Singapore's Long-Tailed Hairstreaks

Singapore's Long-Tailed Hairstreaks
The Magnificent Seven - Part 1

In the 2nd Edition of the Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore (2015), the taxonomic classification of the Lycaenidae family has been updated to be consistent with more recent and contemporary literature on this family of butterflies. This group comprises many small but beautiful butterflies that are often coloured a range of iridescent greens, blues and purples. Many are attractively coloured in bright hues whilst others possess tails.

The Lycaenidae in Singapore are represented by six sub-families. These are Curetinae (the Sunbeams), Poritiinae (the Gems), Miletinae (the Harvesters), Aphnaeinae (the Silverlines), Polyommatinae (the Blues) and Theclinae (the Hairstreaks). A common feature of the latter three sub-families is that their wings are "designed" to fool predators into attacking the wrong side of the butterflies. Often sporting tails and adorned with false "eyes" on their hindwings, many species of this sub-families display what is often referred to as "decoy protective strategy".

In particular, the Theclinae, collectively referred to as Hairstreaks, display this decoy characteristic in the majority of the species in the sub-family. In some cases, the decoy is carried to the extreme where the species feature extremely long tails (>10mm long) that appear to be alive as they twirl in the breeze when the butterfly is perched to rest. This blog article (in two parts) introduces our readers to 7 of these long-tailed Hairstreaks found in Singapore.

I have always been amused when our butterfly-crazy friends from Hong Kong visit Singapore, and seeing how happy they were, whenever they encounter one of our long-tailed hairstreaks. Then I realised that amongst the Lycaenidae in Hong Kong, there are no extant long-tailed species there! Perhaps that is why our Hong Kong friends get rather excited when they see these species here in Singapore. We do hope our HK friends would visit us more often to enjoy our butterflies here. 

Part 1 of this blog article showcases 3 of these spectacular long-tailed hairstreaks that can be found in Singapore.

The Branded Imperial (Eooxylides tharis distanti)

A pair of Branded Imperials perched on a young shoot of its caterpillar host plant.  Note the eggs.

A forest-dependent species, the Branded Imperial does not often venture out into urban parks and gardens. They are usually found along the fringes of our forested nature reserves where its preferred caterpillar host plant, Smilax bracteata, a non-native invasive "weed" that is now common in our forests. The signature reddish-orange underside with the unmarked forewing with the hindwing featuring black and white tornal area easily distinguishes the Branded Imperial from the other species in the sub-family.

A Branded Imperial feeding on the secretions of its host plant, Smilax bracteata

The hindwing sports three tails - one long tail at vein 2 of the hindwing and two shorter tails at veins 1a and 3. The upperside is black, with a similar-patterned hindwing tornal area like its underside. The Branded Imperial can be considered common, and is often spotted in shaded areas in our forests. In some areas where they can be found regularly, there are often several individuals seen together.

The butterfly has a "hopping" flight as they flit amongst the shrubbery. They often stop to rest with their wings folded upright. Occasionally, several individuals can be seen together as they feed on the secretions on the young shoots of their host plant. The life history of the Branded Imperial has been recorded and the full documentation can be found here.

The Common Imperial (Cheritra freja friggia)

A Common Imperial puddling at a sandy streambank

The next long-tailed species featured has a wider distribution than the Branded Imperial. The Common Imperial, although a moderately rare species, is more often encountered in urban parks and gardens than within the nature reserves. It can be skittish, and prefers to stay at higher levels at the treetops unless it comes down to feed or lay eggs.

The tails of the Common Imperial are generally longer than those of the Branded Imperial, regularly exceeding 10mm when measured from the tornal area of the hindwing. The male Common Imperial is a deep midnight blue above, whilst the female is brown. The underside is mainly white, with the apical area of the forewing shaded a pale orange. The tornal spots on the hindwing are overlaid with metallic blue-green scaling.

Similar to the Branded Imperial, this species has three tails originating from veins 1a, 2 and 3 of the hindwing, of which the longest is at vein 2. The long, thick white tails have a dark line in the middle, and the ends are often soft and "actively" twirling in the breeze when the butterfly stops to rest. The caterpillar of the Common Imperial feeds on a number of host plants, and the full life history can be found here.

The Fluffy Tit (Zeltus amasa maximinianus)

The third of the long-tailed species featured in this week's article is the moderately common Fluffy Tit. It can be found in urban parks and gardens, as well as in our forested nature reserves. It is usually encountered singly, flitting amongst the shrubbery with its long tails prominently seen trailing behind it as it flies rapidly from leaf to leaf.

