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Come visit the FOB 2014!

July 10, 2014, 6:02 pm
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Festival of Biodiversity 2014!

This weekend, 12-13 Jul 2014, the Festival of Biodiversity will be held at VivoCity mall.

Join us as we showcase Singapore’s impressive and unique array of island biodiversity. This event celebrates Singapore’s natural heritage and in doing so, we hope to bring about greater awareness of the biodiversity that Singapore has. Visitors can look forward to a range of interactive workshops and exhibitions at this year’s Festival.

Come visit ButterflyCircle's booth at the exhibition!



Link : http://www.nparks.gov.sg/festivalofbiodiversity/


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Festival of Biodiversity 2014!

July 12, 2014, 8:41 am
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ButterflyCircle @ Festival of Biodiversity 2014!
VivoCity : 12-13 July 2014


ButterflyCircle members at FOB 2014 with CEO/NParks, Mr Kenneth Er and Minister of State, Mr Desmond Lee

This year, the 3rd Festival of Biodiversity returned to VivoCity mall after last year's well-visited event, also held at Singapore's largest shopping mall. Occupying a larger footprint than the previous year's FOB, the 2014 festival promised to be an even bigger showcase of Singapore's rich and diverse biodiversity.



With all the participating members of the Biodiversity Roundtable and several new groups added, each partner group had an individual booth exhibiting its members' work and featuring its contributions and playing its part in the showcasing and conservation efforts of Singapore's biodiversity.


ButterflyCircle's booth at the FOB2014

This year, ButterflyCircle decided to do a collage of our members' work on three large A0 boards, which also described the objectives of the group and its activities. There were also smaller boards that provided additional snippets of information about Singapore's butterflies. The work of collating the photos and putting together the boards was again ably done by our enthusiastic lady member, Huang CJ, assisted by the intrepid twins, Mark and Anthony. Once again, CJ has to be congratulated for assembling the awesome presentation boards that was informative, educational as well as pleasing to the eye.


ButterflyCircle early-bird members helping to set up the booth

The day started very early at 7:15am when ButterflyCircle members CJ, Eng Chuan, Anthony, Jerome and me reached VivoCity. The booths had already been set up the night before, and everything was ready to receive the boards. After a quick discussion the group set about Velcro-ing the boards and sticking them up on the panels. It was efficiently put up and many hands made light work of setting up our booth. Everyone had a sumptuous breakfast at Yakun Kaya Toast after that!



Views of FOB 2014 at VivoCity mall

The Festival of Biodiversity is an annual event organised by the National Parks Board (NParks) that showcases Singapore’s impressive and unique array of island biodiversity. This event celebrates Singapore’s natural heritage and in doing so, hopes to bring about greater awareness of the biodiversity that Singapore has. FOB 2014 had special thematic focus, which highlighted Pulau Ubin, Singapore's island biodiversity and conservation efforts. This year also saw an emphasis on our marine biodiversity.



MOS Mr Desmond Lee delivering his speech at the opening of FOB 2014

At about 11am, the Guest of Honour, President Tony Tan arrived, and was greeted by members of the biodiversity community. The Master of Ceremonies welcomed everyone and invited the Minister of State for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee to deliver his opening address. This year, the highlight of the FOB was the announcement that Singapore will establish its first ever marine park! The Sisters' Islands Marine Park, which will span about 40 hectares around Sisters' Islands and along the western reefs of both St John's Island and Pulau Tekukor, will serve as a platform for outreach, educational, conservation and research activities related to our native marine biodiversity.


President Tony Tan, MOS Mr Desmond Lee and CEO/NParks Mr Kenneth Er launches the FOB 2014

President Tony Tan then launched the FOB 2014 by unveiling a treasure chest of nature wonders containing seedlings and various specimens representing Singapore's biodiversity. The President then toured the exhibits and visited various NGOs and partners' booths.



President Tony Tan, MOS Mr Desmond Lee with ButterflyCircle's Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore

The President visited ButterflyCircle's booths and chatted with us on our group's activities and the conservation of butterflies in Singapore. I presented the President with a copy of ButterflyCircle's A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore.



Our Minister of State, Mr Desmond Lee, and the CEO of NParks, Mr Kenneth Er, also visited our booth and gamely posed for a group photograph with ButterflyCircle members. Thank you, Desmond and Kenneth, for your support and appreciation of ButterflyCircle's efforts!


A mug-shot for the album - CEO/Gardens by the Bay, Dr Tan Wee Kiat and me

The rest of the day was a flurry of activities as members of the public visited our booth and asked questions about butterflies. We had our Field Guide for sale to members of the public and we also took the opportunity to sell Dr Laurence Kirton's recently-launched Butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Dr Tan Wee Kiat, the CEO of Gardens by the Bay, picked up two copies of our field guide too! Thanks, Dr Tan. :)



Top : Young ButterflyCircle member Brian Goh sharing his knowledge about butterflies to a visitor
Bottom : Visitors at ButterflyCircle's booth

It was an interesting and tiring first day of the FOB 2014, as we met old friends and made new ones, with every one having a common appreciation and respect of Singapore's awesome biodiversity. For those who have yet to visit the FOB 2014, do come to VivoCity tomorrow (Sunday 13 Jul) and experience for yourself, the amazing biodiversity that can be found on our little red dot!

Text by Khew SK : Photos by various ButterflyCircle members.

Special thanks to ButterflyCircle members who volunteered to man our booth and who turned up to support us - Goh EC, Brian Goh, Loke PF, Nona Ooi, Huang CJ, Simon Sng, Jerome Chua, Anthony Wong, Mark Wong, Chng CK, Horace Tan, Federick Ho, Nelson Ong, Ellen Tan & Jonathan Soong.

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Butterflies Galore! : Quaker

July 17, 2014, 7:21 am
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Butterflies Galore!
The Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora zalmora)



This small butterfly is usually associated with the shaded understorey of the forested areas in Singapore's nature reserves. Seldom seen in open urban gardens and parks, the Quaker is usually encountered fluttering restlessly amongst the low shrubbery in forested areas. Occasionally, males are encountered puddling with other butterflies on damp streambanks in the forest.

The Quaker has the characteristic large black spot at the costa of underside of the hindwing. The upperside is predominantly brown and unmarked in the male, and sometimes with a white patch on the forewing of the female.

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Life History of the Cycad Blue

July 18, 2014, 9:17 pm
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Life History of the Cycad Blue (Chilades pandava pandava)


Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Chilades Moore, 1881
Species: pandava Horsfield, 1829
Subspecies:pandava Horsfield, 1829
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 22-26mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Cycas revoluta (Cycadaceae, common name: Sago Palm), Cycas rumphii (Cycadaceae).




Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
On the upperside, the male is blue with thin black borders on both wings and it has a black tornal spot on the hindwing. The female is in paler blue with broad borders on the forewing and it has a series of submarginal spots on the hindwing, of which the spot in space 2 is crowned in orange. On the underside, both sexes are pale greyish brown. Both wings have the usual submarginal, marginal and post-discal series of spots and cell-end bars flanked with white. In the hindwing, there is a black spot in the cell, two black spots in space 7, another one just below vein 1a and orange-crowned tornal spots in spaces 1b and 2. There is a white-tipped filamentous tail at vein 2 in the hindwing.




Field Observations:
Cycad Blue is common in Singapore. The adults are usually observed flying in the vicinity of its host plant, the ornamental Sago Palm which can be found in many gardens in commercial, recreational and private residential areas. They are viewed as a pest by gardeners as their presence usually leaves the prized ornamental plants without new growth. The adults visits flowers for nectar and have the habit of sunbathing with open wings in sunny condition.






Early Stages:
Globally,  a fair number of Cycas spp. have been recorded as larval hosts for the Cycad Blue in many countries and regions. In Singapore, two Cycas spp., namely, C. revoluta and C. rumphii have  thus far been identified as local host plants. The caterpillars of the Cycad Blue feed on the immature shoots and young (and still fleshy) leaves of the host plant.

Local host plant: Cycas revoluta.

Young shoots of Cycas revoluta.

A mating pair of the Cycad Blue.

The eggs are laid on emerging young shoots of the host plant when they are still covered in brownish hair or when the green fleshy leaves are still at the stage of being unfurled. Repeated oviposition visits by several females could result in a single shoot being adorned with many eggs.

A Cycad Blue laying an egg on a young shoot of Cycas revoluta.

A Cycad Blue laying eggs on young shoots of Cycas revoluta.

Eggs laid on young shoots, with black arrows indicating where they are present.

Each egg is about 0.45-0.5mm in diameter, pale greenish and discoid-shaped with a depressed micropylar at the center of the upper surface. The egg surface is reticulated with a fine pattern of ridges and indentations.

Two views of an egg of the Cycad Blue.

It takes about 2 days for the egg to hatch. The newly hatched does not consume the rest of the egg shell after its emergence. It has a pale yellowish body with a length of about 0.9-1mm. The body also features long setae dorso-laterally and along the body fringe. The head capsule is black.

The empty egg shell after the emergence of the caterpillar.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 1mm.

The young caterpillar feeds by nibblying away a layer of the leaf lamina. After about 1.5-2 days of growth in the first instar, and reaching a length of about 1.8-1.9mm, the caterpillar moults to the next instar.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, length: 1.5mm.

Two views of a late 1st instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 1.9mm.

In the 2nd instar, besides the moderately long setae which occur dorso-laterally and along body fringe, there are short and fine setae (emanating from dark tubercles) covering the body surface.  The caterpillar could appear in two colour forms: yellow and red. In the yellow form, the caterpillar is yellowish with a strong green undertone, and whitish, narrow, intermittent bands occur dorso-laterally and laterally. In the red form, the caterpillar is reddish brown instead. The 2nd instar caterpillar reaches a length of about 3.2-3.5mm, and after about 1 day in this stage, it moults again.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, yellow form, early in this stage, length: 1.9mm.

Both colour forms of the 2nd instar caterpillar observed in the field, being attended by ants.

Two views of a late 2nd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 3.5mm.

Compared to the 2nd instar caterpillar, the 3rd instar caterpillar bears a denser coat of proportionately shorter setae on its body. The caterpillar could appear in a yellow or red form, and an intermediate form (essentially yellow form with reddish brown bands). The dorsal nectary organ and the pair of tentacular organs, on the 7th and 8th abdominal segments, are now readily observed. The 3rd instar takes about 1 day to complete with the body length reaching about 7-7.5mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, yellow form, length: 5mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, yellow form, length: 7mm.

Two views of a late 3rd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, mixed form, length: 7mm.

A 4th instar caterpillar (in upper half of picture) and a 3rd instar caterpillar of the Cycad Blue found a new (and damaged) leaf of the Sago Palm.

The 4th instar caterpillar has a more distinctive appearance, featuring a dense coat of short whitish setae all over the body surface. Again the same three colour forms observed in the earlier instar are present. The caterpillar can either feed by grazing the leaf surface or devouring the lamina along the leaf edge.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, red form, length: 10mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, yellow form, length: 12mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, yellow form with strong green tone, length: 12.5mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, mixed form, length: 12.9mm.

4th instar caterpillars found in the field, attended by ants.

After about 2 days of feeding and reaching a length of about 12-13mm, the caterpillar stops food intake and seeks out a pupation site. During this time, its body gradually shortened. Typically the caterpillar chooses a spot in gaps or cavities present between dried leaves in leaf litter for its pupation site. The pre-pupatory caterpillar prepares for pupation by spinning a silk girdle and a silk pad to which it attaches itself via anal claspers.

Two views of a pre-pupa, green form.

Two views of a pre-pupa, red form.

After about 1 day as a pre-pupa, pupation takes place. Depending on the colour form of the final instar caterpiller, the pupa can be yellowish green almost entirely, or yellowish to dark reddish brown with numerous black speckles. The pupa has a typical lycaenid shape, and is secured with a silk girdle and cremastral attachment. Pupal length: 9.5-10.5mm.

Two views of a pupa of the Cycad Blue.

Two views of a pupa of the Cycad Blue.

Two views of a pupa of the Cycad Blue.

Four to five days later, the pupa turns black, first in the wing pad and thorax, then progressively in the abdomen. The extent of the bluish patch in the wing pads gives an early indication of the gender of the soon-to-emerge adult. The next day, the pupal stage comes to an end with the emergence of the adult butterfly.

Two views of a mature pupa of a Cycad Blue.

A newly eclosed Cycad Blue resting on its pupal case.

References:
  • [C&P4] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society, 1992.
  • Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 2nd Edition, 2012.
  • A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew S.K., Ink On Paper Communications, 2010.
Text by Horace Tan, Photos by James Chia, Ellen Tan, Bobby Mun, Anthony Wong, Mark Wong, Federick Ho, Sunny Chir and Horace Tan
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Butterflies Galore! : Narrow Spark

July 24, 2014, 5:41 pm
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Butterflies Galore!
The Narrow Spark (Sinthusa nasaka amba)



When it was discovered back in 1995, it was a new record for Singapore. The early authors' checklists did not include this species as extant in Singapore, although it can be found in Malaysia. The Narrow Spark is moderately rare, and is quite local in distribution, often spotted in a few select localities in the forested nature reserves in Singapore. They often lurk in heavily shaded forest, and is skittish.

The underside of the butterfly resembles a Common Tit. However the Narrow Spark is much smaller and possesses a pair of filamentous white tipped tails. The upperside of the male is a deep rich ultramarine blue. This species has been successfully bred on Eurya acuminata and the detailed documentation can be found here.

