Metamorphosis - the Birth of a New (Butterfly) Book

Metamorphosis - The Birth of a New Butterfly (Book)
10/10/10 : Launch of A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore

The idea of coming out with a book on Singapore's butterflies stretched as far back as 2003. Then, the only book dedicated to Singapore's Flying Jewels was the Science Centre/BP Book that was authored by Steven Neo and published in 1996.

Back then, I was hoping that I could get one of the prominent publishing companies to financially back the book. That would leave me to concentrate on the task of writing and collecting photos for the book. Not surprisingly, the response that I got was rather lukewarm, to say the least, as no one thought that a book about Singapore's butterflies would have any commercial value nor interest.

So the idea for the book went on the backburner.

I made another attempt after that, even consulting the ever-energetic Ria Tan, a long-time friend who runs WildSingapore and the author of the Chek Jawa Guidebook, for advice. I also consulted Morten Strange of Nature's Niche, who authored and published a number of excellent bird books. But again, the initial effort fizzled out due to my own lack of time to focus on the book.

About three years ago, in 2007, after a few months of setting up this blog and penning many articles, I managed to gain the interest, and the offer of a personal sponsorship from a generous individual in Singapore.

This important catalyst sparked off renewed effort on the book again, and it has been three long years. I had to balance my work which required a lot of my energy and time to deal issues attributed to another untimely global recession, with working on the book. That left me with little spare time to conceptualise the book, its design, do literature research, write and collect the photos for as many species as possible.

Hence, many of my weekends were spent out in the field, taking photos of species that were still unavailable, and also writing and researching for the book.

I am very thankful that many ButterflyCircle members came forward readily to offer their excellent photographs to add more quality and completeness to the book. Particularly for the photos of species that I did not have a good shot of.

Special mention has to be made of BC members like Sunny Chir, who probably contributed the most photographs amongst the BC members, and also friends like Horace Tan, Leslie Day, Steven Neo, Marcus Ng, Ellen Tan, Teo Kiam Pheng and my wife, Shirley, who helped and meticulously vetted the drafts for the write ups for grammatical correctness and technical accuracy. (And I must say that there were plenty of mistakes in the early drafts!).

The full list of ButterflyCircle members is featured in the acknowledgement pages of the book. And I must sincerely thank each and every individual who contributed their work, that your photos have added so much quality and colour to the book. You have every reason to be proud of what you and ButterflyCircle have achieved over the years.

So the work continued over the period of three years, as BC members also raised their quality of butterfly photography, and the pages began to fill up with photos that will eventually grace the final book.

Researching and deciding what to put in the book took some effort, as the intention was to feature the book to as wide an audience as possible without too much scientific jargon. But at the same time, make the book as accurate as possible to the expert community.

A shot of the photoplate machine, which generates the master plate used in the printing process

There were many changes and amendments, and this is where I have to thank the publisher, Ink On Paper Communications Pte Ltd, a small Singaporean boutique set-up, for their help and patience with this first-time author! The design and layout was conceptualised by the young and very capable layout artist, Cressindie Tan, and ably advised by Kalyn Choi and Alicia Tan (the lady boss!). They even went on an outing with BC members to get the feel of what we do out in the field, shooting butts!

A peek at a stack of the finished 16-page sheet after which the pages are machine-cut and bound

It was almost a year ago that I'd set the goal of launching the book on 10 Oct 2010, that is, 10/10/10, an interesting date. It is also apt that this book is launched in the United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity 2010, as a contribution to biodiversity education and conservation, and in particular, to Singapore.

A view of the CMYB 4-colour printer used in the production of the book

It has been a tiring, but rewarding experience, putting this book together. The past few weeks have been a flurry of vetting, amending, inserting new photos, more vetting and proof-reading and changes! The final finishing touches to the digital files, and then more colour-proofing at the printers. It was also amazing to see the printing technology that we have today, as the lithographic and book-binding processes are now so technologically advanced and fast!

Colour-proofing process of the printed sheets and tweaking the colours digitally

My publisher even went the extra mile to ensure that a dummy copy of a fully-bound book sample was made to check the binding strength of the spine and to ensure that the pages do not fall out easily through frequent use of the book.

A "blind" copy of the bound book to check the robustness of the binding and spine sewing. The Trees of Our Garden City book, which is the same size and thickness, is shown for comparison

All that remains now, is to wait for the "butterfly" to eclose. The pupa shell is now transparent, and we can see the colours of the "wings" of this new butterfly, all set for its maiden flight. For the privileged few who have been invited to the launch this coming Sunday, let's celebrate the eclosion process together!

The Field Guide will be 370-page soft-cover A5 sized book featuring a total of 904 photographs.



Text by Khew SK : Photos (all of which will be featured in the forthcoming book) by James Chia, Sunny Chir, Chng CK, Khew SK, Nelson Ong, Jonathan Soong, Horace Tan & Zhuang Yaoyang

Origin of Some Common Names of Butterflies

Origin of Common Names of Butterflies

Nymphalidae : Some English Common Names

A Commander having a meal at the Officers' Mess!

