Butterflies Galore! : Blue Nawab

Butterflies Galore!
The Blue Nawab (Polyura schreiber tisamenus)

The Blue Nawab is a moderately rare species in Singapore. It is, however, widely distributed and is as often seen in urban parks and gardens as well as the forested nature reserves. Its caterpillars feed on a variety of host plants that include the Rambutan, Red Saga, and even the invasive non-native tree, Australian Wattle. Usually alert and skittish, the Blue Nawab is a strong flyer and is not easy to photograph.

Featuring two pairs of thick pointed tails, the Blue Nawab is a dark velvety black above with a light blue band across both wings. The underside is silvery white, marked with brown and purple-blue patterns. This rare open winged shot of a recently eclosed individual was photographed by ButterflyCircle member Koh Cher Hern.

Butterflies Galore! : Black Tipped Archduke

Butterflies Galore! 
The Black Tipped Archduke (Lexias dirtea merguia)

This shot of a female Black Tipped Archduke was shot in the shaded forested area in the nature reserves. The genus Lexias is represented by three species in Singapore. The Black Tipped Archduke is so called, as its antennae tips are black compared to the Archduke (Lexias pardalis dirteana) which has prominently orange-tipped antennae. Males are dark velvety black with broad blue margins on both wings, whilst females are dark brown with yellow spots.

All the species of this genus are forest-dependent species that rarely, if ever, leave the sanctuary of the forests. It is not observed in urban parks and gardens. Several individuals of all three species may be found feeding greedily on rotting fruits on the forest floor. The shot shown above depicts the typical feeding behaviour of the Archdukes foraging for decomposing fruits or organic matter amongst a bed of leaf litter. Under normal conditions, the Archdukes are skittish and fast-flying, usually gliding rapidly no more than a metre above the forest floor.

Butterflies Galore! : Horsfield's Baron

Butterflies Galore! 
The Horsfield's Baron (Tanaecia iapis puseda)

The Horsfield's Baron is a species that exhibits sexual dimorphism, in that the appearance of the male and female is markedly difference. The male has dark velvety black wings above, with a broad bright blue marginal border across both wings. The underside is a pale buff brown with light brown markings. The female is brown with markings resembling a Malay Viscount or a female Malay Baron. Males are territorial and return to their favourite perch again and again. Whenever an "intruder" enters its airspace, it will dive to attack it.

ButterflyCircle member Koh Cher Hern shot this pristine male in the forested area of a reservoir park last weekend. The typical behaviour of the male Horsfield's Baron is that it flaps and glides rapidly and stops on the upper surface of a leaf with its wings opened flat. Females prefer to fly amongst shrubbery, especially amongst bushes of the Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum) which is its caterpillar host plant.

Life History of the White Palm Bob

Life History of the White Palm Bob (Suastus everyx everyx)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Suasus Moore, 1881
Species: everyx Mabille, 1883
Sub-species: everyx Mabille, 1883
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 24-28mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plant: Daemonorops augustifolia (Arecaceae; common name: Water Rattan Palm).

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:

The adults are diminutive in size. Above, the wings are brown and typically unmarked. In some female specimens, small white spots might be present in space 2 and the cell in the forewing. In the hindwing, the tornal area and tornal cilia are white. Underneath, the wings are brown and overlaid with buff scaling. In the hindwing, the lower two-thirds are white with several dark spots of varying sizes. The abdomen is brown and white banded.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:

The White Palm Bob is rare in Singapore. Sightings are rather localized to a forested area in a reservoir park. They are usually found flying in the deep shaded area near ground level. At times, they are also sighted puddling on wet ground and on bird droppings.

Butterflies Galore! : Aberrant Oakblue

Butterflies Galore!
The Aberrant Oakblue (Arhopala abseus abseus)

The distribution of this distinctive but very small Arhopala is quite intriguing. Whilst many of its other related species are mainly forest denizens, preferring the forested and shady sanctuaries in the nature reserves, the Aberrant Oakblue has also been observed at various urban parks from Fort Canning Park, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Ang Mo Kio West Town Park, just to name a few. It is more regularly observed in forested areas where it lurks in the shaded understorey. It is also a small species but is distinctively marked compared to other Arhopalas. Another key feature is its three pairs of white-tipped tails, of which the pair at vein 3 of the hindwing is the longest.

This pristine individual, shot by ButterflyCircle member Jonathan Soong, was observed at the Singapore Zoological Gardens at Mandai. The Aberrant Oakblue is considered a moderately rare species and is usually observed singly whenever it occurs.

Butterflies Galore! : Lesser Harlequin

Butterflies Galore! 
The Lesser Harlequin (Laxita thuisto thuisto)

This shade-loving denizen is mainly found in the forested nature reserves of Singapore. It is considered rare and there are times when the species is not seen for long periods of time. Like the other species in the family Riodinidae, the Lesser Harlequin is often encountered flitting from leaf to leaf and twisting and turning with half opened wings. The underside is orange-brown with blue edged black spots. Males are all-black above, whilst the females have similar patterns as the underside.

Last weekend, BC members stumbled on a colony of the Lesser Harlequins where a few individuals, both males and females, were observed at a forest trail in the nature reserves. This shot of a male Lesser Harlequin was taken by ButterflyCircle member Sunny Chir.

Butterflies Galore! : Sumatran Gem

Butterflies Galore!
The Sumatran Gem (Poritia sumatrae sumatrae)

The Sumatran Gem is a forest-dependent species and is rarely found outside the sanctuary of the deep shady habitats within the nature reserves in Singapore. It is very local in distribution, although several individuals may often be seen flying together in a small area. The underside of the butterfly is predominantly brown, with dark reddish striations. Males are more often seen than females. The male tends to open and close its wings as it flits to a new perch, but then subsequently stops and stays still with its wings folded upright unless disturbed.

The males are iridescent green on the upperside, with a thick black apical border, whilst the females are purple with dark reddish markings and borders. ButterflyCircle member Huang CJ encountered these two males side-by-side and got an opportunistic and unstaged shot, giving an interesting composition to this moderately rare species from the subfamily Poritiinae, of which there are only two representatives in Singapore.