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Butterfly of the Month - July 2014

July 26, 2014, 6:47 am
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Butterfly of the Month - July 2014
The Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana javana)



As we move past the halfway mark of the year 2014, we take a look back at the first half of the year with a some trepidation about the safety of air travel these days. Perhaps statistics still show that one is more likely to be killed in a car accident than on a plane, but whenever a whole plane goes down with most or all of its passengers, the news often carries a greater collective impact and shock.




Even as the mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH 370 still remains unsolved, the shooting down of yet another Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 over Ukrainian airspace shocked the world. This time around, 298 passengers and aircrew perished. As the world was still coming to terms with another Malaysian Airlines plane lost, another plane, an Air Algerie flight carrying about 118 passengers and crew went down in bad weather and crashed over Mali.



As if to round up a week of bad news, Taiwan's TransAsia Airways ATR-72 turboprop aircraft ploughed into a residential area in Penghu killing 48 people. This time around, there were 10 survivors, as the plane was apparently in trouble during bad weather, before the crash. The TransAsia crash was the third worldwide in the space of just eight days, capping a disastrous week for the aviation industry.



We mark a moment of respect and contemplation, as we can never fully comprehend the grief of the surviving relative and families of those who perished in the air crashes. In some cases, entire families were wiped out. As we ponder about the safety of air travel these days, life still goes on. Perhaps the recent three cases were just a coincidence and an aberration in air travel worldwide? No one can say for sure.





Over in the region, as the summer season is in full swing, Singapore is experiencing hotter and drier weather. A short 4-day weekend trip by a small group of ButterflyCircle members across the causeway to Ipoh for a butterfly photography outing also yielded comparatively poor results. Somehow, butterfly activity seems to be rather low in our favourite places with much lower numbers and diversity than our past visits.



This month, we feature a common urban butterfly, the Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana javana). This bright and cheery orange-coloured butterfly is one of four related Pansy species found in Singapore. The Peacock Pansy is widely distributed, but mainly found in urban parks and gardens, and along the sunlit fringes of Singapore's nature reserves.



It is a sunny-weather species, and often found on hot bright days, fluttering amongst the low shrubbery and flowers. It adopts a flap-glide flight characteristic but can be skittish and alert to any movements or approach by a photographer. When feeding on flowers, it can be approached more easily.



The Peacock Pansy can often be observed sunbathing with its wings opened flat to show its bright orange coloured uppersides. When the weather cools down or when there is cloud cover, the butterfly often perches with its wings folded upright, displaying its muted undersides where it can rest amongst the dried foliage with a relatively effective camouflage to avoid predators.




The bright orange upperside of the Peacock Pansy features prominent white-centred ocelli which may have given its English common name "Peacock". Both the fore and hindwings have prominent ocelli with the eyespot on the hindwing larger and resembling an "eye". The underside is much paler and eyespots are smaller and appear more lightly marked.



The life history of the Peacock Pansy has been documented here on the blog, where it has been bred on Ruellia repens a common urban "weed". It is also likely that the caterpillar of the Peacock Pansy is able to feed on other plants as well.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Sunny Chir, Goh EC, Huang CJ, Koh CH, Khew SK, Loke PF, Bobby Mun, Anthony Wong & Benjamin Yam.

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Butterflies Galore! : Indigo Flash

July 28, 2014, 5:00 pm
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Butterflies Galore!
The Indigo Flash (Rapala varuna orseis)



The Indigo Flash is a moderately rare species that has a rather wide distribution, turning up in forested areas as well as urban parks and gardens in Singapore. Both sexes of this species feature deep blue or bluish-green uppersides. It is a fast flyer and sometimes flies and hides on the underside of a leaf when disturbed. On hot sunny days, or in the early morning hours, it can be seen sunbathing with its wings opened flat on the top surfaces of foliage.

The male is indigo blue above and unmarked, whilst the female is a steely-blue and similarly unmarked. The underside is dark brown with broad post-discal bands. There is a strong purple wash on the underside of both wings - more prominently in the male than in the female. This female, shot last weekend at Pulau Ubin's Butterfly Hill, appeared to be a newly-eclosed individual and was cooperative for awhile during the early morning hours after a rainstorm.

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Butterflies Galore! : Psyche

July 29, 2014, 5:49 pm
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Butterflies Galore!
The Psyche (Leptosia nina malayana)



In Greek mythology, the Psyche is often depicted as a princess who was loved by Cupid. She became the personification of the soul. The word psyche also means the human soul, spirit or mind, from which the medical specialty psychiatry is derived. In the butterfly world, the Psyche is a small white and delicate butterfly that flies gently and restlessly amongst low shrubbery and open areas.

The Psyche is white above, with a black apical area and a large black oblong sub-apical spot on the forewing. The underside is white and features greenish streaks across both wings. This shot was taken by ButterflyCircle member Loke PF at the Butterfly Hill at Pulau Ubin last weekend.

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Butterflies Galore! : Tree Flitter

July 30, 2014, 5:00 pm
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Butterflies Galore!
The Tree Flitter (Hyarotis adrastus praba)



This moderately rare skipper is forest-dependent and is usually encountered in the nature reserves in Singapore. It is a fast flyer and flies rapidly between flowers when feeding on nectar. It tends to remain at low level, flitting amongst the shrubbery but when alarmed it can take off in a flash to the treetops to get out of harm's way.

The Tree Flitter is dark brown above with hyaline spots on the forewings. On the underside of the hindwing, there is an irregular white discal band from mid-costa to mid-dorsum. The hindwing cilia are chequered. The antennae are white-banded just below the elbow of the apiculus. This individual was photographed by ButterflyCircle member Chng CK in the nature reserves.

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Life History of the Long Brand Bush Brown

August 1, 2014, 9:45 pm
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Life History of Long Brand Bush Brown (Mycalesis visala phamis)


Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Mycalesis Hübner, 1818
Species: visala Moore, 1858
Subspecies: phamis Talbot & Corbet, 1939
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 40-50mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Isachne globosa (Poaceae), Ottochloa nodosa (Poaceae).



Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
On the upperside, the wings are dull brown with an obscure yellow-ringed ocellus in space 2 of the forewing, and two obscure ocelli in spaces 2 and 3 of the hindwing. On the underside, both wings are pale brown in ground colour and have a whitish post-discal band. There is a series of ringed ocelli in the submarginal area on both wings. At times, a rare dry season form could be observed in Singapore where these ocelli are much reduced in size. The male has a yellowish and long (reaches the post-discal line) sex brand above the dorsum (in space 1b) on the forewing. In the hindwing, the post-discal line is slightly curved outward in spaces 4 and 5, and there is a dark brown indentation line stretching down to vein 1b.



Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
The Long Brand Bush Brown is moderately common in Singapore with adults typically found flying low amongst grasses in the nature reserves, wasteland as well as urban parks and gardens. As with other Satyrinae members, the adults fly in an erratic and jerky manner as their wings are closed for a relatively long period during flights.





Early Stages:
Two local grass species, Ottochloa nodosa and Isachne globosa, have been recorded as larval hosts so far. The caterpillars feed on leaves of the host plant, and have been observed to forcefully ejecting their frass pellets, a larval habit rarely seen outside the skipper/flat families. They tend to rest lengthwise on the underside of a leaf during pauses between feeds.

Local host plant #1: Isachne globosa.

Local host plant #2: Ottochloa nodosa.

A mating pair of the Long Brand Bush Brown.

The eggs are laid singly on the underside of a grass blade. Each egg is more or less spherical (about 1mm in diameter) and translucent with a pale yellowish tinge. It appears to be smooth to the naked eyes, but faintly sculptured with a "fine" hexagonal reticulum when viewed with a macro lens.

Two views of an egg of the Long Brand Bush Brown.

Two views of a mature egg with the head clearly visible through the egg shell.

The egg takes about 3-3.5 days to hatch. The young caterpillar nibbles away a portion of the egg shell to exit and then proceeds to devour the rest of the egg shell almost entirely. It has a cylindrical body in whitish colour, and an initial body length of about 3.5mm. The body is covered with dorso-lateral and lateral rows of moderately long setae. At the posterior end, there is a pair of backward-pointing processes. Its dark colored head features a number of setae and has a pair of short and rounded horns, a few lateral protuberances.

Two views of a newly hatched caterpillar, length: 3.7.mm

As a result of its leaf diet, the 1st instar caterpillar soon takes on a strong greenish undertone. As growth proceeds, the dorsum of the last two to three segments turns reddish. The first instar lasts about 4 days with the body length increases to about 6.5mm.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, length: 6.6mm.

Two views of a late 1st instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult.

In the 2nd instar, the cephalic horns become pointed and the two anal processes longer and thus pronounced. The few lateral conical protuberances on the head capsule are now much smaller and whitish in colour. The body color is pale yellowish with a green undertone. The head and body is also adorned with numerous minute tubercles, each with a single seta emanating from it. The 2nd instar lasts about 3 days with the body length reaches about 10-11mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, early in this stage.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, length: 9.5mm.

Two views of a late 2nd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 11mm.

The 3rd instar caterpillar mostly resembles the previous instar. The head capsule is brown in the cephalic horns and the basal areas around the mouth parts but pale brown elsewhere. This stage takes 3-4 days to complete with body length reaching about 16-17mm.

Two views of a newly moulted 3nd instar caterpillar, length: 9mm.

Two views of a 3nd instar caterpillar, length: 17.2mm.

Two views of a late 3nd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult.

The 4th instar caterpillar bears a close resemblance to the 3rd instar caterpillar initially with no obvious change of any features or markings. As growth progresses, the body base colour could change to either pale brown or pale yellowish green, with oblique and obscure stripes appearing laterally. Small reddish specks can be observed in these strips on the leading abdominal segments. The 4th instar lasts about 4-4.5 days with body length reaching 24-28mm.

Two views of a newly moulted 4th instar caterpillar, length: 17mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 21mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 26.5mm.

Two views of a late 4th instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 28mm.

The next moult brings the caterpillar to its 5th and final instar. So far only the brown colour form has been observed in three specimens bred over the past 2 years but it is likely that a yellow/green form exists too. Feature wise, the brown cephalic horns are now orange-coloured at the tip, and the oblique stripes on the body segments broader and more prominent. The red specks seen in the stripes in the earlier instar are now black and larger. Red coloration on the dorsum of posterior segments have completely vanished. In a period of 7-9 days, the body grows to a maximum length of about 38-39mm.

Two views of a newly moulted 5th instar caterpillar, length: 28mm.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, length: 36mm.
Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, late in this stage, body shortened and body colour changed to mostly green, length: 31mm.

Toward the end of the 5th instar, the body gradually shrinks in length and turn mostly green. Finally the caterpillar finds a spot on the underside of a leaf blade or a stem to spin a silk pad. It then secures itself there via its claspers at its anal end, and assumes its upside-down pre-pupatory pose.

A prep-pupa of the Long Brand Bush Brown.

After one day as a pre-pupa, pupation takes place. The smooth pupa is mostly green throughout. It is somewhat angular in appearance, with a dorsal keel on the thorax and ridges defining the dorsal wing margins. There are small, black specks dotting the wing pad and the ventral side of the abdomen. Dorso-lateral pairs of small and obscure yellowish spots can be observed on abdominal segments 2-6. Length of pupae: 16-17mm.

Three views of a pupa of the Long Brand Bush Brown.

After 5-5.5 days of development, the pupa becomes darkened in color, and the ringed-spot on the forewings can now be seen through the pupal skin in the wing pads. The next day the eclosion event takes place with the adult butterfly emerges to start the next phase of its life cycle.

Three views of a mature pupa of the Long Brand Bush Brown.

A newly eclosed Long Brand Bush Brown.

References:
  • [C&P4] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.
  • Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 2nd Edition, 2012.
  • A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew S.K., Ink On Paper Communications, 2010.
Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Nelson Ong, Loke PF, Tan Ben Jin, Federick Ho, Khew SK and Horace Tan
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Butterflies Galore! : Slate Flash

August 5, 2014, 7:52 am
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Butterflies Galore!
The Slate Flash (Rapala manea chozeba)



The Slate Flash is a moderately rare species in Singapore that can be found in parks and gardens as well as in the forested nature reserves. It is a fast flyer and can be skittish at times. The upperside of the Slate Flash, which belongs to the varuna group of the genus Rapala, is a shade of blue or green. It is a closely allied species to the Indigo Flash that was featured last week.

The brown underside features narrow post-discal bands that are darker than the ground colour of the wings. There are a pair of typical Rapala white tipped filamentous tails at vein 2 of the hindwing and the tornal area of the underside of the hindwing features light blue scales. This Slate Flash feeding on the flower of the String Bush was shot by ButterflyCircle member Chng CK.

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Butterflies Galore! : Chestnut Bob

August 6, 2014, 7:52 am
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Butterflies Galore! 
The Chestnut Bob (Iambrix salsala salsala)



This small skipper is common and is widespread in distribution across Singapore. It usually flies close to the ground flitting from flower to flower as it feeds. The caterpillar host plants are mainly grasses, including the common urban Cow Grass (Axonopus compressus) that covers very much of our urban turfed areas like roadside grass verges and school fields.

The butterfly is dark brown above and reddish brown on the underside of the wings, with a series of white spots on both wings. This mating pair of Chestnut Bob was photographed last weekend at the Butterfly Hill on Pulau Ubin.

