Common Mime 061208

The Common Mime is relatively common in Singapore, and can be seen both in the nature reserves and also in urban areas.

The butterfly mimics the distasteful Danainae species for protection against predators. Indeed, when it flutters around flowers, feeding, it mimics the slow and graceful flight of the Blue Glassy Tiger and Dark Glassy Tiger to fool predators into thinking that it is one of the distasteful species.

In Singapore, only the black-and-white striped form-dissimilis of the species occurs. We have not observed the other brown forms of the Common Mime here.

The caterpillar of the species feed on Cinnamomum species. The pupa of the species resembles a broken twig and is believed to depend on this camouflage to escape predation and parasitism during this vulnerable stage of its life history.