A puddling Fluffy Tit

The male of this species is black above, with the basal area of the forewing and a large part of the hindwing coloured a pale azure blue. The female is a dull brown above. The underside is predominantly white, with dark orange areas at the apical areas of both the fore- and hindwings. The hindwing has a prominent black spot at space 2. The hindwing features only two pairs of tails, originating from veins 1b and 2. The longer tail at vein 2 is often twirled in a spiral and appear "softer" throughout its length when compared with the other two species featured in this article.

Male Fluffy Tits are regularly encountered puddling at damp footpaths and stream banks in the nature reserves. It is also sometimes seen feeding on bird droppings. The species is also regularly photographed, feeding on the flowers of the Bandicoot Berry (Leea indica). The life history of the Fluffy Tit has also been recorded and the details can be found here.

And so we are acquainted with 3 of these long-tailed hairstreaks that call Singapore home. In the 2nd part, we will meet 4 other long-tailed species, and one of which features the longest tails amongst all the species in the Theclinae sub-family in Singapore.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Sunny Chir, Chng CK, Antonio Giudici, Goh LC, Khew SK, Loke PF, Bobby Mun and Anthony Wong

Life History of the Common Tiger

Life History of the Common Tiger (Danaus genutia genutia)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Danaus Kluk, 1802
Species: genutia Cramer, 1779
Subspecies: genutia Cramer, 1779
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 70-80mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Cynanchum ovalifolium (Apocynaceae), Cynanchum tunicatum (Apocynaceae).

Common Tiger form genutia.

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:

On the upperside, the forewings are orange with a series of white spots in a broad, black apical border. The hindwings are either orange in form genutia or white with border tinged with orange in form intermedius. All veins on both fore- and hindwings are broadly marked with black. Marginal and submarginal series of small white spots are embedded in a black border at terminal margins of both wings. On the underside, the wings are similarly marked as per the upperside but with apical border orangey brown on the forewing

Common Tiger form intermedius.

Common Tiger form intermedius.

Common Tiger form genutia.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:

Both forms of the Common Tiger can be found in Singapore with form genutia being the more common of the two. This species is typically found in urban or sub-urban areas where its host plants are available. The adults typically visits flowers and has a fondness for sap exuded by Crotalaria spp.

Butterfly of the Month - February 2016

Butterfly of the Month - February 2016
The Plain Lacewing (Cethosia methypsea methypsea)

We are at the threshold of a new Chinese Lunar Year and today is the 2nd last day of the Year of the Ram/Goat/Sheep. Tomorrow night, many Chinese families will gather for the traditional New Year's Eve Reunion dinner (年夜飯) during which family members from near and far, gather to celebrate the New Year. At the stroke of 12 midnight on Monday 8 Feb 2016, we will welcome the Year of the Fire Monkey.




In Singapore, Chinese New Year's celebration dinners usually start with the traditional "tossing of the raw fish salad" or Yusheng. As to the ongoing debates about the origins of this traditional Chinese New Year staple, I shall leave it to the experts to conclude. However, the practice of everyone standing around a plate of Yusheng and tossing the ingredients whilst uttering auspicious phrases will continue in Singapore and Malaysia.


Class of 1984 Architecture classmates all ready to toss Yusheng and bring in the good luck for the Chinese New Year!

This year, however, we are likely going to see less of the most important ingredient - raw fish in Yusheng. Ironically, after a few cases of food poisoning caused by raw fish contaminated with Group B Streptococcus (GBS), many restaurants are likely to avoid serving fresh water raw fish in their Yusheng this year, replacing it with "safer" alternatives like abalone, scallops or even cooked fish instead.



The global economic gloom seems to have maintained its march into February and appears to be spoiling the Chinese New Year cheer. Local market conditions continue to be weak, with whispers of retrenchments and salary cuts in many companies going around the office grapevine. Reports of a likely hiring freeze amongst companies in Singapore dampened the mood at the end of last year, but more recent surveys indicated a more optimistic outlook for employees in 2016.



On the environmental front, the Land Transport Authority gazetted its much-awaited Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Phase 1 report for the Cross Island MRT line. This MRT line is currently planned to cut through a part of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, and nature groups and environmentalists are concerned about the impact of such a major engineering construction running through a nature reserve.



Whilst the EIA suggested a number of mitigation measures to alleviate the impact of the preliminary investigation works and eventual construction works in the nature reserve, spokespersons for the nature groups shared their concerns about the long-lasting repercussions to one of Singapore's precious remaining nature reserve forests. The debates are likely to continue and it is hoped that the outcome will not result in a win-lose scenario for the environment.



