Paper Kite
Idea leuconoe obscura
15.456, 119.92
Field Notes
Description:
Nymphalidae; Danainae; Euploeini; Idea leuconoe obscura Staudinger 1889. Idea leuconoe, also known as the paper kite butterfly, rice paper butterfly, large tree nymph, or in Australia the white nymph butterfly, is a butterfly known especially for its presence in butterfly houses and live butterfly expositions. It has a wingspan of 12 to 14 cm. The paper kite is of Southeast Asian origin, but can also be found in Northern Australia and Southern Taiwan.
Larvae feed on Parsonsia species, Tylophora hispida, Parsonsia helicandra, Parsonsia spiralis, and Cynanchum formosanum so both the butterfly and larvae are poisonous.
The paper kite butterfly's forewings and hindwings are translucent silvery white with black spots, similar to the Idea lynceus. Wikipedia.
Habitat:
This Paper Kite was spotted on a Bogambilya (Bougainvillea spectabilis) in the front yard of the local rice mill. I was having a coffee there when this butterfly flew right in front of face and landed high up on the Bogambilya. I knew immediately that I had never seen one before, but I did not have my camera with me. My wife handed me her new cell phone which she had just bought and neither of us yet knew how to operate the camera So I grabbed it and dashed after the butterfly The result was these two awful pictures. I can only apologise for the terrible quality, I have uploaded this spotting simply because I want to help establish the presence of this butterfly in our area and I have no other pictures to offer. Once again, sorry for the quality.
Notes:
Plant Identification - http://www.stuartxchange.org/Bogambilya
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