The study and the naming convention of butterflies date back several centuries, to the 18th century naturalist Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linne). Linnaeus pioneered the binominal and trinominal taxonomic naming convention in classic work Systema Naturae - a catalog of all the names of known animals and plants.

A Cruiser anchored in harbour

In 1758 came the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, which is usually regarded as the starting point for the biological classification of animals by family, genus and species. As more and more amateur hobbyists picked up collecting butterflies, and the general layman began to appreciate nature's flying jewels around them, the widespread use of English common names became more prevalent.

An Archduke surveys over his domain

The English common name given to butterflies, however, is always a subject for debate, as these names are coined by amateurs and layman enthusiasts. The well-meaning intention is to give an easier and less daunting name for the general public which they can appreciate and endear themselves to. The downside of this is that we often end up with different common names for the same species across different countries, causing confusion. Hence although English Common Names are ideal for the general enthusiasts, scientific names should always remain at the core of butterfly identification.

A Dot-Dash Sergeant alert!

How then, did these English Common Names start? In the Asian region, where amateur collectors spent their time amassing large collections of insects, amongst which butterflies were undoubtedly a favourite, many of these collectors were British, and particularly from the military. Renown collectors who described new species and wrote articles and books on butterflies in the Indian subcontinent and Malaysia & Singapore were either from the military or were civilians working in the region who were interned during the Japanese occupation during World War II.

Amongst some of these collectors who were military men were :

• Brigadier William Harry Evans - a British officer who spent most of his commission in India
• Lt Col John Eliot - the 'guru' who revised the 4th edition of the definitive book about butterflies of the Malay Peninsula by Corbet & Pendlebury
• Captain M K Godfrey
• Captain Stackhouse Pinwill
• Major J M Kerr
• Lieutenant A M Goodrich
• Lieutenant H Roberts

Others, who were in the service of British companies in East India and the far east, were :

• Alexander Steven Corbet, a soil chemist and bacteriologist with the Rubber Research Institute of Malaya
• H Maurice Pendlebury, Director of Museums, Federated Malay States, and who was interned at Changi Prison during the war
• W A Fleming, a Scotsman who worked for a London-based rubber company and who was also interned during the war.
• R Morrell, who was also interned at Changi during the war
  

A Colonel with two Sergeants in attendance. Left : Colour Sergeant, Right : Malay Staff Sergeant

It is therefore understandable that many of the English common names of butterflies were coined after British origins. In the first category, we have, obviously, the military titles and ranks - old world and new! For the butterflies in Singapore we have the Commander, the various Sergeants, Knight, Colonel, Lascars and Sailors.

A platoon of Lascars - clockwise from top left : Malayan, Perak, Burmese and Common Lascars

Whilst some of these ranks are clearly recognised, I had to do a bit of research into the origins of some others. The Lascar, for example is an Indian sailor, army servant, or artilleryman. Interesting, because some of the British collectors were indeed militarymen stationed in India, where they would have come across such titles.

Ahoy! the Navy - Sailors and a Yeoman. Top to Bottom : Chocolate Sailor, Banded Yeoman & Short Banded Sailor

Amongst the definitions of the Yeoman, was this : a naval petty officer who performs clerical duties. The Sailors, too, generated some debate, as there are some quarters who believe that the common name should be "Sailers" - which originate from the way the Neptis species "sails" in flight. Of course, given the family of names of the armed forces, it could well be possible that there was every intention to call these species "Sailors" instead, so that the officers of the British Navy could also be recognised, and the butterflies named for posterity. And finally of course, we have to salute the Indian Red Admiral. as the highest ranking officer in the navy.


An Admiral and his Cruiser?

Another possible military association for a butterfly name is the Cruiser. Amongst the definition is : a large fast moderately armored and gunned warship.

Said the Viscount to the Duke "Where are the ladies?" Top : Malay Viscount Bottom : Purple Duke

In another category of common names, would be titles from Peerage - a system of titles in the UK, representing the upper ranks of British nobility and aristocracy. Peers are of five ranks in descending order of heirarchy :

• Duke
• Marquess (or Marquis)
• Earl
• Viscount
• Baron

Aristrocratic gentry : Clockwise from top left : Baron, Green Baron, Horsfield's Baron, Malay Baron and White-Tipped Baron

The title Archduke may be the odd one out, as it is an aristocratic title that originates from the European countries. And for the Nawab (or Nabob) the definition would be : a provincial governor of the Mogul empire in India. Another from Indian origin, would be the Rajah : the bearer of a title of nobility among the Hindus

In the world of Archdukes and Nawabs : Top : Yellow Archduke, Blue Nawab, Archduke, Black-Tipped Archduke and Plain Nawab.

So now we postulate some of the possible origins behind some of the English common names behind these butterflies, and why these early collectors may have coined these names for our beloved winged beauties!

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Sunny Chir, Khew SK, Koh Cher Hern, Neo Chee Beng, Horace Tan, Tan Ben Jin, Anthony Wong & Mark Wong

Life History of the Leopard

Life History of the Leopard (Phalanta phalantha phalantha)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Phalanta Horsfield, 1820
Species: phalantha Drury, 1773
Subspecies: phalantha Drury, 1773
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 60mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Flacourtia inermis (Flacourtiaceae, common name: Rukam Asam), Salix babylonica. (Salicaceae, common name: Weeping Willow)


A Leopard perching on a branch.


