Bush Browns of Singapore : Part 1

Bush Browns of Singapore : Part 1

Featuring the Mycalesis species of Singapore

A female Dingy Bush Brown (Mycalesis perseus cepheus) perches on a moss-covered tree root

The genus Mycalesis, collectively known by their English Common Name of "Bush Browns" is represented by six species in Singapore. The majority of the species are moderately common except for one which is mainly found in forested areas of the nature reserves. In this two-part blog post, we take a look at these Bush Browns that can be found in Singapore.

A Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca) perches on a leaf

The Bush Browns are members of the sub-family Satyrinae, usually referred to as "Browns and Arguses" Predominantly brown in colour, all the species of the Bush Browns are adorned with submarginal ocelli (eyespots) on the underside of both the fore and hindwings. As they belong to the family Nymphalidae, their forelegs are under-developed, and all the species stand on the mid- and hindlegs only.

A Purple Bush Brown (Mycalesis orseis nautilus) perches on a leaf

They typically fly in grassy habitats (of which several species' caterpillars feed on as host plants), and fly low amongst the grasses and shrubbery. Their flight is generally weak but they are alert and skittish, and are often quite challenging to photograph. The Bush Browns typically rest with their wings folded upright, although some of the species have been observed to open their wings to sunbathe at certain hours of the day.

A Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca) perches on a fern

This weekend's article introduces the three more distinct species that are easier to identify in the field. In next week's article, we will take a look at the more cryptic lookalikes that will require a bit more scrutiny to correctly identify them.

1. The Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca)

A Malayan Bush Brown feeding on the ripened fruit of the Singapore Rhododendron

An uncommon shot of the upperside of the Malayan Bush Brown

The Malayan Bush Brown is the most distinctive of the six species currently found in Singapore. It is usually found in forested areas and along the fringes of the nature reserves flying amongst low bushes and grasses, particularly where its caterpillar host plant, Scleria bancana grows.

The Malayan Bush Brown is the only orangey-brown species that occurs in Singapore. It has a pair of reddish-brown longitudinal stripes on both wings. The orange ringed sub-marginal ocelli are distinctive and the Malayan Bush Brown cannot be confused with any of the other species found in Singapore. The upperside is brown with obscure ocelli.

2. The Purple Bush Brown (Mycalesis orseis nautilus)

A Purple Bush Brown (Mycalesis orseis nautilus) with its full set of yellow-ringed ocelli on both wings

The Purple Bush Brown is the rarest of all the Bush Brown species in Singapore. It is a predominantly forest species and is rarely found outside the sanctuary of the shaded nature reserves. Its caterpillar host plant is currently unknown, but is likely to be one of the grasses. It is usually found singly and flies low amongst grassy undergrowth in shaded habitats.

The yellow-ringed submarginal ocelli on the underside of the fore- and hindwings are rather uniform in size and the majority of the ocelli are touching the adjacent ocelli. The broad white post-discal band that stretches across both wings is faintly violet-washed in a side light.

3. The Dingy Bush Brown (Mycalesis perseus cepheus)

The Dingy Bush Brown is easily distinguished from the other lookalike species in the genus in that the ocellus in space 2 of the hindwing is moved inwards and out of line with the other ocelli adjacent to it. The species also usually has a full set of four ocelli on the underside of the forewing. The caterpillar of this species has been bred on the common "Cow Grass" (Axonopus compressus) and most certainly some other species of grasses.

A courting pair of Dingy Bush Brown.  Male - Left, Female - Right

The species is found amongst grassy areas around the fringes of the nature reserves and buffer parks. The males are generally darker brown than the females. The species has a widespread distribution across Singapore, but cannot be considered common. In localised areas, it can regularly be spotted flying around, and sometimes several individuals can be seen together.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Khew SK and Tan BJ

Butterfly of the Month - November 2011

Butterfly of the Month - November 2011
The Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca)

The month of November is the 11th month in the Gregorian calendar, although its original name in Latin, novem, means nine, as it was the ninth month of the Roman calendar.  The two Zodiac signs of Scorpio and Saggitarius fall in the month of November. 