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Favourite Nectaring Plants #5

August 9, 2014, 1:08 am
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Butterflies' Favourite Nectaring Plants
The Red Tree Shrub (Leea rubra)



In this fifth article introducing Singapore butterflies' favourite nectaring plants, we feature the Red Tree Shrub(Leea rubra). This leafy bush was determined to be extinct in Singapore and "was last collected in the wild by H N Ridley in 1909 at King's Road."* The plant has since been reintroduced through horticultural trade, and is a regularly used plant in many urban parks and gardens today.



The Red Tree Shrub has a wide distribution, ranging from the Indian subcontinent, Indo-China, the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian archipelago and as far east as Northern Australia. It can be found in dry monsoon forests, equatorial rain forests, savannahs and secondary forests up to 500m in altitude, making it more of a lowland forest species.


A Common Grass Yellow feeds on the flower of the Red Tree Shrub

From herbarium records, there are four species of Leea in Singapore - L. aequata, L.indica, L. rubra/guineensis and L. angulata. In recent years, L. indica (Bandicoot Berry) and L. rubra (Red Tree Shrub) have been cultivated as part of the urban greenery in parks, natureways, gardens and park-connectors in an effort to enhance urban biodiversity in Singapore by the National Parks Board. The flowers of both plants provide nectar for butterflies, bees and wasps, whilst the ripened fruits are food for birds.


A healthy bush of the Red Tree Shrub at Tampines Eco Green in the company of other plants

Plant Biodata :
Family : Leeaceae
Genus :Leea
Species : rubra
Country of Origin : Myanmar/Laos
English Common Name : Red Tree Shrub
Other Local Names : Red Tree Vine, Red Leea, Mali-mali puchok merah (Malay), Katangbai (Thai), 紅葉火筒樹



In Singapore, the Red Tree Shrub can be mainly found in urban parks and gardens, where it was a recent introduction as an ornamental shrub that also attracts biodiversity to the parks and gardens. It is not commonly seen in the forested nature reserves or growing wild naturally, like its closely related species, the Bandicoot Berry.




Young (top) and mature leaves (middle, bottom) of the Red Tree Shrub

The Red Tree Shrub is a small, semi-herbaceous shrub growing up to between 2-3m tall. The leaves are bright green, with the young leaves displaying a reddish margin. Mature leaves are green. The leaves are compound, 2-4 pinnate with each leaf about 20-40 cm long. Leaflets are ovate to ovate-oblong or elliptical to elliptical-lanceolate with the margins crenate to shallowly serrate.


The attractive crimson inflorescence of the Red Tree Shrub

The inflorescence ranges between 5-15 cm across and an attractive crimson red. Flowers are small and whitish yellow, about 4mm in diameter, and randomly spread across the inflorescence. There is no perceptible fragrance from the flowers, but they are still attractive to a variety of butterfly species and other insects like bees and wasps.


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The fruits of the Red Tree Shrub in various stages of ripening

The fruits are about 8-10mm in diameter and initially olive-green turning to reddish-green to crimson red and finally purple-black when ripened. The fruits are attractive to birds, and the Yellow Vented Bulbul has been regularly seen eating the fruits at the Tampines Eco Green. There are about six seeds per fruit, each measuring about 4mm in diameter.


An inflorescence of the Red Tree Shrub showing buds, flowers and fruits together

In Malaysia, the ground root mixed with arsenic is externally applied as a poultice against yaws, while the sap of the plant is drunk simultaneously. In Indonesia, the leaves are externally applied for poulticing wounds, the fruits are eaten as a remedy against yaws and dysentery. In Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, a decoction or tincture of the root is taken as a remedy for stomach-ache, rheumatism and arthritis. In Thailand, the roots are used as an antipyretic and diaphoretic.




One, Two, Three!  Long-Banded and Club Silverlines on the Red Tree Shrub flowers

The attractive crimson inflorescence of the Red Tree Shrub is unmistakable where it is found in our urban parks and gardens. At specific locations like Tampines Eco Green, the Long Banded and Club Silverlines are regular visitors to the flowers of the Red Tree Shrub. At certain times of the day the flowers are also popular with the Grass Yellows and various Hesperiidae.





Over at Gardens By the Bay, the flowers of this plant are visited by various Lycaenids, in particular the Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus teatus) and the Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus maxentius). The profusion of the red buds create an attractive sight to behold, when the flowers are in full bloom amongst the lush green bushes of the Red Tree Shrub.



Top : Metallic Caerulean  Bottom : Singapore Fourline Blue

At other locations where it is cultivated, like the Dairy Farm Nature Park, Hort Park and Sg Buloh Wetland Reserves, various resident butterfly species of these parks can often be observed feeding on the flowers of the Red Tree Shrub. The Metallic Caerulean (Jamides alecto ageladas) used to be found at the now defunct Mandai Orchid Garden, feeding on the flowers of the Red Tree Shrub. Over at Sg Buloh, the rare resident Singapore Fourline Blue (Nacaduba pavana singapura) can sometimes be observed at the flowers of the Red Tree Shrub.




Larger butterflies also feed on the flowers of the Red Tree Shrub

Larger butterflies like the Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris macrina) and the Common Mime (Chilasa clytia clytia) have regularly been photographed feeding on the flowers of the Red Tree Shrub. Despite the small size of the flowers, these large butterflies do not seem to have any problems feeding on them.



Skippers also like the flowers of the Red Tree Shrub

As the plant is easy to propagate by seeds, it is likely that the Red Tree Shrub will be more commonly found in parks and gardens, including private residential gardens in future. This is a plant that would certainly be welcomed by our local butterflies as an attractive food source. The berries are also food for birds, hence this plant would be useful in increasing the biodiversity of our urban gardens.



The next time you are attracted to the crimson flowers of the Red Tree Shrub, do take a closer look at the inflorescence and see if you can spot any butterflies feeding greedily at the flowers of this plant. You may be delighted to see more than a few butterflies sharing the nectar from the flowers!


On a sea of red...

And with the red and auspicious flowers of the Red Tree Shrub, all of us at ButterflyCircle would like to wish all our Singaporean readers a .....

Happy 49th Birthday to Singapore!!!

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Sunny Chir, Khew SK, Loke PF, Jonathan Soong & Zhuang YY

Further Reading and References :

*Leea of Singapore (from Nature in Singapore, Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum)

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Butterflies Galore! : Common Dartlet

August 10, 2014, 9:00 pm
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Butterflies Galore! 
The Common Dartlet (Oriens gola pseudolus)



The Common Dartlet is one of several species of small skippers that are orange with black markings. In flight and in the field, it can be challenging identifying these skippers due to their similarity in appearance and features. The Common Dartlet, from the genus Oriens, can generally be identified by their less distinct underside markings with the wing veins barely dark dusted.

It is fast-flying like most skippers, but can often be encountered in shaded spots resting with its wings folded upright as shown in the picture above. This individual was resting in the understorey along a forest trail in the Mandai area where it was shot last weekend.

