Ceylon Tree Nymph - Behaviour

Behaviour

Since the Ceylon Tree Nymph requires very little effort to fly its wing beats are very slow, so slow that the individual movements of each wing can be easily observed. Most of its time is spent flying and hovering in the high tree canopies. However, it descends to ground level to feed and to breed, but does not rest on the ground. It usually rests on the ends of dead branches or twigs.

Mating occurs at ground level and the male and female fly together for an hour or more before mating. The male releases pheromones and other chemicals from its hair pencils to stimulate the female. These include danaidone, a poisonous substance that helps to protect it from predators, which is later passed on to the eggs.

The early stages of life of the Ceylon Tree Nymph are not well recorded. One account by naturalists Lionel de Nicéville and Manders dating from about 1900 describes the larva as "velvety black with four pairs of long filamentous tentacles" with each segment of its body marked with a pale yellow band. The record further mentions that it has twelve segments and that the sixth segment has a "large oval crimson spot". Its head and legs are black.