Dynastor darius - The Snake Mimicking Butterfly
- bioworld090
- Aug 26, 2023
- 2 min read
Image Credit: borboleta.org
Dynastor is a genus of butterflies found from Mexico to Central and South America. The genus contains three species and one of them is the species, Dynastor darius. This species was first described in 1775 and has one of the most unique and fascinating life stages.
Dynastor darius, just like other butterflies, starts as an egg and becomes an adult through larval and chrysalis (pupal) stages. In the chrysalis (pupa) stage, the species develops a shell of hardened protein. The chrysalis stage is usually immobile and defenseless, but the chrysalis of certain butterfly species can move their abdominal segments to produce sound and scare away predators.
Image Credit: Andreas Kay// Flickr
Unlike other species, the chrysalis of Dynastor darius has a completely different defensive strategy found in very few species. It exhibits something known as Batesian mimicry where it mimics the warning signals of a harmful species. In simple words, the chrysalis of Dynastor darius imitates the head of a harmful species, in this case, the pit viper.
Image Credit: Andreas Kay// Flickr
The 4 cm long chrysalis of this snake mimicking animal has similar characteristics to that of the pit viper. The color of the chrysalis is brown and beige with some whitish patterns. It also has constrictions on the lateral sides which resemble the neck region of the viper’s head. The other features are the presence of false scales around the area and two spots that resemble the eyes of the serpent.
This stage lasts for an average of 15 (13-17) days. Once the process of metamorphosis begins, the chrysalis turns into a butterfly and the butterfly itself retains some of the characteristics mentioned above.
Click here to watch a video of the chrysalis in action.
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