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Malay Red Harlequin Butterfly
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Description: The Malay Red Harlequin (Paralaxita damajanti damajanti) is something of an enigma. Butterflies use brilliant colours for a variety of purposes, to attract the attention of potential mates, to advertise their unpalatability, or to confuse, startle or warn avian predators. They tend to occupy sunlit areas where their bright colours can be shown to their best advantage. Not so with this species, which is normally seen only as a silhouette in the shadowy undergrowth, and where it's flight is so quick and erratic that it is almost impossible to see where it has settled. The explanation for the striking appearance could be connected to the fact that insects can see well beyond the visible spectrum, into the ultra-violet. In semi darkness the butterfly is almost invisible to mammalian, reptilian or avian eyes, but the distinctive pattern and contrasting colours may reflect a strong ultra-violet trademark that could be essential to enable potential mates to locate each other. HabitatsThis species occurs in dense rainforest at altitudes between about 200-1200m. They are very difficult to locate, and invariably encountered singly. They are usually seen when accidentally disturbed while the entomologist is hacking through thick undergrowth, at which time they suddenly take flight and resettle a few metres away in darkness, on the surface of a leaf. Females have a habit of hopping incessantly from leaf to leaf imbibing from the surface of the leaves each time they land, and it seems that the hopping activity is a defence strategy aimed at birds or reptiles which would be unable to react quickly enough to catch the very active butterfly.
Uploaded By: femcat38
Date: 2/22/2014
Views: 354
File Size: 111 KB
