Life History of the Peacock Pansy

LIfe History of the Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana javana)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Junonia Hübner, 1819
Species: almana Linnaeus, 1758
Subspecies: javana C. Felder, 1862
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 40-55mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plant: Ruellia repens (Acanthaceae)


A Peacock Pansy displaying its upperside.


A Peacock Pansy on a leaf perch

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:

Above, the wings are rich yellowish brown with darker brown edges at both termen and costal margins. On each of the forewings, there are four distinct costal bars, the outermost three of which are filled with darker shadings. There is a prominent ``peacock'' eye-spot in space 2 near the tornal area, and a lesser one in space 5. On each hindwing, a much larger and more prominent eye-spot is featured in spaces 5-6 near the apex. The termens of both fore- and hindwings are marked by two series of marginal striae. Underneath, the wings are duller and the costal bars are filled with paler shadings instead. Compared to those on the upperside, the ocelli are smaller and on the hindwing, there is an additional ocellus in space 2, and the spot in spaces 5-6 appears to be a conjoined pair. Each of the fore- and hindwings has a dark stripe traversing from the costa to the dorsum. The stripes appear to be continuous across the two wings. The stripe on the hindwing is outlined by a broad pale band on the inner edge.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:

This species is rather common across multiple habitats in Singapore, with ubiquitous presence in open areas in the nature reserves as well as urban and suburban areas. It flies in the usual gliding manner of the Junonia spp. and typically several individuals can be seen together in one location. Under sunny condition, they have a habit of opening their wings wide to sunbathe while resting on a perch.

A Peacock Pansy visiting Ixora flowers.


A Peacock Pansy giving us a view of its underside.

Early Stages:

Caterpillars of the Peacock Pansy feed on leaves of the the recorded local host plant, Ruellia repens (Acanthaceae) which occurs as widespread weeds in Singapore. It is likely that Peacock Pansy utilizes more members of the same plant family as larval food plants.

Local host plant: Ruellia repens.

A mating pair of the Peacock Pansy.

A mother Peacock Pansy laying an egg on a grass blade.

The eggs of the Peacock Pansy are laid singly on leaves or shoots of the host plant and rather frequently, on plants of other species in the vicinity of the host plant. The greenish egg is somewhat globular in shape but with a blunt top. Eleven to thirteen raised whitish ridges run from the top to the base of the egg. Each egg has a diameter of about 0.75mm.

An egg of the Peacock Pansy laid on a grass inflorescence.

Two views of an egg of the Peacock Pansy. Diameter: 0.75mm.


Two views of a mature egg of the Peacock Pansy.

The egg takes about 2.5-3 days to hatch. The young caterpillar emerges by eating away part of the egg shell, and then proceeds to eat the rest of the egg shell from the outside. The newly hatched measures at about 1.5-1.6mm. The cylindrical and pale yellowish green body is covered with many small tubercles. Long dark setae emanate from these tubercles. The head capsule dark brown to black.

Two views of a newly hatched caterpillar, length: 1.5mm.

If the egg was not laid on the host plant, the newly hatched will have to make its way to the host plant in the vicinity. The 1st instar caterpillar has a preference for the lamina of young leaves or emerging shoots of the host plant. After reaching about 3.2mm in 2 days, the caterpillar moults to the 2nd instar.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, length: 2.5mm.

The body of the 2nd instar caterpillar is dark brown to black. Moderately long and branched brownish processes run along the length of the body. Fine setae emanate from these processes and from other small tubercles on the body surface. The head capsule is still black to dark brown in colour. This instar lasts about 2 days with the body length reaching about 6mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, length: 3.7mm

The 3rd instar caterpillar has proportionately longer dorso-lateral and lateral processes. The base of most dorsal and dorso-lateral processes are colored in yellowish to orangy brown. The body is mostly dark brown to black with a fair number of numerous thin rings, pale whitish and inconspicuous, appear on the body segments. This instar takes about 2 days to complete with body length reaching about 11mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, length: 8.5mm.

