Idea leuconoe, also known as the paper kite butterfly, rice paper butterfly, large tree nymph,[1] 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 Southern Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands.
| Paper kite | |
|---|---|
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| Dorsal view | |
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| Ventral view | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Idea |
| Species: | I. leuconoe
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| Binomial name | |
| Idea leuconoe Erichson, 1834
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Larvae feed on Parsonsia species, Tylophora hispida, Parsonsia helicandra, Parsonsia spiralis, and Cynanchum formosanum[2] so both the butterfly and larvae are poisonous.
Description
editThe paper kite butterfly's forewings and hindwings are translucent silvery white with black spots, similar to the Idea lynceus.
Subspecies
editListed alphabetically:[2]
- I. l. athesis Fruhstorfer, 1911
- I. l. caesena Fruhstorfer, 1911
- I. l. chersonesia (Fruhstorfer, 1898)
- I. l. clara (Butler, 1867)
- I. l. engania (Doherty, 1891)
- I. l. esanga Fruhstorfer, 1898
- I. l. fregela Fruhstorfer, 1911
- I. l. godmani Oberthür, 1878
- I. l. gordita Fruhstorfer, 1911
- I. l. javana Fruhstorfer, 1896
- I. l. kwashotoensis (Sonan, 1928)
- I. l. lasiaka van Eecke, 1913
- I. l. leuconoe Erichson, 1834
- I. l. moira Fruhstorfer, 1910
- I. l. natunensis Snellen, 1895
- I. l. nigriana Grose-Smith, 1895
- I. l. obscura Staudinger, 1889
- I. l. princesa Staudinger, 1889
- I. l. samara Fruhstorfer, 1910
- I. l. siamensis (Godfrey, 1916)
- I. l. solyma Fruhstorfer, 1910
- I. l. vedana Fruhstorfer, 1906
- I. l. vicetia Fruhstorfer, 1911
Gallery
edit-
A backlighted side ventral view of the silver wings illustrates why the descriptor “rice paper” is used.
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Larva (caterpillar)
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Pupa
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Dorsal view
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Ventral view
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Feeding
References
edit- ^ Cutler, David (2002). Butterflies and Moths (Second American ed.). London: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7894-8983-X.
- ^ a b "Idea Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
External links
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Idea leuconoe.
Wikispecies has information related to Idea leuconoe.
- Captain's Guide Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Idea leuconoe page on the Butterfly Pavilion's site
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