The Palm Bob (Suatus gremius gremius)
A Palm Bob feeding on the flower of Lantana camara
The shortest month of the year is almost over. It was a busy month for the Chinese community all over the world, as we welcome the Year of the Fire Horse on the 17th of this month. Experts say the fire horse year is widely expected to bring intense, fast-paced change on a personal and global level. Industries connected with movement, heat or rapid change such as technology, finance, transportation, energy and entertainment may feel the fire horse year’s fast and intense pace more strongly.
A Palm Bob feeding on the flower of the Spanish Needle (Bidens alba)
The Chinese New Year period in Singapore brought about unprecedented weather again. On the first day of the Chinese New Year, it rained pretty heavily for a significant part of the day. Usually, the Chinese New Year period is associated with hot and dry weather, and this rainy spell marked a stark departure from the usual sweltering February weather. Temperatures dropped to as low as 21.8 degC in some parts of Singapore. Perhaps the weather was appropriate to tame the start of a fiery horse year!
A Palm Bob feeding on the flower of the Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendrum ugandense)
Following the cold snap in Southeast Asia, northern Japan bore the brunt of heavy snowfall in Feb 2026. In the northern city of Aomori, often called the world’s snowiest city, the accumulated snowfall on Sunday reached 183 cm the highest recorded since 1986. The heavy snowfall left about 30 people dead and about 200 people injured in various parts of Japan.
Palm Bobs feeding on the flowers of the Bandicoot Berry (Leea indica) and Red Tree Bush (Leea rubra)
It was also the start of the Ramadan month for Muslims on 19 Feb. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and a holy month of fasting, prayer, and reflection for Muslims worldwide. This period of discipline and empathy concludes with the celebration of Hari Raya Puasa on 21 Mar. The month is when Muslims strengthen their faith and devotion through steadfast worship, gratitude, graciousness and acts of charity.
Palm Bob feeding on the flower of Snakeweed (Stachytarpheta indica)
Our Butterfly of the Month for February 2026 is another skipper, The Palm Bob (Suastus gremius gremius). This species was a new discovery for Singapore in the 1990's and in the early authors' references, referred to as confined to the mangrove areas of Butterworth, Perlis and Tioman Island. It was considered a very rare Hesperiidae (ref : Butterflies of West Malaysia and Singapore 2nd Edition by W.A. Fleming) but has, in recent years become widespread and common throughout the Malay Peninsula and Singapore.
The caterpillars of the Palm Bob feeds on a variety of palms and rattans, which may explain why the species has become common even in urban parks and gardens where ornamental palms like the Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), Lady Palm (Raphis excelsa), Yellow Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens), Mangrove Fan Palm (Licuala spinosa) and many others are cultivated.
A Palm Bob sunbathing and showing its upperside markings
The Palm Bob is dark brown above, with a few yellowish-white spots on the forewings. The cilia is a pale beige on both wings, defining the margins of the fore- and hindwings in pristine individuals. The underside is a pale brown overlaids with buff scaling with a number of sharply defined spots of varying sizes. Occasionally, some individuals are observed where these black spots are either obscure or even with one or two absent.
A Palm Bob feeding on bird dropping
The butterfly is fast-flying, typical of skippers in the Hesperiidae family but can be photographed when it stops to rest or sunbathe with its wings opened in the typical skipper fashion. It can also be observed feeding on flowers in urban parks and gardens. Occasionally, it is encountered puddling on bird droppings or on organic material on damp footpaths.
The eyes of the Palm Bob are dark brown, and the antennae are paler just before the club whilst the apiculus is also a light brown. The abdomen is banded with dark and light brown streaks.
Text by Khew SK : Photos by David Chan, May Chan, David Ho, Huang CJ, Khew SK, Koh CH, Ann Kong, Loh MY, Michael Soh, Horace Tan and Liyana Zolpakar.