The 4th instar caterpillar closely resembles the 3rd instar caterpillar. More conspicuous at this instar is an orangy collar which appears immediately after the head capsule, and white collars between the thoracic segments. The 4th instar lasts about 2 days with the body length reaching about 16.5mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, length: 16.5mm.

The 5th (and penultimate) instar caterpillar is similar to the 4th instar caterpillar. This instar lasts for 2-3 days, and the body length reaches up to 25mm.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, length: 25mm.


Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, about to moult, length: 24.5mm.

The 6th (and final) instar caterpillar has a few visible changes to its body features. Now it has a dense carpet of whitish fine setae on the body surface and more prominent white collars on the thoracic segments than in earlier instars. In the head capsule, the periphery and some of the conical tubercles are now colored in orangy brown.

Two views of a 6th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 25mm.


Two views of a 6th instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 43mm.

The 6th instar lasts for 3-5 days, and the body length reaches up to 43mm. On the last day, the caterpillar ceases feeding and wanders around. Eventually it stops at a spot on the underside of a leaf, young shoot/stem and spins a silk pad from which it hangs vertically to take on the pre-pupatory pose.

A pre-pupa of the Peacock Pansy.

The pupation event of a Peacock Pansy caterpillar.

Pupation takes place about 0.5 days later. The pupa suspends itself from the silk pad with no supporting silk girdle. It is brown with a number of large white bands or patches. There is a series of dorso-lateral pairs of short and pointed processes, one pair to each segment. The dorsum is sharply raised at the mesothorax. Length of pupae: 18-21mm.

Three views of a pupa of the Peacock Pansy.

Three views of a mature pupa of the Peacock Pansy.

After about 5.5-6 days of development, the pupal skin of the mature pupa turns translucent and the pupa turns dark brown as a result. Patches of orangy brown can also be noticed in the wing pad. The adult butterfly emerges from the pupa within the next 6-12 hours.

A newly eclosed Peacock Pansy resting on its pupal case.

References:

• [C&P4] 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
• A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew S.K., Ink On Paper Communications, 2010.
  

Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Tan Chung Pheng, Sum Chee Meng, Anthony Wong, Federick Ho, Tan Ben Jin and Horace Tan

Butterfly Portraits - Branded Imperial

Butterfly Portraits
Branded Imperial (Eooxylides tharis distanti)


Nikon D90 fill-flashed with SB600 ; Tamron 180mm f3.5 ; ISO 800 ; f4.5 ; 1/125s in Aperture Priority Mode ; Handheld

It was a Saturday afternoon and the weather was perfect for a butterfly outing. I headed for Upper Seletar Reservoir Park. I got to the place at around 2:00pm and as usual, I was welcomed by its serene and quiet environment. Hoping that I could spot a Saturn, the Plane or a Dark Blue Jungle Glory, I decided to check one of the well-shaded trails which are the known habitats of these species.

After walking around for awhile, I spotted a pristine Branded Imperial (Eooxylides tharis), resting on a leaf near me. This species prefers shaded forests and is quite often encountered along the trails at this reservoir park. I am very fond of these butterflies because of their fascinating reddish-orange coloured wings and their two white tails that twirl elegantly in the breeze.

When the butterfly positioned itself on a stem, I did not waste any time and quickly took several shots of it. This is my favourite shot amongst the many shots that I took of this Branded Imperial.

I started butterfly photography using the manual mode on my Nikon D90. Shooting in this mode gives me more flexibility in adjusting the needed settings and allows me to easily correct exposure levels during the post processing stage. But this doesn't work all the time, especially if your subject is a butterfly. Butterflies are skittish and move from perch to perch frequently. When they land in a different lighting environment, frequent re-adjustments of the camera settings are required - something that has to be done quickly.

