Consul Fabius: The Tiger Leafwing.

Meet Consul fabius, the Tiger Leafwing. This butterfly belongs to a group with camouflaged undersides that make them appear as mere dead leaves when resting. The Tiger Leafwing species has a second disguise as well. When flying, its boldly patterned topside causes it to resemble another species – the Tiger Longwing. All longwing butterflies are distasteful to birds, since longwing species feed on passion vines and sequester the toxins found in those plants. (If this sounds familiar, recall that Monarchs derive the same benefits from milkweed.) So, the Tiger Leafwing’s mimicry likely confers an advantage because it resembles a species that predators know isn’t good to eat. This specimen is among the hundreds of thousands overseen by Schlinger Chair of Entomology Alex Harman, PhD at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The species can be found fluttering around Butterflies Alive! at the Museum, open to the public through September 7