The Brown Awl (Badamia exclamationis)
I've always been intrigued by the latin species name of this Skipper. It's as though the scientist who first described it screamed out loud when he first saw this butterfly. This medium sized Hesperiidae is moderately rare in Singapore, usually observed singly in the early hours of the morning. It has also been observed to puddle occasionally, but where it is encountered, it is more often seen feeding on moisture off damp rocks, stone walls and timber structures in the early morning hours.
It is a fast flyer and is usually skittish. When disturbed, it flies off and hides on the underside of a leaf to try to conceal itself. The butterfly is medium brown on the upperside, with an elongate white hyaline streaks in the cell. The underside, shown here, is a pale greyish brown and unmarked. The abdomen of the butterfly is yellow-striped. This shot was taken by young ButterflyCircle member Jonathan Soong.