Thanks to my friend Bobby Mun, a ButterflyCircle member, who shared with me his technique of shooting in Aperture Priority Mode and using the flash as a fill light. This eliminates the darker backgrounds that I tended to get from my earlier outings. Using the camera's technical capability to assist me, I can now concentrate more on composition and getting the shot right without frequent re-adjustments on my camera settings.

I enjoy butterfly photography because it gives me a chance to appreciate nature and enjoy its beauty. The sense of communion with the environment has always been rewarding to me. It doesn’t matter if I go home with only a few good shots. For me, every butterfly outing I do is worth the effort and an opportunity to enjoy the peace and quiet in this busy city.

ButterflyCircle Photographer : Glenn Q. Bagnas, an IT Professional in his early 30's, working as a Web Programmer

An Eagle's Tale

An Eagle's Tale -
Saving an Injured White Bellied Sea Eagle

A healthy White Bellied Sea Eagle soaring in the skies. This was shot at a Reservoir Park.

Hang on... what's a picture of a White Bellied Sea Eagle doing in ButterflyCircle's Blog? Have our butterflies gone to the birds? No, although this blog article is an unprecedented departure from our usual features about our beloved Flying Jewels, it is a story worth sharing with all our nature-loving readers out there. Here is an Eagle's Tale...

I was taking a good rest at home on this Easter Sunday, after a tiring marathon out in the field shooting butterflies the previous two days, when I received a text message from ButterflyCircle member Chng CK. Whilst out shooting with Loke PF, they had come across an injured eagle that some fishermen had pointed them to.

Another shot of the poor eagle. Note the torn off tail feathers

As we were all inexperienced at handling birds, and particularly one as big as this bird of prey, I advised Chng and Loke to leave it where it was, just in case the bird panicked and injured itself further, or even injured them! After a few quick SMSs to friends and nature enthusiasts, I received a reply from Biswajit Guha, the Director of Zoology at the Singapore Zoo.

Bis had conveyed our SOS to the General Curator of the Jurong Bird Park, Mr Raja Segran. After a few SMS exchanges, Raja headed out to the location where Chng and Loke were waiting with the injured bird. He identified the eagle as a mature White Bellied Sea Eagle that appeared badly injured.

The injured eagle. Note the near-opaque right eye, indicating that the eye may be infected and blind

In the meantime, Loke kept watch over the bird to ensure that it did not fall prey to any predators that may be lurking around the forest. The traumatised bird was in a bad state, with its tail feathers completely torn off. Its right eye appeared opaque and it was obviously blind on that side.

A closeup 'macro' shot of the head and beak of the Eagle

Keeping a safe distance, our ButterflyCircle members took photos of the bird for record, as this was the first them either of them was this close to this magnificent bird of prey to be able to shoot it at macro range!

We had just been shooting the White Bellied Sea Eagle the week before, when a couple of them swooped low enough for decent shots with our Tamron 180mm macro lenses!

The bird succumbed to its hunger and quickly wolfed down the fish that was offered to it

The bird appeared weak and even though it flapped its wings occasionally, it was unable to fly. One of the fishermen gave our members a catfish, and this was thrown to the injured bird. After a few tries, the eagle ate the fish hungrily, finishing the meal in its usual predator style.

Chng with our experienced friends from the Jurong Bird Park carefully picking up the injured eagle

After about an hour, Raja and an assistant arrived at the location and with expert handling, captured the injured eagle and wrapped it in a towel so that it would not further injure itself or the handlers. The bird was too weak to put up much of a fight.

The injured eagle is wrapped snugly in a towel by the experienced experts from the Bird Park

From the condition of the eagle, Raja opined that it was probably kept by some poachers in a cage for some time and dumped in the forest to die, when the owner saw that it was in a condition that it was unlikely to survive for long.

Putting the eagle safely into a kitty box, Raja and his assistant brought it back to the Jurong Bird Park where the injured eagle could be examined and its injuries treated. Hopefully the eagle can recover and soar with the wind beneath its wings once again.

