I was trying to photograph this Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor the other day, when it was attacked by what I believe was a jagged ambush bug Phymata sp. The bug is visible in this photo, moments before it made its move:
See it, just below the butterfly’s head? The bug, a nymphal stage I believe, was perfectly camouflaged to look like the flowers at which the butterfly was nectaring. I hadn’t noticed the bug in the frame when I took the photo above, which was taken moments before the bug attacked. Seconds later, the butterfly became frantic, as if it was trying to leave the flower but couldn’t. It wasn’t until I looked at the photos afterwards that I could see the bug had seized the butterfly by the proboscis!:
The struggle continued for a minute or so, the butterfly trying to fly away but unable to do so. There were occasional pauses in the tug-of-war, as the butterfly seemed to gather its strength for another attempt to break free:
Eventually, the butterfly did escape and appeared to be unharmed, as it returned to feed on another nearby flowerhead a few minutes later. Or maybe the ambush bug realized it had bitten off more than it could chew, with a butterfly five times its size?!
Great documentation. Very interesting.
ReplyDeletedan
That's an amazing capture, nice drama unfolding!
ReplyDelete