Butterflies Galore! : King Crow

Butterflies Galore!
The King Crow (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui)

This "Crow" is the largest representative of its genus Euploea, which comprise butterflies that are predominantly black or blue with white streaks and spots. As the caterpillars of the species of this genus feed on mainly lactiferous plants which are known to be toxic, all the Euploea species are believed to be distasteful to predators. Hence collectively, the black/blue with white streaks/spots appearance of the "Crows" are considered to be a form of aposematic colouration display to warn predators of their distastefulness.

This King Crow was photographed at Pasir Ris Park Butterfly Garden. It is a "resident" species at the Pasir Ris Park Mangrove area, where its preferred caterpillar host plant, Cerbera odollam (Pong Pong Tree) grows in abundance. The butterflies are often spotted making forays to feed at the flowering plants at the nearby Butterfly Garden or when the Syzygium trees along the footpaths of the park bloom.

Butterflies Galore! : Narrow Spark

Butterflies Galore!
The Narrow Spark (Sinthusa nasaka amba)

This small butterfly was a new discovery for Singapore when it was first discovered in 1995 during a survey. It is rather local in distribution in Singapore, preferring to remain in the shady understorey of the forested nature reserves. It can be considered a forest-dependent species, as it is rarely, if ever, seen in urban parks and gardens. At a glance it resembles the Common Tit or Dark Tit. However, having only two white-tipped filamentous tails will distinguish it from the four-tailed Common or Dark Tit.

Photographing this species is always challenging, as it prefers to lurk in areas where there is low light. Coupled with its small size and often having to deal with the light breezes under the forest canopy pushes the photographer and his equipment to the limit. This well-taken shot, by ButterflyCircle member Jonathan Soong, certainly does justice to this pretty little butterfly and demonstrates the skill and determination of the photographer too!

Butterflies Galore! : Common Bluebottle

Butterflies Galore!
The Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon luctatius)

A puddling Common Bluebottle photographed in the nature reserves. This fast-flying "Swallowtail" species would otherwise be very challenging to photograph if not for its habit of needing to puddle for essential minerals for its physiological functions. An earlier article on this blog explains some of the reasons why a butterfly needs to puddle. Another article deals with the types of food sources that an adult butterfly seeks out.

In a recent article, Dr Wee Yeow Chin of the Bird Ecology Study Group shares his observations about the feeding behaviour of butterflies on his blog. The article includes two video clips of feeding butterflies. So the next time you come across a butterfly with its proboscis extended and probing a flower, a rotting fruit or just on some damp sand, you will be more aware of why the butterfly feeds, and what its diet consists of.

Butterfly of the Month - August 2013

Butterfly of the Month - August 2013
The Mangrove Tree Nymph (Idea leuconoe chersonesia)


A magnificent individual of the Mangrove Tree Nymph spotted on Pulau Ubin last month

The aftermath of the haze that affected Singapore and southern Johor in the month of June appears to have created some delayed effect on the butterfly population. Although the haze has abated, perhaps due to the combination of the rains and also the Indonesian government's timely action to curtail the open burning of forests in Sumatra, the particles in the air during the height of the haze may have been fatal to the caterpillars of various stages.

Interestingly, if we tracked the average time lag between the early caterpillar instars, pupation and eclosion of the majority of butterfly species, it appears to correlate with the time that these butterflies would have eclosed in early August. All over Singapore, there is an apparent reduction in the numbers of butterflies in many areas where they are usually found. Is this a coincidence? Or really a result of the environmental damage caused to butterflies by the recent haze? Perhaps this is a study that academic researchers may want to pursue to ascertain the extent of the damage caused by the haze.

August saw the celebration of Singapore's 48th birthday on 9th, as the Muslim community also celebrated Hari Raya Puasa a day earlier. The long 4-day weekend is a much welcomed break for many, although ButterflyCircle members' outings in Singapore seemed to re-affirm the low butterfly activity across the island. It is hoped that our winged jewels will spring back again in numbers, as they have been doing so in past years.

We feature the very rare Mangrove Tree Nymph (Idea leuconoe chersonesia) as our Butterfly of the Month for August. This species was first re-discovered on the military training island of Pulau Tekong in the early 2000's during an NParks survey of the island. Subsequent trips indicate that there was a small but highly threatened population of this large Idea species in the mangrove areas on the north of the island. Since then, there were some unconfirmed sightings of the species in the neighbouring island of Pulau Ubin.

The Mangrove Tree Nymph feeding on the flowers of the Peacock Flower bush

Late last month, during a ButterflyCircle outing to Pulau Ubin, members spotted a large black-and-white butterfly flying slowly and feeding on the Peacock Flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima). It was confirmed to be the Mangrove Tree Nymph! The large individual, which appeared to be a female, was flying up and down, teasing our members who were trying hard to get a good shot of it. After feeding at a few flowers, it decided to take refuge in the shaded forested area nearby, and rested a few times. We continued following it until it decided to move off elsewhere and flew high above the treetops and out of sight.

The Mangrove Tree Nymph soaring high in the air

It was indeed exciting to see the Mangrove Tree Nymph after so many years, and we hope that it is successfully breeding in the mangrove areas of Pulau Ubin. The caterpillar host plant is probably one of the lactiferous plants of the Apocynaceae family. It would be great if the life history could be recorded before this species disappears from its preferred mangrove habitats that is progressively disappearing from Singapore and Malaysia.

The Mangrove Tree Nymph is a large butterfly, with a wingspan usually exceeding 130mm and often reaching 150mm or more. It displays the aposematic black and white colours like the other species of its genus. It features large black spots on both wings where the marginal and submarginal black spots are conjoined to form an irregular black band. The post-discal triangular spots on the hindwings are large and always touching the black veins, forming a jagged black band. The wing bases are yellow tinted.

