisms utilize transparency as a functional means of underwater invisibility, this type of optical camouflage is rare among terrestrial species for several reasons. Animals not living in water must protect their internal organs from damaging UV light and also possess rigid structural support for their bodies because they live in a non-buoyant medium; both of these are accomplished by pigments and opaque structures. In addition, the refractive index between living tissues and air means that reflections of light are a potential problem. Clearwing butterflies overcome this last hindrance by having the transparent portions of their wings covered with randomly-sized microscopic “nanopillars” – this results in their wings being remarkably unreflective from nearly all angles. Researchers studying this propose that these butterfly wings could be applied as a model to increase the efficiency of solar cells and in the manufacture of other non-reflective surfaces.  El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico.
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  • A butterfly caterpillar (Cupha erymanthis) standing guard over a clutch of parasitic wasp pupae that recently hatched from its body. Having been impregnated by eggs from a female wasp, the larvae develop within the caterpillar, consuming its flesh as they grow. In order to keep their host alive, the wasp larvae are careful to avoid all vital organs and the caterpillar thus appears and behaves rather normal until the larvae eventually emerge. In a similar vein to the mind-controlled zombie ants, the wasp larvae also secrete some cocktail of hormones that modify the behavior of the caterpillar, in this case it is induced to stand guard and protect the wasp pupae from predators or other parasitic wasps until it eventually dies of starvation. Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Research has revealed that the marginal eyespots in butterflies can serve to deflect bird attacks away from the insect's vital spots, thereby allowing escape. This effect is particularly effective in the low light intensities of the dim forest understory and at dawn or dusk when the resting butterflies are particularly prone to predation by birds. This individual (Faunis stomphax) shows evidence of having escaped two attacks by birds which attempted to grab the butterfly by the wing eyespots. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Red Lacewing (Cethosia cydippe). West Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni). Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana), a species exhbiting seasonal polyphenism. This shows the underside of the dry season form, with few markings. Bokor National Park, Cambodia.
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  • Dark Evening Brown (Melanitis phedima). Yunnan, China.
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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni), sleeping at night among dead foliage. Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni). Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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