A Leopard displaying its upperside.

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
Above, the wings are rick orange brown and feature a fair number of black spots and streaks. Each forewing has two dark lines in the cell forming an irregular cell spot. Underneath, the wings are in paler orange with only a handful of black spots and streaks, the submarginal and postdiscal regions of both wings carry a purple sheen when seen in a side light.


The pristine condition of the wings and the angle of incident light allow the sheen on the wings to be clearly seen on this Leopard.


An adult Leopard taking up its position on a leaf.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
This sun-loving species is not uncommon in Singapore. The fast flying adults are usually found in secondary growth, urban areas, sidewalks, parks and gardens. This is likely due to the fact the two known local host plants are planted in these places. The fast flying adults can be seen flying around flowering shrubs taking nectar, and at times several of them can be seen puddling together on damp ground. The restless adults make it rather difficult for photographers to capture them on film or CCD.


Another Leopard on a leaf-perch.

Early Stages:
The caterpillars of the Leopard feed mainly on young to middle-aged leaves of the two local host plants, Rukam Asam and Weeping Willow.

Local host plant: Flacourtia inermis.

A mating pair of the Leopard.

The eggs of the Leopard are laid singly on the young shoots of the host plants. Sometimes a few eggs are found to be laid on the same leaf or the same young shoot. The pale yellow egg is somewhat globular in shape but with a blunt top. The surface is marked with small pits which are roughly hexagonal higher up and rectangular lower down. Each egg has a diameter of about 0.6-0.7mm, and a height of about 0.7-0.8mm.

Two views of an egg of the Leopard. Diameter: 0.6mm

The egg takes about 2 days to hatch. The young caterpillar emerges by eating away part of the egg shell. The rest of the egg shell becomes the first meal for the newly hatched which is 1.2mm in length. It has a cylindrical and pale yellowish body covered with many small tubercles and moderately long setae. The head capsule is dark brown to black.

Two views of a newly hatched caterpillar of the Leopard, length: 1.2mm.

The 1st instar caterpillar feeds on the lamina of young leaves and between feeds, it typically rests on leaf underside against the midrib. After reaching about 3mm in 1.5-2 days, the caterpillar moults to the 2nd instar.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, length: 2mm.

The body of the 2nd instar caterpillar is yellowish brown in base color with a green undertone. Long and branched pale-yellowish-brown processes run along the length of the body. On each side of the body, there are three series of such processes: One series occurs dorso-laterally, another lateraly and the last sub-spiracularly. The head capsule is dark brown with a white spot in the center above the labrum. This instar lasts about 1 day with the body length reaching about 6mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 3.6mm

The 3rd instar caterpillar has the dorso-lateral and lateral processes dark in color. A white band links up the base of the sub-spiracular processes which are also whitish in color. A narrow dark band runs dorsally on the body segments. The head capsule is pale brown to orangy brown in base colour. This instar takes about 1.5 days to complete with body length reaching about 11mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, length: 8.3mm.

The 4th instar caterpillar closely resembles the 3rd instar caterpillar, but with longer processes and the change to orange base color for the head capsule. Numerous small whitish specks also appear on the body segments. The 4th instar lasts 1.5-2.0 days with the body length reaching about 15-16mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, length: 13.5mm.

The 5th (and final) instar caterpillar is similar to the 4th instar caterpillar except for the appearance of a black circular base for all dorso-lateral and lateral processes, and darker shade of orangy brown for the body base colour.

A 5th instar caterpillar, newly moulted.

Moulting to the 5th instar and the inflation of the new processes at 10x, 6x and 3x speed settings.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, length: 23mm.

The 5th instar lasts for 2-3 days, and the body length reaches up to 26mm. On the last 0.5 day, the color of the entire body changes to yellowish green. The caterpillar ceases feeding and wanders around. Eventually it stops at a spot on the underside of a leaf, and spins a silk pad from which it hangs vertically to take on the pre-pupatory pose.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 25mm.


Two views of a pre-pupa of the Leopard.

Pupation takes place about 0.5 days later. The pupa suspends itself from the silk pad with no supporting silk girdle. It is entirely green to yellowish green. Dorso-laterally there are five long pairs of red and red-tipped processes, and five pairs of small red-tipped tubercles. Each of these processes has a broad silver-colored base. There are also two slender silver patches along the edge of the wing pad. Length of pupae: 15-16mm.

Three views of a pupa of the Leopard.

A pupa found in the field on the Weeping Willow.

Three views of a mature pupa of the Leopard.

After about 4 days of development, the pupal skin of the mature pupa turns translucent and the "leopard"-like markings on the forewing upperside become discernible as a result. The eclosion event takes place the next day.

The Eclosion event of a Leopard butterfly

A newly eclosed Leopard resting on its pupal case.

References:

• The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.
• Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 1st Edition, 2006

Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Mark Wong, Bobby Mun, Tan CP, Federick Ho, Khew S K and Horace Tan