In western traditions, the premier holiday of November is Thanksgiving. It is held on the 4th Thursday in November. The first Thanksgiving was given by the pilgrims in 1623. It did not become an official holiday until President Lincoln declared it in 1863. The holiday was created to give thanks for the plenty of the harvest. Today it is celebrated by family gatherings.

Over in Asia, the Muslim community celebrated Hari Raya Haji on 7 Nov this year.  Hari Raya means festival, while Haji simply means that of pilgrim, or pilgrimage. This is the day when Muslim pilgrims from all over the world end their journey to the sacred Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Fellow Muslims celebrate and honour those who have successfully completed this long and hard pilgrimage.

The month of November in 2011 is special for the unique date of 11 November 2011 or written in short, "11-11-11".  This comes once in a lifetime for most of us, and it is a special date on which many couples tie the knot.  Geomancers claim that the string of 11's signify a date of good fortune and is an auspicious date for significant milestones in one's life, like marriage, moving house or having a ground breaking ceremony for projects.

The birthstone for November is the topaz.  Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and its crystals are mostly prismatic terminated by pyramidal and other faces.  Orange topaz, also known as precious topaz, is the traditional November birthstone, the symbol of friendship.

Who first comes to this world below
In drear November's fog and snow,
Should prize the topaz's amber hue,
Emblem of friends and lovers true.
- Gregorian Birthstone Poems

Our Butterfly of the Month for November is the Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca).  The butterfly belongs to the genus Mycalesis which is often referred to as "Bush Browns".  The species of this genus is characterised by the evenly rounded wings, usually a drab brown and the undersides featuring a series of ocelli with usually a post-discal band across both wings. 

Many species of the Bush Browns are common, but irritatingly similar in appearance, making field identification challenging at times.  They are low-flying butterflies and stop to perch on grasses and leaves with their wings folded upright.  They prefer shady spots and fly amongst the forest undergrowth.  In the early hours of the morning, some individuals can be spotted opening their wings flat to sunbathe. 

The Malayan Bush Brown is essentially a forest butterfly and is found in areas along the fringes of the nature reserves amongst grasses and low bushes. In the vicinity of its host plant, Scleria bancana, a long grass, several individuals can often be found, flitting from perch to perch at low level and frolicking with each other.

The species is the most distinctive of the genus Mycalesis found in Singapore due to its orange-brown colour with a pair of reddish-brown longitudinal stripes on both wings. The orange submarginal ocelli are not ringed with white. On the upperside, the male is brown, with obscure ocelli, whilst the larger female has rounded forewings and is generally paler.

The caterpillar is known to feed on the Cyperaceae grass called Scleria bancana a tall grass that is relatively common in many parts of the nature reserves and even in urban parks.  The life history is recorded in detail on this blog here.

So as we look forward to December and the festivities, holidays and Christmas, let us spare a thought for the less fortunate amongst the people of the world, and say a lil' prayer for one and all for global peace.  :)

Text by Khew SK ; Photos by Sunny Chir, Khew SK, Koh CH, Loke PF, Jonathan Soong, Ellen Tan, Horace Tan, Tan BJ & Zhuang YY

Life History of the Malayan Bush Brown

Life History of the Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Mycalesis Hübner, 1818
Species: fusca C. & R. Felder, 1860
Subspecies: fusca H C. & R. Felder, 1860
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 45mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plant: Scleria bancana (Cyperaceae)

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
Underside, both wings are yellowish brown in ground colour, with two reddish/orangy brown longitudinal stripes crossing from the upper to lower edges, and a series of moderate to small ringed spots (ocelli) in the submarginal area. The post-discal area of the hindwing carries a reddish brown coloration. Above, the male is brown with obscure post-discal ocelli while the female is pale brown with more distinct post-discal ocelli. The female is typically larger in size.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
This species is one of the less common of the Mycalesis genus in Singapore, and thanks to its more striking undersides, it is also one of the more distinctive members of this genus which typically features dull brown adults. Local sighting locations include the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Individuals are usually encountered flying alongside forest trails or lurking in shady undergrowth in the vicinity of its host plant. 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:
The host plant is a member of the Cyperaceae (Sedge) family, a grass-like herb with triangular stems and 3-ranked leaves with sheaths. This plant is rather common in the Catchment Reserves and even along trails in the Southern Ridges.

