Notes on the enemies of butterflies
This short note by C. L. Collenette documents field observations of predation on butterflies in Singapore, made in January–February 1922.
Summary
Collenette describes observing a Praying Mantis (Rhombodera basalis) perched on a Papaya tree in Singapore, where it successfully captured a Skipper (Hidari irava) and attempted to seize a Hawk Moth (Hippotion boerhaviae), missing on both occasions (p. 268). He notes the Mantis’s camouflage and its apparent inability to reason that prey was available on nearby flowers, remaining just out of reach despite repeated visits over three weeks (p. 269).
A second observation records a Chameleon (Calotes cristatellus) in the Botanic Gardens positioned near a cluster of Ypthima butterflies, remaining motionless for twenty minutes (p. 269). Collenette also reports finding a powerful Euthalia merta caught in a spider’s web across a path in the Changi jungle, undamaged but helpless (p. 269). He concludes that while such predation events are difficult to observe directly, the dangers butterflies face from their enemies are numerous.