Mangrove Tree Nymph 210713 2

Idea leuconoe chersonesia

Mangrove Tree Nymph
Details
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Danainae
Genus: Idea
Species: leuconoe chersonesia
Common Name: Mangrove Tree Nymph
Wingspan: 150-170
Forms:
Status in Singapore: Critically Endangered
Life History: incomplete
This butterfly can be found in: •Singapore
Hostplant(s):

Description
Idea leuconoe chersonesia is a black and white butterfly like the other species of the genus Idea, but the marginal and submarginal spots are conjoined to form an irregular black band, and the wing bases are yellow-tinted.

Habitat & Habits
Like the other Idea species, the butterfly glides gracefully amongst the treetops and floats like a piece of paper. The butterfly is believed to be distasteful to predators.

Other Observations
To be detailed.

Early Stages
Known host plants of other Idea species are Parsonsia helicandra, Parsonsia laevigata, Parsonsia spiralis, Tylophora hispida, and Cynanchum formosanum. It would be interesting to discover what the local species' host plant is.

Further Reading
This species was thought to have gone extinct from Singapore. Already a very rare butterfly even in Malaysia, Idea leuconoe chersonesia is a seashore species known to only make its appearance deep in mangrove swamp vegetation. Although there were several unconfirmed reports of its sighting at Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong in the late 80's, no confirmed observation of its existence was obtained until recently, where this photograph of the species was taken with a digital camera. It was indeed a pleasant surprise to record the existence of Idea leuconoe chersonesia in Singapore.

The Fragile Forest at the Singapore Zoological Gardens in Mandai features a different subspecies of this butterfly - Idea leuconoe clara, which originates from Taiwan. The Taiwanese subspecies has been successfully bred by the Singapore Zoo and is rather common at the Fragile Forest enclosure. However, it is not endemic to Singapore/Malaysia and is different in appearance from the rare local subspecies chersonesia.

Source: ButterflyCircle