Host plant: Scleria bancana.

The eggs of the Malayan Bush Brown are laid singly on the grass leaf blade. Each egg is more or less spherical (about 1mm in diameter) and light translucent yellow. It appears to be smooth to the naked eyes, but faintly sculptured with a hexagonal reticulum when viewed with a more extreme close-up camera set-up.

A fresh egg of Malayan Bush Brown

The egg takes 4 days to mature. The young caterpillar pushes its way through the cracked egg shell, and then proceeds to eat up the egg shell almost entirely. It has a spindle-shaped body in light creamy yellow colour, and an initial body length of about 4mm. The body has rugose and ill defined segments. There is a pair of backward-pointing anal projections and a black head with a pair of short and rounded horns on the head. The young caterpillar eats the leaf blade along the edge. Caterpillars of all instars are observed to be sluggish in movement. They tend to rest lengthwise on the underside of a leaf during pauses between feeds.

Mature egg with the head about to break through the shell

Newly hatched 1st instar caterpillar, length: 4mm

The first instar lasts 4 days with the body length increases to about 6mm before the inevitable moult. With the change of instar, the two cephalic on the head become pointed and the two anal projections longer and thus pronounced. The body colour is yellow with a green undertone. The head and body is also roughened by numerous minute tubercles, each with a single seta. Faint longitudinal lines are also distinguishable on the body.

2nd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, 6.5mm

2nd instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 10mm

The 2nd instar lasts for 4 days with the body length reaches about 11mm before the next moult. The 3rd instar caterpillar mostly resembles the previous instar except for having longer anal projections and more prominent longitudinal lines on its body. This stage also takes 4 days to complete with body length reaching about 16mm.

3rd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 11mm

3rd instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 13mm

One obvious change in the 4th instar caterpillar is in the head where the "face" area has changed from dark brown to yellowish green while the forward-facing portions of the horns remaining dark brown. The 4th instar lasts about 5 days with body length reaching 22-23mm.

4th instar caterpillar, length: 16mm

The next moult brings the caterpillar to its 5th and final instar. Now the "face" area of the head is pale yellow in colour and decorated with three pairs of curved brown lines. The body is dotted with several prominent black spots, and the longitudinal lines become more striking with alternating and varying shades of brown and green. In a period of 9 days, the body grows at a faster pace to a maximum length of about 40-42mm.

5th instar caterpillar, early in the stage, 30mm

5th instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 40mm

Toward the end of 5th instar, the body gradually shrinks in length and becomes paler in colouration. Finally the caterpillar finds a spot on the underside of a leaf blade to secure itself at the anal end. The dormant pre-pupatory pose is complete once it has its body curved up and the head touches part of the body.

Preparatory pupa of Malayan Bush Brown

After one day as a pre-pupa, pupation takes place. The smooth pupa is light woody brown with faint brown markings. It is somewhat angular, with a dorsal keel on the thorax and ridges defining the dorsal wing margins. Length of pupae: 15-16mm.

Fresh pupa of Malayan Bush Brown

After 9 days of development, the pupa becomes darkened in color especially at the wing pads (corresponding to the dark brown uppersides of the forewings). The next day the eclosion event takes place with the adult butterfly emerges to start the next life cycle.

Mature pupa of Malayan Bush Brown

A newly eclosed Malayan Bush Brown

References:

• The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.
• The Butterflies of Hong Kong, M. Bascombe, G. Johnston, F. Bascombe, Princeton University Press 1999

Text and Photos by Horace Tan

Greening of Eco-Link @ BKE

Greening of Eco-Link @ BKE
A Safe Passage for Wildlife


The completed Eco Link spanning across the BKE

Way back in 1986, when the roads engineers of the then Public Works Department designed the Bukit Timah Expressway (or BKE as we acronym-mad Singaporeans know it by), their emphasis was to create an efficient transport link from the Causeway to downtown Singapore. Back then, probably the most efficient route took the expressway right through the Central Catchment, splitting the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve from the rest of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Elbowed Pierrot (Caleta elna elvira) one of the species observed 

Over the decades that passed, nature observers lamented the fragmentation of the two major high biodiversity nature areas by the BKE. Animals separated by the BKE remained on the two sides and were unable to cross the expressway without the risk of being killed by vehicles. The expressway became an insurmountable barrier.