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Butterflies Galore! : Psyche

August 13, 2014, 5:00 pm
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Butterflies Galore!
The Psyche (Leptosia nina malayana)



In butterfly photography, the background of the picture is often as important as the subject itself. Whilst many photographers who are new to the hobby pursues the butterfly and is quite happy to just get a decent shot of the butterfly itself, the more experienced photographers look for opportunities to get the background uncluttered, so as to emphasise the subject more effectively.

This shot, taken by ButterflyCircle member Koh CH, displays such a photo, which is well-composed with the butterfly nicely perched on a blade of grass, and where the pastel coloured background enables the subject, in this case a Psyche, to stand out prominently in the picture.

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Life History of the Palm Bob

August 16, 2014, 2:36 am
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Life History of the  Palm Bob (Suastus gremius gremius)


Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Suastus Moore, 1881
Species: gremius Fabricius, 1798
Sub-species: gremius Fabricius, 1798
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 33-35mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Cocos nucifera (Arecaceae; common name: Coconut), Rhapis excelsa (Arecaceae, common name: Lady Palm).




Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
Above, the wings are brown with the forewing adorned with pale yellow hyaline spots in the cell-end and spaces 1b, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8. The hindwing is unmarked. The tornal cilia are whitish. Beneath, the wings are greyish brown with the hindwing overlaid with buff scaling and featuring a number of moderately large and well defined black spots.




Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
The Palm Bob is common in Singapore. Sightings are rather frequent in nature reserves and in urban parks and gardens. The adults are fast flyers and are skittish when disturbed. They have been observed to visit flowers and sunbathe in sunny weather, and to puddle on bird dropping.





Early Stages:
Worldwide, a fair number of palm species have been recorded as larval host plants for the Palm Bob. The same is true in Singapore, and two of them have so far been identified as the Coconut Palm and the Lady Palm. Both palm species are rather commonly cultivated in parks and gardens across the island. The caterpillars of the Palm Bob feed on the leaves of the host plant in all instars, and live in leaf shelters constructed by cutting and folding leaf fragment on a palm frond. As the caterpillar grows in size later through progressing instars, it will abandon the current one and construct a larger one to accommodate its increased body size/length.

Local host plant: Coconut.

A female Palm Bob laying an egg on the upperside of a leaf frond of the Coconut Palm.

The eggs are laid singly on the upper surface of a leaf of the host plant. Each shallow dome-shaped egg is wine red with whitish longitudinal ridges emanating from the perimeter of the micropylar area sitting atop the egg. The eggs are rather large with a diameter of about 1.4mm.

Two views of an egg of the Palm Bob, diameter: 1.4mm.

It takes about 4 days for the egg to hatch. The egg decolorizes to a dull shade of pinky brown when fully mature on the last day of this phase. The young caterpillar nibbles away just enough of the shell to emerge, but it makes only a feeble attempt to eat the remaining egg shell. The newly hatched has a length of about 3mm. Its bright orangy red body is cylindrical in shape and there is a tuff of moderately long setae on the posterior segment. Its head is in a bright shade of reddish brown.

A sequence of three views of a mature egg on the last day of the oval stage.

Two views of a newly hatched 1st instar caterpillar, length: 3mm.

After abandoning the empty egg shell, the newly hatched caterpillar constructs its first leaf shelter typically on the same leaflet of the palm frond. From the shelter, the caterpillar leaves the shelter periodically to feed on the nearby leaf lamina. The 1st instar takes a total of 3.5-4 days to complete with body length reaching about 6mm.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, length: 4.5mm.

Two views of a leaf shelter of a 1st instar caterpillar, showing both sides of the leaf. The lower panel shows the actual shelter along the mid-rib.

The unmarked body of the 2nd instar caterpillar resembles that of the first instar at first but in a subdued tone of orangy red for both body and the head capsule (which bears two obscure whitish stripes afront). The tuff of moderately long setae is still present. The prominent anal plate is made of two semi-circular halves outlined in white. As the instar progresses, its body takes on a strong greenish undertone, and gradually losing its reddish tone. This instar lasts a total of 3 days with the body length reaching up to 9mm.

Two views of an early 2nd instar caterpillar, length: 5.5mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, length: 8.2mm.

Two views of a late 2nd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 8mm.

Two views of a leaf shelter of a 2nd instar caterpillar, showing both sides of hte leaf. The lower panel shows the actual shelter folding down across the mid-rib.

The 3nd instar caterpillar resembles the 2nd instar caterpillar initially but soon loses all remaining traces of reddish tone in its body. For most of this instar, the body is pale yellowish with greenish undertone. The head capsule takes on two additional whitish stripes which occur laterally, and the pale brown patches have small whitish spots embedded. This instar lasts about 3 days with the body length reaching up to 13mm.

Two views of an early 3rd instar caterpillar, length: 8mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 13mm.

The 4th instar caterpillar resembles the 3rd instar caterpillar closely but with minor differences. In the head capsule, both the white and brown coloration are now more intense, giving the head a more striking appearance. Another observable change is that the spiracles are now black in colour. This penultimate instar lasts about 5 days with the body length reaching up to 20mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, length: 16mm.

Two views of a late 4th instar caterpillar, length: 20mm.

The body of the 5th instar caterpillar is pale yellowish to whitish. The most prominent change from the 4th to the 5th takes place on the head capsule which has the brown coloration turned to black and with the whitish stripes expanded.

Two views of a newly moulted 5th instar caterpillar, lengths: 17mm.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, length: 30mm.

Two leaf shelters of the Palm Bob, used by the 4th (top) and 5th (bottom) instar caterpillars.

The 5th instar takes about 8-9 days to complete with the body length reaching up to 35mm. In the last 1-2 days of this instar, the underside of caterpillar starts to excrete some whitish powdery substance. Within the leaf shelter, a large number of silk threads are spun and a great mass of small whitish particles deposited . At this time, the body shrinks in length and its body colour changed to yellowish green. The shelter is rather tightly sealed as the caterpillar enter its prepupatory phase which lasts for about 1.5 days.

A pupation shelter opened to reveal two views of a pre-pupa of the Palm Bob.

Pupation takes place within the leaf shelter. The pupa does not have a cremastral attachment nor a silk girdle and it is mainly secured with tightly woven silk threads in the shelter. It has a short thorax and a rather long abdomen. The body is darker green in the thorax and wing pad areas, but yellowish brown in the abdomen. Length of pupae: 19-20mm.

Two views of a pupa of the Palm Bob.

After 8 days, the pupa becomes mostly dark brown as the adult development stage within the pupal case comes to an end. Eclosion takes place the next day.

Two views of a mature pupa of the Palm Bob.

A newly eclosed Palm Bob.