Speaking of the forested nature reserves, we feature the third Lacewing butterfly species found in Singapore, the Plain Lacewing (Cethosia methypsea methypsea). A forest-dependent species, the Plain Lacewing was first discovered in Singapore some time in the 1990's. A previously-unrecorded species in Singapore's butterfly fauna, this species was absent from the early authors' checklists.



After a few final sporadic sightings in early 2000, the Plain Lacewing mysteriously disappeared and there were no reliable sightings of the species for a period of fourteen years until late 2014, when they suddenly re-appeared. A female was spotted ovipositing on its host plant and its life history finally recorded. The caterpillar host plant, a Passifloraceae vine found relatively commonly in the forested areas, is not uncommon. However, it is curious as to why the species abruptly disappeared for so long and then re-appeared just as suddenly.



The Plain Lacewing continued to be observed in 2015 and 2016, and it is hoped that the species will continue to be extant in Singapore. The host plant and the forest habitats that this species prefers are of critical concern if something were to happen to the Central Catchment Nature Reserves and the native flora is adversely affected in our primary and secondary forests.



The Plain Lacewing looks superficially similar to the other two Cethosia species found in Singapore - the Malay Lacewing (Cethosia hypsea hypsina) and the Leopard Lacewing (Cethosia cyane). On the underside of the male, the Plain Lacewing is likely to be confused with the Leopard Lacewing, with the exception of a much thinner white submarginal line on the hindwing compared to the Leopard Lacewing's thicker band.



The male and female of the Plain Lacewing are generally similar in appearance, whilst the other two species have distinctive characteristics that can separate the male and female easily. On the upperside, the forewing of the Plain Lacewing is black with a white subapical band (broader in the female than in the male) beyond the cell; the basal area is rich orange-red for the male and reddish brown for the female.



On the underside, the wings are orange-red with reddish areas confined to the basal half with white fasciae adorned with black spots. The forewing cell has several black-edged, pale blue transverse stripes. The wing borders are dark brown and deeply indented with lace-like pattern of white markings. The hindwing has a narrow white submarginal band which distinguishes it from the other two related species (absent in the Malay Lacewing, and much thicker in the Leopard Lacewing).



The males have a slightly deeper orange-red colour when in flight, compared to the Malay and Leopard Lacewings. It appears to be a faster flyer than the other two, and at times, seem to fly for long periods of time without resting. In the morning hours, the Plain Lacewing can be observed to feed on flowering plants, whilst later in the day, it can be encountered resting on the top surfaces of leaves in the shady forest understorey.



And so, with this colourful Lacewing, we look forward to the rest of 2016 and the Year of the Fire Monkey with optimism. As we celebrate Chinese New Year over the next couple of weeks, all of us at ButterflyCircle would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Chinese friends and readers a....

"Gong Xi Fa Cai and a

Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year!"

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Sunny Chir, Chng CK, Federick Ho, Khew SK, Koh CH, Loke PF, Nelson Ong and Horace Tan

Red for Prosperity

Red for Prosperity!
Red Butterflies in Singapore


A Common Red Flash (Rapala iarbus iarbus) perches on a lallang blade

In about a week's time, Chinese communities from all over the world will celebrate the Spring Festival or Chunjie 春节 or Chinese Lunar New Year. During this period of festivities, red is a favourite colour in most Chinese households and businesses. From new red clothes to red banners to red packets, it is a traditional Chinese belief that red is auspicious. Everyone is encouraged to put a little bit of red in their lives to ensure that they reap some of the prosperity that comes with the New Year.

Monkey with Peach © freepik.com

This year, 2016, we will welcome the Red Fire Monkey on 8 Feb. The Monkey is the ninth sign in Chinese astrology, after the goat, and followed by the rooster. The number “9” is associated with ambition, activity, smartness, mischief and adventure. The sheep/ram/goat of 2015 will be making its exit by midnight on 7 Feb, as we herald the new Year of the Monkey.


A Malayan Plum Judy (Abisara saturata kausambioides) feeding on moisture on a leaf surface

The colour red has a variety of associations in different cultures across religions, nationalities and races. In prehistoric cave paintings, red pigments were extracted from iron oxide or red ochre to depict the then "civilised" world's view of their daily life. Prehistoric man's "blog" of sorts, where he documented on the walls of his cave, anything from a successful hunt to his adventures across unknown lands.


A red door in Chinese architecture.  Imperial Palace Complex, Beijing, China

In ancient China, red played an important role in the culture of Imperial China. In Chinese philosophy, red represented fire, one of the five elements. During the Zhou, Han, Jin, Song and Ming Dynasties, red was considered a noble colour, and it was featured in all court ceremonies, from coronations to sacrificial offerings, and weddings. Red was featured prominently in architecture, and used liberally on walls of buildings, columns and beams and entrance portals. The gates of imperial palaces were usually painted red.