Lesser Harlequin (Laxita thuisto thuisto)

In 2005, the nature community and the government authorities mooted the idea of a nature or green corridor to re-connect BTNR to the CCNR. After some debate and feasibility studies, the location selected for this biodiversity-bridge was confirmed. It took some time for the realisation of this Eco-Link as there were issues like design, budget, effectiveness and environmental impact of the link to be dealt with.

After further delays, the contract was finally awarded to local contractor Eng Lee Engineering for a contract sum of $11.8M. The Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Eco Link was held on 30 Jul 2011. Today, slightly over two years after work commenced on the Eco Link, I attended the Greening of the completed Eco Link.


Group Photo at the Tree Planting site (via Twitter by ©Debby Ng)

This was basically an event to celebrate the completion of the biodiversity link with a tree-planting ceremony involving the nature community. The event was graced by the Minister of State for National Development, Mr Desmond Lee.

The morning started with an imminent threat of another thunderstorm. The NEA weather radar showed a massive front coming in from Sumatra, and it had begun raining cats and dogs in parts of Singapore. However, the nature community, being a determined bunch, braved the prospects of planting trees in the heavy rain!



When I arrived at the meeting point, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a decent crowd had already made their way to the Dairy Farm area. The dark rain clouds were also beginning to clear up, and it looked like the event was a go!

MOS Desmond Lee hard at work digging the tree hole

The guests were ferried to the Eco Link by coaches, and before long, the group made its way to the top of the Eco Link, led by MOS Desmond Lee. After the traditional group photo, everyone got busy with the tree planting. MOS was even game enough to plant more than one!

As everyone took in the sights around the Eco Link and the speeding vehicles on the BKE below, I could imagine that this "narrow" 50m wide link could indeed be a bridge across which animals can use to move safely between BTNR and CCNR.



I was also told that the Eco Link will not be opened to the general public and will be kept inaccessible so that the animals that may use it will not be disturbed by human presence. There was also concerns that poachers may also use it as a convenient means to capture their prey.

MOS Desmond Lee entertaining the crowd with his handling of the Oriental Whip Snake

Very soon, all the trees were planted, and the group made its way down to the exhibition area and our much-needed refreshments. As if on demand, a couple of snakes showed up and got the attention of the group, including our Guest of Honour. As it was still cool and cloudy, I didn't manage to spot any butterflies in the area.

As for ButterflyCircle's involvement, members had earlier conducted a pre-construction survey in April 2011 in the area. On that single day alone, a total of 54 species of butterflies were recorded. A few rarities like the Lesser Harlequin, Malay Tailed Judy, Indigo Flash were spotted. After the contractors vacate the site and the vegetation recovers on the Eco Link and the surrounding forests, another survey will be conducted to ascertain the butterfly count.

So there you have it, a biodiversity bridge over an expressway, just for nature. There were concerns that the Eco Link would not be effective or is too narrow for animals to want to use it. Will all this effort will be in vain? To me, it is a little effort that may go a long way in trying to bridge the fragmented nature reserves. These reserves are important in the sense that the forest-dependent butterfly species are dependent on the preservation of this habitat. Although the Eco Link itself may not be directly beneficial to butterflies, since they can easily fly across the BKE, the selection of plants and regeneration of habitats across the bridge may help butterfly populations to spread between the two nature reserves.

An exhibition showing the flora and fauna of the Nature Reserves

The Central Catchment and Bukit Timah Nature Reserves are the last remaining remnants of a once awesome primary forest that covered Singapore. These are certainly worth preserving as our natural heritage, and as a home to an amazing diverse spectrum of flora and fauna. The controversy that surrounds the construction of an underground MRT line cutting across the southern part of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in the MacRitchie Reservoir area stems primarily from the critical need to protect this precious 'green heart' that is home to an awesome biodiversity. That debate is still ongoing, and it will be another story for another time on this blog.