References:
  • [C&P4] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.
  • Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 2nd Edition, 2012
  • A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew S.K., Ink On Paper Communications, 2010.
Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Ellen Tan, Tan Chung Pheng, Bobby Mun, Federick Ho, Khew SK and Horace Tan.
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Butterflies Galore! : Cornelian

August 21, 2014, 6:25 pm
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Butterflies Galore!
The Cornelian (Deudorix epijarbas cinnabarus)



The Cornelian is one of two species of the genus Deudorix that has been reliably observed to be extant in Singapore. The early authors' checklists show other species, but that remains to be validated in recent years. The word Cornelian is usually associated with the gemstone "cornelian" which is a red variety of chalcedony, a type of quartz. Its red colour is due to the presence of iron impurities in the form of iron oxide or hematite. The name of the butterfly, which features a bright red upperside, probably comes from its association with the red coloured gem, cornelian.

The butterfly is usually skittish and able to fly at tremendous speeds. However, it can usually be photographed when it is feeding on flowers, or in this case, feeding on the sugary sap on the young inflorescence of the Tiger Orchid. This shot was taken by ButterflyCircle member Loke PF.

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Butterfly of the Month - August 2014

August 23, 2014, 5:48 am
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Butterfly of the Month - August 2014
The Tree Yellow (Gandaca harina distanti)



We move into the 8th month of the year 2014, looking back at a series of alarming human conflicts in the Middle East - all in the name of religion. A paradox of sorts, as no major religion that we know of, teaches its subjects to harm, maim or kill others. The atrocities that have been reported in the daily media only serves to reinforce the view that mankind is the weak link and can be manipulated to lose all sense of human-ness and reason.




Further west to Africa, a deadly virus rears its ugly head again, as the Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever spreads across the African nations of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. First discovered back in 1976 in Zaire (now known as Republic of the Congo), Ebola has no known cure to date, and has a fatality rate of over 65%. On the 8th of this month, the World Health Organisation declared the epidemic to be an international public health emergency. We can only hope that the spread of the disease to other parts of the world can be effectively contained before it explodes into another SARS-like emergency.



On 9 Aug this year, Singapore celebrated its 49th birthday since it became an independent city-state in 1965. It was a time for reflection on the progress of the nation from a struggling 3rd world Asian city to the successful metropolis that many other nations look on with admiration and envy. However, there is much angst amongst the locals these days, if comments on social media are to be taken seriously, as Singaporeans come to terms with the high cost of living and other daily struggles.



I had the opportunity to travel to the UAE this month. For many of us who travel abroad, it is always amazing to learn how well-regarded Singapore is. I was at the Dubai airport immigration, and had waited for the passenger in front of me (a Caucasian) to clear his immigration check. It took quite some time, as I saw him gesticulating angrily to the officer and looking displeased about the delay and being questioned. As he left in a huff, I quickly placed my passport on the counter with apprehension, and smiled at the officer, who appeared irritated at the previous passenger. He took a look at my passport, gestured to me to do the usual video check, and said "you're from Singapore?". I said yes, and he smiled at me, stamped my passport and said, "beautiful city!". I was out in about 30secs!




August is certainly not the best month of the year to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where the daytime temperatures typically hit 40degC. But business calls, and off I went. My last trip to Dubai was some years back, and returning to this city in the sun again, I was no less impressed by the achievements and progress that followed after the global financial crisis.


City skyline of Dubai, with the Burj Al-Arab hotel in the background

An hour's drive to Abu Dhabi, which I visited for the first time, also left a positive impression of the cleanliness and advancements of these two Middle Eastern cities. Five to seven lane highways (and that's in one direction!) were typical of their expressways, with new shiny luxury cars plying the well-built roads. However, looking around the harsh desert landscape made me miss the verdant equatorial greenery that we have in Singapore. Needless to say, I did not see a single butterfly throughout my entire trip, even though I'm sure they must be out there somewhere!


A Tree Yellow feeds on the flower of the Bandicoot Berry

Coming back to our Butterfly of the Month, we feature a common and rather plain-looking butterfly, the Tree Yellow (Gandaca harina distanti). This small and predominantly yellow butterfly is a forest-specialist, and is usually found in Singapore's forested nature reserves and fringe areas surrounding the nature reserves. It is skittish, and is typically fluttering around restlessly as it moves in search for food. It is rarely seen outside the forested areas in Singapore.


A trio of puddling Tree Yellows

The Tree Yellow is common and is regularly observed feeding at flowering plants as well as puddling with other butterfly species at sandy streambanks and damp forest footpaths. Contrary to the early authors' observations that mention that this species does not puddle, the Tree Yellow has been often encountered puddling - at times in numbers that exceed 6 individuals!


A Tree Yellow puddles with an Anderson's Grass Yellow in the background

The Tree Yellow resembles the related Eurema species (Grass Yellows) and are often seen in the company of these other species. However, the Tree Yellow is much paler, slightly larger and totally unmarked on the undersides of the wings.



Except for a narrow black marginal border on the upperside of the forewings, the Tree Yellow is a consistent lemon yellow throughout. Females of the species can be distinguished by a dentate projection in the forewing black border at vein 4, and is generally paler than the males.


A newly-eclosed Tree Yellow clings on to its pupa shell

The recorded caterpillar host plants of the Tree Yellow are Monocarpia marginalis and Mitrephora maingayi.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by James Chia, Khew SK, Koh CH, Nelson Ong, Simon Sng, Horace Tan and Lemon Tea.

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Butterflies Galore! : White Banded Awl

August 25, 2014, 3:54 am
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Butterflies Galore!
The White Banded Awl (Hasora taminatus malayanus)



The White Banded Awl is rare in Singapore, and is usually associated with the forested nature reserves, rather than urban parks and gardens. It is a fast flyer like most of the "Awls" and appears in the early morning hours of the day, zipping and feeding at damp concrete or stone walls and wooden structures in the vicinity of the nature reserves. In the later hours of the day, it is usually found in deep shady forests where it has a tendency of perching upside down under a leaf, with its wings folded upright.

This individual was encountered much later than usual in the morning, after 10am, perhaps due to the overcast and cool weather last Sunday. It was flying rapidly under the sheltered pavilion at Upper Seleter Reservoir Park, and stopping frequently to feed on some spilt fluids on the concrete table. Note the narrow white post-discal band and the iridescent bluish-green wing bases on both wings, which are diagnostic identification features of the White Banded Awl.

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Life History of the Malay Viscount v2.0

August 30, 2014, 2:34 am
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Life History of the Malay Viscount (Tanaecia pelea pelea)
An earlier version of the life history of the Malay Viscount can be found by clicking this link.


Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Tanaecia Butler, 1869
Species: palea Fabricius, 1787
Subspecies: palea Fabricius, 1787
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 50-70mm
Local Caterpillar Host Plants: Palaquium obovatum (Sapotaceae), Pouteria obovata (Sapotaceae), Adinandra dumosa (Theaceae, common name: Tiup-Tiup).

