Insect
Rice Paper Butterfly
Idea leuconoeAlso known as Paper Kite Butterfly, Large Tree Nymph, White Tree Nymph
Rice paper butterflies drift through tropical forest canopies with a buoyant, fluttering glide that resembles a falling scrap of parchment. Caterpillars feed on poisonous dogbane vines, sequestering noxious alkaloids that persist into adulthood to make the butterflies unpalatable to insectivorous birds. Males patrol sunlit clearings and use brush-like abdominal hair pencils to release aphrodisiac pheromones during intricate courtship flights.
DiurnalTropicalPollinator
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyFlower nectar, Tree sap, Rotting fruit
Predators
- Praying mantises
- Orb-weaver spiders
- Assassin bugs
ThreatsHabitat loss from deforestation, agriculture expansion, pesticide runoff
HabitatsLowland rainforests, coastal mangroves, humid secondary forests
Life span3–5 months (adult stage)
Classification
- OrderLepidoptera
- FamilyNymphalidae
- GenusIdea
- SpeciesIdea leuconoe
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Patience for Landing: Stand motionless in sunlit flight paths, as adults readily land on light-colored clothing.
- Gentle Observation: Avoid touching their wings, which easily lose their delicate protective scales.
Host Plant no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子 · cc0
Close Relative (c) Firos AK, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Firos AK · cc-by
Taxonomic Relative Sid Mosdell from New Zealand / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
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Mystic Meadows
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