The Mangrove Tree Nymph is a very rare species that occurs in coastal mangrove habitats. It is known to occur in Pulau Tioman in Malaysia and believed to also occur in the mangrove areas of Johor. A recent survey on one of the small offshore islands near the Indonesian resort island of Batam also yielded a sighting of the Mangrove Tree Nymph in the mangrove area of the island.

The Taiwan Tree Nymph (Idea leuconoe clara) shot at Sentosa Butterfly Park

The species is not to be confused with the abundant and easily bred subspecies clara that originates from Taiwan. Another possible subspecies would be siamensis that occurs in Thailand.  This subspecies (either clara or siamensis) occurs in many butterfly parks and farms across the globe and is bred for its showy appearance - popular with visitors to these butterfly enclosures.

Thus far, it has been seen regularly in butterfly parks in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and as far north as the Phuket Butterfly Farm in Thailand. In Singapore, it is a regular "resident" species found at the Fragile Forest enclosure at the Singapore Zoo, the Sentosa Butterfly Park, Changi Airport Terminal 3 Butterfly Garden and the Hort Park Butterfly Garden.

A mating pair of the Tree Nymph shot at Phuket Butterfly Park.  Possibly subspecies siamensis?

The subspecies clara as it is known at the moment, has a whiter appearance, with the black markings on the wings reduced as compared to subspecies chersonesia. Another related subspecies, siamensis which has a similar appearance to subspecies clara also occurs in Thailand. A characteristic feature is that the post-discal spots on the hindwings, particularly in spaces 4, 5 and 6 are much reduced and not conjoined.  

Given the relative abundance of this non-native species, there is a high possibility of escapees from the various butterfly parks. Indeed, two individuals were spotted in the Sime Forest of the Central Catchment area (and captured) in 2004 and 2005. It is interesting that no escapee has been able to colonise any area in Singapore as yet. Perhaps its preferred caterpillar host plant is not available in abundance, and unable to support any succeeding generations of these escapees.

In any case, we hope that the opportune sighting of the real McCoy, the Mangrove Tree Nymph ssp chersonesia at Pulau Ubin is a good sign that the species still exists in Singapore. Though its hold on to survival is tenuous and is considered a critically endangered species, we hope that it will continue to survive in the remaining mangrove habitats of Singapore for many years to come.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Chng CK, Goh EC, Khew SK, Loke PF, Nona Ooi, Simon Sng, Anthony Wong & Mark Wong.

Special footnote : In the Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula, it was suggested that the various subspecies of Idea leuconoe could in reality be two distinct species, due to differences in their caterpillars. In which case, the Mangrove Tree Nymph would be assigned the name Idea engania (Doherty, 1891). Until there is a definitive research and a published paper on this, the Mangrove Tree Nymph remains subspecies chersonesia of Idea leuconoe for the time being.

Flight of Fancy @ GB

Flight of Fancy Photography Exhibition
ButterflyCircle @ Gardens by the Bay

A photography exhibition showcasing the biodiversity at Gardens by the Bay was launched on 1 Aug 2013. This exhibition features the work of many individuals who have captured the beauty of birds, butterflies and dragonflies at Gardens by the Bay. Despite being an urban park with man-made structures, Gardens by the Bay is still rich in biodiversity, and this exhibition captures the variety of beautiful flying creatures that have made the Gardens home.

ButterflyCircle members Sunny Chir, Chng CK, Huang CJ, Khew SK, Loke PF, Nelson Ong, Ellen Tan, Anthony Wong & Mark Wong contributed their photographs to make up part of the exhibition of 50 panels. A commemorative $2 stamp was also issued to feature the biodiversity of Gardens by the Bay.

ButterflyCircle member Chng CK stands proudly beside his masterpiece!

The Flight of Fancy Exhibition is held at the Lion Grove of Gardens by the Bay along the sheltered corridor where some of the more popular F&B outlets are located. Do visit the exhibition to see the awesome biodiversity of GB and also ButterflyCircle members' works!  All images were shot on-site at Gardens by the Bay.  

© Poster by Gardens by the Bay

ButterflyCircle would also like to take this opportunity to wish all Singaporeans a Happy 48th Birthday! Majulah Singapura!!!

Butterflies Galore! : Leopard

Butterflies Galore! 
The Leopard (Phalanta phalantha phalantha)

This active and always on the move bright orange butterfly is common and is found mainly in urban parks and gardens where its caterpillar host plants - Salix babylonica (Weeping Willow) and Flacourtia inermis (Rukam assam) grows. The butterfly is fast flying and often feeds and moves quickly with half-opened wings. It is believed to be a relative of the temperate-climate Fritillary butterflies.

This Leopard was photographed by ButterflyCircle member Sunny Chir. It is shown here displaying the underside of its wings, which appears with a purplish wash when seen in sidelight. It is feeding on the ruby-red flower of the Leea rubra.

Butterflies Galore! : White Palm Bob

Butterflies Galore! 
The White Palm Bob (Suastus everyx everyx)

This small and insignificant-looking skipper was a new discovery for Singapore when it was first encountered. Perhaps the early authors missed it as its distribution is rather local and restricted to habitats where its caterpillar host plant, a palm, grows. With a wingspan of up to only 28mm, it is a skittish flyer like most skippers, but prefers to lurk in the shady areas of the forests. It typically perches on the top surface of a leaf with its wings folded upright.

This White Palm Bob was photographed in the nature reserves by ButterflyCircle member Mark Wong. The butterfly is dark brown above, whilst the underside of the hindwing is largely whitened with a dark greyish spot at the dorsal area of the hindwing.