A male Malay Viscount puddling on wet ground.

A sunbathing Malay Viscount.

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
On the upperside, the wings are pale greyish ochreous brown with submarginal arrow-shaped markings. On the forewing, these markings are embedded in large, whitish spots. On the underside , the wings are paler brown with a faint trace of violet in a side light. The two sexes can be distinguished in the hindwing: the male has two submarginal rows of small distinct, black V-shaped markings, whilst those in the female are very obscure and conjoint.

A male Malay Viscount enjoying the ripened fruit of the Singapore Rhododendron.

Another sunbathing Malay Viscount.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
The Malay Viscount is rather common in Singapore. They are mainly found in the nature reserves, but at times adults can be seen flying in other forested areas. Both sexes have the habit of resting on perches with wings open, and visiting flowers/ripened fruits on flowering/fruiting trees in their habitat. The male have been observed to puddle on damp ground and on fallen (and rotting) fruits. The adults are skittish and readily take flights when disturbed.





Early Stages:
Locally three host plants have been recorded for the Malay Viscount so far, two Palaquium species in Sapotaceae and one Adinandra species in Theaceae. Caterpilars of the Malay Viscount feed on the middle-aged to mature leaves of these host plants.

Local host plant #1 : Adinandra dumosa (Tiup-Tiup).

Local host plant #2 : Palaquium obovatum.

A mating pair of the Malay Viscount.

A mother Malay Viscount laying an egg at a leaf tip of the host plant.

The eggs are laid singly at the leaf edge of the host plant. Each egg is dome-shaped with a base diameter of about 2mm. The surface is covered with large hexagonal depressions with hair-like protuberances emerging from adjoining corners. When freshly laid, the surface is moist and in pale green. Within hours, the moisture evaporates and the color turns to lime green.

Two views of an egg of the Malay Viscount.

Two views of a maturing egg of the Malay Viscount, one day prior to hatching.

After about 5 days, the 1st instar caterpillar emerges and proceeds to eat the eggshell as its first meal. The caterpillar is yellowish green in body colour and has a pale yellowish brown head capsule adorned with two brownish lateral stripes. Its body sports ten pairs of long and "fleshy" dorso-lateral protuberances. Black setae emanate from the body below these long protuberances and from a series of short dorsal protuberances. The caterpillar grows from an initial length of about 3.8mm to 6mm in about 2 days in this instar before the moult to the next instar takes place.

A newly hatched 1st instar caterpillar in the midst of eating the egg shel.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 5.3mm.

Two views of a late 1st instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 5.5mm

The body of the 2nd instar caterpillar is predominantly yellowish green. All ten pairs of short protuberances seen in the 1st instar have lengthened considerably. Each is projected horizontally with numerous branched spines and is almost always pressed to the leaf surface. The protuberance is whitish to very pale yellowish in color with some spines colored black. On the dorsum, pairs of white patches appear between the 2nd to the 10th protuberances. As growth progresses in this instar, each pair of white patches become conjoined to appear as an eye-shaped patch. The 2nd instar lasts for 3 days with the body length reaching about 9.5-10mm before the moult to the 3rd instar. (Note: The length given here and for later instars is measured between the head and the posterior end of the last body segment, excluding the length of protuberances.)

An early 2nd instar caterpillar, length: 6mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 9.5mm.

Two views of a late 2nd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 9.2mm.

The 3rd instar caterpillar is greenish in body color. Tiny whitish spots appears on each bod segment. The protuberances are greenish and have all become much longer in proportion. The branched spines appear almost like a bird's feather, with the secondary spines arranged neatly around the main spine. Dorsally the series of eight white-oultined patches become more prominent, and toward the later part of this instar, the central portion of each patch darkened to a deep shade of purple. The 3rd instar lasts for about 5 days and reaches a length of about 16-17mm before the next moult. Towards the end of this instar, the body color gradually changes to jade green.

A newly moulted 3rd instar caterpillar.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 17mm.

Two views of a late 3rd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 15mm.

The 4th instar caterpillar has a similar appearance as in the 3rd instar. Horizontal spines on each long protuberance are mostly whitish while shorter vertical spines are black in color. The eight dorsal marks becomes more shield-like in appearance with the central portion taken up by a large purplish/pinkish patch. After about 8 days in this instar, with its length reaching 25-26mm, the caterpillar moults to the 5th and final instar.

A newly moulted 4th instar caterpillar with its exuvia nearby.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, length: 21mm.

Two views of a late 4th instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 26.5mm.

Essentially similar to the 4th instar caterpillar, the body of the 5th instar caterpillar is initially in lighter shade of green but gradually assuming a dark shade of green with a purplish tinge. There are noticeably more tiny whitish spots on the body compared to the 4th instar.

A newly moulted 5th instar caterpillar with its exuvia nearby.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, length: 43mm.

This final instar lasts for 7-8 days with the caterpillar reaching a mature length of about 41-43mm. On the last day, the caterpillar ceases its feeding activity and its body becomes shortened and decolorised to a pale yellowish coloration. It then seeks out a spot on the underside of a mature leaf and stays put. There it spins large quantity of silk threads to make a silk mound, to which its posterior graspers are then attached to. Now the pre-pupa hangs from this anchor point in a head-down posture. A short transverse white band appears on the dorsum about mid-body.

A late 5th instar caterpillar, with its body shortened and decolorised.

Two views of a pre-pupa of the Malay Viscount.

After about 1 day of the pre-pupal stage, pupation takes place. The pupa is suspended with its cremaster firmly attached to the silk mound. It has a smooth body which tapers steeply towards each end from a high transverse dorsal ridge which is lined with an interrupted golden transverse band. The green pupa has a series of rounded spots symmetrically arranged. These spots are initially creamy yellow but becoming golden about 1 day later. Two short golden-colored cephalic horns are also featured. Length of pupae: 18-20mm.


The pupation event of a Malay Viscount butterfly. [Change to HD or 4k video setting for best view quality.]

Two views of a newly formed pupa of the Malay Viscount.

Two views of a pupa of the Malay Viscount.

Nine days later, the pupa becomes considerably darkened, especially in the wing case area, signaling the end of the development of the adult still encased within. The next day, the adult butterfly ecloses and stays near the empty pupal case for an hour or two before taking its first flight.

Two views of a mature pupa of the Malay Viscount.


The eclosion event of a Malay Viscount butterfly. [Change to HD or 4k video setting for best view quality.]

Left: A newly eclosed female. Right: A newly eclosed male Malay Viscount.

References:
  • [C&P4] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.
  • Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 2nd Edition, 2012
  • A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew S.K., Ink On Paper Communications, 2010.
Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Koh Cher Hern, Nelson Ong, Tan Ben Jin, Anthony Wong, Federick Ho, Khew SK and Horace Tan
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