Red Lacewing

The Cethosia is an Asian butterfly recognisable by the characteristic designs visible on the underside of the wings. Its bright colours probably have a warning function as a poisonous species: their caterpillars, in fact, feed on the leaves of Passiflora, a plant that contains cyanide and which presumably makes these species toxic to predators. However, they are harmless to humans, as are all other species of poisonous butterflies. Males are on average smaller and exhibit brighter colours, a general feature amongst butterflies.