Chien C. Lee

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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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  • 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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  • Godart's Map Butterfly (Cyrestis acilia), larva. Central Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Glasswing Butterfly (Cithaerias cliftoni), male. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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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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  • An adult Common Butterfly Lizard (Leiolepis belliana) keeps a watchful eye out for predators whilst her young remain at the entrance of the nest burrow.  Nine species of butterfly lizards are known from the drier sandy regions of Southeast Asia, but their life-history is poorly documented. Uthai Thani, Thailand.
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  • Ants (Crematogaster sp.) tending to a butterfly caterpillar (Spindasis sp.). Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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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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  • 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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  • 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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  • With a full palette of colorful wing scales at their disposal, butterflies are capable of pulling off some of the most convincing and complex mimicries in the insect world. At first glance this is a common clear-winged Ithomiid butterfly, which are known for their toxicity and unpalatability. However, it is actually a Clearwinged Mimic-white (Dismorphia theucharila), a non-toxic species of the family Pieridae. It can be distinguished from its toxic models (Oleria spp.) by counting the number of legs: Dismorphia has six, whereas Oleria stands on only four. Insectivorous birds don’t have time to stop and count the legs on every butterfly in the forest, so this mimicry is a highly successful one. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • After several months of feeding on Aristolochia leaves, the mature caterpillar of this large birdwing butterfly (Troides andromache) prepares for its final moult into the pupal stage when metamorphosis will transform it into an adult. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Common Mormon Swallowtail (Papilio polytes). This young butterfly caterpillar avoids predation by appearing unappealingly similar to a bird dropping. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Many tropical butterfly species congregate on sandy river banks to supplement their diet with dissolved minerals or animal urine. These are the Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae), a species of swallowtail (family Papilionidae) widespread across Southeast Asia. Uthai Thani, Thailand.
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  • The Rajah Brooke's Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana) is one of the most beautiful butterflies in Borneo.  Here males perch at a seep where they feed on salts and other nutrients which are otherwise unobtainable from flowers. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Red Lacewing (Cethosia cydippe). West Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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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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  • Large Green-banded Blue (Danis danis). West Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Dark Evening Brown (Melanitis phedima). Yunnan, China.
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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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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni). Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni). Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Black Rose (Pachliopta antiphus), female freshly emerged from chrysalis before taking flight. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Banded Swallowtail (Papilio demolion), gregarious caterpillars. Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo).
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  • Tithonus Birdwing (Ornithoptera tithonus), female, feeding at Impatiens flowers. Arfak Mountains, West Papua, Indonesia (New Guinea).
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  • Looking like a cross between a dragonfly and a butterfly, owlflies (family Ascalaphidae) are in fact more closely related to ant lions and lacewings. These nocturnal predators feed on small insects that they catch on the wing. By day, they sleep concealed on twigs, or in this unusual case (Cordulecerus sp.), as a group together on a root hanging above a stream. Sleeping in an aggregation with their antennae held outstretched in a perimeter may help to better detect the approach of predators, keeping the group safer than sleeping alone. Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
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  • Although perfectly camouflaged among lichens when at rest, if a threat is detected this stick insect (Pseudodiacantha chieni) raises its butterfly-like wings as a warning to predators, whilst simultaneously emitting a strong chemical odor. Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).
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