The eagle, safe and sound in a kitty box, and off to the "hospital" for treatment!

An update a week later when Loke contacted Raja at the Bird Park. Raja said that the eagle is still alive and recovering from its injuries, but is blind on one side as the eye was permanently damaged. The Bird Park will continue to do its best to treat the eagle, but given its severe injuries when it was found, it may take a long time for the bird to heal.

Kudos to Loke and Chng for doing a good deed to try to save the injured White Bellied Sea Eagle, and a feather in the cap for ButterflyCircle's members, whose nature conservation efforts extend beyond just butterflies.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Chng CK & Loke PF

• Thanks to my friends who responded to my SMSs and offered their advice - Ria Tan, R Subaraj, Serene Chng, Ng Bee Choo, Johnny Wee & Robert Teo.


• Special thanks to Biswajit Guha of Singapore Zoo and Raja Segran from the Jurong Bird Park for the rescue exercise.

Butterfly Portraits - Fluffy Tit

Butterfly Portraits
Fluffy Tit (Zeltus amasa maximinianus)


Canon EOS 7D fill-flashed with Speedlite 480EX : Tamron 180mm f/3.5 : ISO 1000 ; f/6.3 ; 1/200s in AV Mode, Handheld

"Since taking up butterfly photography more than a year ago, a typical weekend morning would begin with a brief exchange of SMSs with fellow butterfly enthusiasts, deciding on the location for butterfly hunting. After a week of hard work in the office, a butterfly outing is always anticipated with great enthusiasm. It is also an opportunity to exercise my body and refresh my mind.

On Good Friday, it was no exception. An SMS soon arrived after my breakfast. It was Chng. After a short round of SMSs, we made a quick check on the NEA’s weather portal, and it was a go! We met up with fellow enthusiasts and headed for an urban park. At the park after hours in the field, the heat soon took its toll on us. Anthony and I decided to take a break.

While resting and shooting the breeze in a shelter, I spotted an orange object drifting into my view. It was flying down from the tree top and it landed on the bush a short distance away. Anthony jokingly commented that it was probably a fallen brown leaf. Unconvinced, I grabbed my camera and sauntered towards the bush. Just then, an orange butterfly fluttered out from the bush. Peering at it closely, I noticed the butterfly had a black spot in space 2 on the underside of its hind wing and it had a long tail. This must be a Fluffy Tit.

While the Fluffy Tit is quite commonly encountered in the field, a pristine one is relatively rare. I alerted the guys and soon, everyone crowded round the bush. There was an intense round of shutter clicking, with everyone fixing their eyes on the beautiful Fluffy Tit.

The Fluffy Tit has a habit of hopping from leaf-to-leaf, foraging for food and it rarely stays still. This makes shooting one a challenge. On that afternoon, it was breezy and the sky was ominous with rain clouds over the horizon. I dialled up the ISO, opened up the aperture a bit more to allow more light to pass through and had a higher shutter speed to counter the breeze. I waited patiently, observing the beauty jumping from vegetation to vegetation. Soon the moment came. It hopped onto a leaf in front of me. The background was unobstructed and green. Seizing the moment, I immediately but slowly lowered my body. In a half kneeling position, I aimed and got parallel to the butterfly.

While looking through the viewfinder, I saw two pairs of long tails dancing in the wind. Ensuring the entire butterfly was in my viewfinder, I snapped a few shots. Soon the Fluffy Tit took off again. I stood up and checked on the preview screen expectantly. Scrolling the captured image from top to bottom and left to right, the butterfly appeared sharp and in focus from wing tip to its eye. Bingo! That afternoon, none of us went home empty-handed – a good outing, a good workout and with some beautiful images of the flying jewels captured in our memory cards."

ButterflyCircle Photographer : Loke PF in his early 40's, working as a Project Manager in the IT industry.