The red cross of a soldier of the Crusades

The Roman Empire celebrated red as a colour of courage and blood. Roman soldiers wore red tunics, whilst generals often sported large red cloaks. The Emperor Charlemagne painted his palace red and wore red shoes as symbol of his authority. In Christianity it represented the blood of Christ and the Christian martyrs; in 1295 it became the colour worn by Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church.


Red door detail.  Imperial Palace Complex, Beijing, China

Red is the colour of extremes. It is often used to symbolise courage, passion, seduction, violence, danger, anger, auspiciousness, celebration, good luck, joy and adventure. However, red is often associated with having a dark side, particularly in Christian theology. It was associated with sexual passion, anger, sin, and the devil (which is often portrayed graphically as a horned being with a tail and totally red in colour). And whenever someone mentioned a "red light district" in a city, it is a part of the city that few people would want to openly associate with.



Red is a colour that is most often used on national flags! Did you know that over 77% of the world's national flags contain the colour red? Of the 192 flags of the independent countries of the world, 148 feature the colour red on their flags, including Singapore's which features the colours red and white.



What about our butterflies then? In Singapore, we have a number of species of butterflies that are predominantly red in colour. Their "redness" ranges from a bright red to a deep maroon red. Let us take a look at some of these red butterflies that can be found here in Singapore.


Burgundy red Commander (Moduza procris milonia)

The largest predominantly red butterfly is the Commander (Moduza procris milonia). This Nympalidae butterfly features a deep maroon red on the upperside of its wings with a white macular band across both wings. The species is relatively common and is widespread in distribution from the nature reserves to urban parks and gardens. The Lacewings, of which there are three species in Singapore, also have reds on their wings, but they do appear to be more deep-orange rather than predominantly red and are hence excluded from this list of red butterflies.


A Spotted Judy (Abisara geza niya) perches on a fern

The next group that features a number of red butterflies are from the subfamily Riodinidae. Also known as "Metalmarks", this group of butterflies feature deep red butterflies. Some species are adorned with blue or silvery spots and marks. Most are shy forest butterflies that prefer the shaded understorey of the forested areas in Singapore.




Top : Malayan Plum Judy (Abisara saturata kausambioides) Middle : Harlequin (Taxila haquinus haquinus) Bottom : Lesser Harlequin (Laxita thuisto thuisto)

Amongst the deep red Riodinidae that are found in Singapore are the Malayan Plum Judy (Abisara saturata kausambioides) and the Spotted Judy (Abisara geza niya). Two other members of the family also appear red, but marked with silver or bluish spots. These are the Harlequin (Taxila haquinus haquinus) and the Lesser Harlequin (Laxita thuisto thuisto). Both are rare butterflies, in particular the Harlequin where it is known from only a single location on Singapore island.



Top : Cornelian (Deudorix epijarbas cinnabarus) Bottom : A rather worn-out Eliot's Cornelian (Deudorix elioti)

The remaining red-coloured butterflies found in Singapore are small and zippy butterflies from the subfamily Theclinae. Two species from the genus Deudorix are the Cornelian (Deudorix epijarbas cinnabarus) and the Eliot's Cornelian (Deudorix elioti) both of which feature red uppersides with thick black borders. Interestingly, Cornelian (sometimes spelt Carnelian) is a brownish-red mineral which is commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone.



The final group of red butterflies belong to the genus Rapala often referred to as the "Flashes" for their strong rapid flight. The most often spotted and prominently red species is the Common Red Flash (Rapala iarbus iarbus). This species tends to open its wings to sunbathe, showing off its red uppersides more often than its closely-related cousins.


Upperside of a newly eclosed Scarlet Flash (Rapala dieneces dieneces)

Of the other Flash species, the males of the Scarlet Flash (Rapala dieneces dieneces), the Suffused Flash (Rapala suffusa barthema) and the Copper Flash (Rapala pheretima sequeira) also sport reddish uppersides. Although not very rare, these species are not often observed to show off their uppersides of the wings very frequently, and hence field shots of these butterflies depicting their uppersides are fairly rare.


© freepik.com

And so we now know a little more about our red butterflies in Singapore, and whether you choose to display a bit more red in your life this coming Chinese New Year for prosperity and good luck, here's wishing a Happy Chinese New Year and a Gong Xi Fa Cai to all our readers near and far! And we hope that the year of the Fire Monkey will bring good luck, health and prosperity to you in 2016!

Text by Khew SK : Photos by James Chia, Sunny Chir, Khew SK, Horace Tan and Bene Tay.