Tree nymph butterfly

Yaeyama: フーシュフーシュカビラ (fuushu fuushu kabira)
Okinawan: ハーベール (haabeeru)
Japanese: オオゴマダラ (oogo madara)

The tree nymph butterfly, known as ôgomadara in Japanese, haabeeru in Okinawan, and fûshu fûshu kabira in Yaeyama language, is a black and white butterfly native to Southeast Asia, the Ryukyu Islands, and surrounding regions. The scientific name for the species is idea leuconoe.

In Ryukyuan folklore, the butterflies are said to be, or be associated with, the spirits of people's deceased relatives and ancestors.

The tree nymph eats poisonous grasses as a caterpillar (larva), and the adult butterfly is poisonous to birds or other predators.

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References

Gallery labels, Taketomijima Yugafukan (Taketomi Island Visitors' Center) 竹富島ゆがふ館(竹富島ビジターセンター).[1]