Text & Photos by Khew SK : Group Photo courtesy of Debby Ng

References and Past Articles about the Eco Link

• From WildSingapore : http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.sg/2010/12/singapore-bukit-timah-eco-bridge-to.html
• From the Biology Refugia : http://biologyrefugia.blogspot.sg/2009/09/ecological-corridor-for-bukit-timah-and.html
• From SGLinks : http://sglinks.com/pages/1202944-eco-link-bke-links-nature-reserves
• From IYB 2010 : http://iyb2010singapore.blogspot.sg/2010/05/bridge-for-biodiversity-eco-link-to.html

List of Butterflies observed during the pre-construction survey on 9 Apr 2011 :

1) Papilio polytes romulus (Common Mormon)
2) Graphium sarpedon luctatius (Common Bluebottle)
3) Chilasa clytia clytia (Common Mime) (caterpillar)
4) Euploea mulciber mulciber (Striped Blue Crow)
5) Leptosia nina malayana (Psyche)
6) Catopsilia pomona pomona (Lemon Emigrant)
7) Eulaceura osteria kumana (Purple Duke)
8) Eurema blanda snelleni (Three-Spot Grass Yellow)
9) Elymnias hypermnestra agina (Common Palmfly)
10) Elymnias panthera panthera (Tawny Palmfly)
11) Mycalesis mineus macromalayana (Dark Brand Bush Brown)
12) Mycalesis perseus cepheus (Dingy Bush Brown)
13) Mycalesis visala phamis (Long Brand Bush Brown)
14) Mycalesis fusca fusca (Malayan Bush Brown)
15) Orsotriaena medus cinerea (Nigger)
16) Ypthima baldus newboldi (Common Five Ring)
17) Ypthima pandocus corticaria (Common Three Ring)
18) Tanaecia iapis puseda (Horsfield's Baron)
19) Tanaecia pelea pelea (Malay Viscount)
20) Lebadea martha parkeri ( The Knight )
21) Moduza procris milonia (Commander)
22) Hypolimnas anomala anomala (Malayan Eggfly)
23) Athyma nefte subrata (Colour Sergeant)
24) Junonia hedonia ida (Chocolate Pansy)
25) Junonia almana javana (Peacock Pansy)
26) Lasippa tiga siaka (Malayan Lascar)
27) Phaedyma columella singa (Short Banded Sailor)
28) Abisara saturata kausambiodes (Malayan Plum Judy)
29) Abisara savitri savitri(Malay Tailed Judy)
30) Laxita thuisto thuisto ( Lesser Harlequin )
31) Logania marmorata damis (Pale Mottle)
32) Acytolepis puspa lambi (Common Hedge Blue)
33) Caleta elna elvira (Elbowed Pierrot)
34) Eooxylides tharis distanti (Branded Imperial)
35) Iraota rochana boswelliana (Scarce Silverstreak)
36) Surendra vivarna amisena (Acacia Blue)
37) Zizina otis lampa (Lesser Grass Blue)
38) Jamides celeno aelianus (Common Caerulean)
39) Prosotas dubiosa lumpura (Tailless Line Blue)
40) Arhopala centaurus nakula (Centaur Oakblue)
41) Arhopala major major
42) Anthene emolus goberus (Ciliate Blue)
43) Zeltus amasa maximinianus (Fluffy Tit)
44) Rapala varuna orseis (Indigo Flash)
45) Rapala pheretima sequeira (Copper Flash)
46) Hypolycaena erylus teatus (Common Tit)
47) Neopithecops zalmora zalmora ( The Quaker)
48) Pelopidas mathias mathias (Small Branded Swift)
49) Tagiades japetus atticus (Common Snow Flat)
50) Tagiades calligana (Malayan Snow Flat)
51) Hasora badra badra (Common Awl)
52) Iambrix salsala salsala (Chestnut Bob)
53) Potanthus omaha Omaha (Lesser Dart)
54) Taractrocera archias quinta (Yellow Grass Dart)