Here are some pictures of Stugeta bowkeri tearei or Bowker's marbled sapphire taken on the Magaliesberg near Pretoria. All three pictures are freehand stacks taken in burst mode moving slowly backwards and then stacked in zerene stacker.
The fake antennae on the hind wings are very soft and flutter in the slightest wind, moving more than the real ones on the head. Interesting too is that there is a fold on the hind wing at the eye spot which gives a sort of three dimensional effect and also makes the eye spot visible from above even when the wings are folded closed.
Thanks for looking-enjoy
Bowker's marbled sapphire
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really nice and interesting.
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
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Thanks Troels. Thanks Lou. Your thread of the spider that looks like a frog that sort of drifted into a discussion about how prey animals could have a better chance of survival by deceiving predators about which way they will escape really caught my imagination and now I look out for this phenomena when I go walking. Like many other things in nature, once you are aware of a thing you see it all around you.
Lots of the blue butterflies around here have eye spots and fake antennae including some of the most common species. In addition to rubbing the hind wings in opposite directions as you described I have noticed that some turn around around head to tail in a smooth movement as soon as they land on something so they are facing back in the direction from which they came.
This butterfly is not one that I see very often so I can't say if it uses any of these behavioral traits. I was actually quite excited just to be able to get the pictures.
Lots of the blue butterflies around here have eye spots and fake antennae including some of the most common species. In addition to rubbing the hind wings in opposite directions as you described I have noticed that some turn around around head to tail in a smooth movement as soon as they land on something so they are facing back in the direction from which they came.
This butterfly is not one that I see very often so I can't say if it uses any of these behavioral traits. I was actually quite excited just to be able to get the pictures.
- MarkSturtevant
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I see the same thing with the related species of butterflies around here! Had not considered before that they could be doing that to further conceal where their head is.SteveB wrote: In addition to rubbing the hind wings in opposite directions as you described I have noticed that some turn around around head to tail in a smooth movement as soon as they land on something so they are facing back in the direction from which they came.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters
Dept. of Still Waters