Butterfly of the Month - April 2011

Butterfly of the Month - April 2011

The Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora zalmora)

A Quaker feeding on a flowering forest shrub

The month of April saw the intermonsoon winds bringing rather thundery showers in the afternoons of quite a number of days for the early part of the month. From the number of times the MCB (that's Mini Circuit Breaker) tripped in my home this month, I'd say that the lightning/thunder that came with the rains appear to be more frequent this month than in the rainy months towards the end of 2010.

Over here in Singapore, Election fever is in the air, with Nomination Day announced to fall on 27 April and Polling Day scheduled for Saturday, 7 May 2011. From the buzz in local forums, social networking sites, blogs and with the cacophony of comments, opinions and debates, our local cyberspace has never been noisier in recent years. Promising to be a "watershed" elections, GE 2011 will be an election to watch. It's even more exciting for me personally, as this will probably be the first time in my life (!) that I will be voting in a Singapore GE, as the constituency where I live in, has always been returned unopposed for as long as I can remember.

The month of April has been traditionally associated with the "woman's best friend", the most sought-after jewel by mankind, the diamond. Well-known for its amazing hardness, the diamond is often viewed as indestructible, and symbolises permanence and eternity.

She who from April dates her years,

diamonds shall wear,

lest bitter tears

For vain repentance flow.

- Gregorian Birthstone Poems

This month we feature a little butterfly that I've always considered as a "diamond in the rough" - the Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora zalmora). This moderately rare butterfly is small, with a wingspan of only about 20-22mm. In many of my encounters with this species, it is always fluttering restlessly in the shaded understorey of forested areas in Singapore's nature reserves. Its white undersides 'shine' brilliantly in contrast to the shaded habitats that it prefers, as it flies with an erratic and restless flight amongst the low shrubbery.

Usually, individuals are observed and the species is by no means easy to locate as it does not appear to favour any particular localised areas, but is instead quite widespread in the forested areas of the nature reserves. I have never seen it in urban parks and gardens. It appears to prefer to stay within the sanctuary of the nature reserves.

A Quaker feeds on nectar from the flower of the Bandicoot Cherry

Occasionally, it is found feeding at flowers - most often on the flowers of the Bandicoot Cherry (Leea indica) where it often shares the nectaring spoils with several Skipper species. Even when feeding, it has a habit of sliding its hindwings over each other and keeping them in motion. Its small size makes it a challenge to photograph, especially when it is often encountered in habitats with low light.

The upperside of the Quaker is predominantly blackish-brown, usually with a sullied white patch on the forewing, that may be absent in males. The underside is pure white with light greyish submarginal markings. There is a distinctive large black circular spot reminescent of a 'black diamond' on the costa of the white hindwing.

A Quaker puddling on damp sand at a stream bank in the nature reserves

The species has been observed to occasionally puddle at damp spots on the ground where it can feed quietly and almost motionlessly for a period of time. In the late afternoon hours, perhaps after a fill of nectar or other liquid diet, the Quaker can also be found perched on the tips of leaves and twigs where it stays quite still if undisturbed.

Researching into its curious common English name, the Quaker, I found that Quakers are generally associated with the Religious Society of Friends. The Quakers are a group of Christians who use no scripture and believe in great simplicity in daily life and in worship. Their services consist mainly of silent meditation. Quakers have traditionally been committed to pacifism and are against any form of violence or war. Rather interesting, as my own memories of the word Quaker are usually associated with the popular brand of oats!

And so we have this little peace-loving butterfly, fluttering like a little bright diamond in our well-shaded forest habitats almost like trying to call our attention to it as it flies restlessly in search of food.

Text by Khew SK ; Photos by James Chia, Sunny Chir, James Foong, Khew SK, Simon Sng, Horace Tan, Anthony Wong, Mark Wong & Wong Chee Ming

Further Reading : Life History of the Quaker by Horace Tan