Butterflies Galore! : Metallic Caerulean

Butterflies Galore!
The Metallic Caerulean (Jamides alecto ageladas)

This Lycaenid was re-discovered by ButterflyCircle members in 2008 when a colony of the species was found at the now-gone Mandai Orchid Garden. As the caterpillar of this species feeds on the flower of the Torch Ginger, several other colonies of the Metallic Caerulean have been found since. A translocation attempt at the Zoo was also successful, and the species can also be found at the Zoo today.

Males have a black diffuse border on the forewing above whilst the females have the forewing border extending narrowly along the costa to the base. The upperside is a bright metallic light blue. The species has many lookalikes in the genus. This Metallic Caerulean was photographed by young ButterflyCircle member Jonathan Soong.

Butterflies Galore! : Tree Yellow

Butterflies Galore!
The Tree Yellow (Gandaca harina distanti)

The Tree Yellow is the only representative of the genus Gandaca in Singapore and Malaysia. It is distinctive in that the underside is completely unmarked. On the upperside, except for a narrow black marginal border on the forewing, the colour of the butterfly is a plain lemon yellow throughout. When it flight, it could sometimes be mistaken for one of the several Grass Yellow (Eurema) species, but its lighter lemon yellow and generally larger size usually distinguishes it from the others.

This shot shows the Tree Yellow puddling (imbibing salts from damp sand) in the nature reserves. Although common, the species is usually associated with the forested areas in the nature reserves and is seldom seen in urban gardens and parks. At times, several individuals are observed puddling together.

Life History of the Common Dartlet

Life History of the Common Dartlet (Oriens gola pseudolus)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Oriens Evans, 1932
Species: gola Moore, 1877
Sub-species: pseudolus Mabille, 1883
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 22-27mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Ottochloa nodosa (Poaceae), Axonopus compressus (Poaceae, common names: Wide-leaved Carpet Grass, Cow Grass), Centotheca lappacea (Poaceae, common name: Sefa).

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:

On the upperside, both sexes are dark brown with yellowish orange post-discal bands on both fore- and hindwings. The forewing band stretches from the dorsum to almost touching the costa, and is deeply excavate at vein 5. On the underside, the wings are yellowish-orange with post-discal bands mirroring those on the upperside. These bands are roughly defined by varying degrees of black shading.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:

This small and fast flying skipper is common in Singapore and can be found in parks, gardens and the nature reserve. At these locations, the adults can be seen enjoying the sun in sunny condition, typically in grassy areas or low shrubs. They visit flowers for nectar and puddle on wet ground or even bird droppings for mineral intake.

Butterflies Galore! : Common Rose

Butterflies Galore!
The Common Rose (Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris)

This pretty swallowtail is very local in distribution, and oftentimes found in the vicinity where its caterpillar host plant, Aristolochia acuminata can be found. It is widely distributed, and can be seen in urban parks like the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Hort Park, as well as in forested areas and offshore island like Pulau Ubin. The crimson red body and marginal spots on the hindwing is a display of aposematic colouration that warns predators that it is distasteful.

This shot, taken by ButterflyCircle member Nelson Ong, shows a Common Rose puddling - a rather rare phenomenon in Singapore, where the butterfly is more often seen fluttering and feeding at flowers, rather than puddling.

Butterflies Galore! : Banded Swallowtail

Butterflies Galore! 
The Banded Swallowtail (Papilio demolion demolion)

This fast-flying swallowtail can be common at times. Last Sunday, I was out with young ButterflyCircle member Jonathan Soong, when we saw at least four individuals chasing each other at a flowering bush in the nature reserves. The Banded Swallowtail is usually fast-flying and skittish, but after a bout of vigorous activity and feeding, they are often observed to stop for a break with their wings open flat on the topside of leaves.

Jonathan was able to take a shot of this Banded Swallowtail when it stopped to take a breather. The pale green band on the wings are well-exposed in this shot. Usually, our shots tend to be overexposed due to the contrast between the black wings and this pale green band, giving the band an almost white appearance.

Two More Nymphalidae Make it 308!

Two More Nymphalidae Make it 308!
Additions to the Singapore Butterfly Checklist


Horace Tan shot this mysterious orange butterfly in the nature reserves

Whilst out on a leaf-run to document the early stages of a Papilio species, ButterflyCircle member Horace Tan spotted a relatively large fast-flying orange butterfly fluttering around at the tree tops. Unable to get close for a better shot, Horace took an 'insurance' shot from afar.  For a moment, the orange butterfly may have been a male Cruiser (Vindula dejone erotella)

A zoomed in shot showing the mystery butterfly

Upon reaching home, Horace zoomed it on the orange butterfly and it didn't look anything like the Cruiser. The highly cropped shot shown above suggested that it was something that has not been seen for a long time in Singapore. Referring to Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula 4th Edition by Corbet & Pendlebury (C&P4), the butterfly looked very similar to the Malay Yeoman (Cirrochroa emalea emalea)

A shot of a Malay Yeoman taken in Malaysia for comparison

Scrutinising the details of the cropped shot, the underside of the butterfly matched the Malay Yeoman. The forewing discal band which is narrow at the dorsum and widens significantly at the costa can be clearly seen. The distinguishing constriction of the discal band on the hindwing in spaces 5 & 6 can also be seen in the shot, confirming that this species is indeed the Malay Yeoman!


Upperside of the Malay Yeoman (shot in Malaysia)

Further reference to C&P4 indicated that the Malay Yeoman was marked [S] designating it as a "species which, so far as known, have not been taken again in Singapore during the present century". (Note that the present century meaning the 20th century as the 4th Edition of the book was updated in 1992). This species is described as fulvous orange above, with a black distal margin. We now record is as species #307 in the Singapore Butterfly Checklist. As it is a common species in Malaysia, observers should continue to look out for it in the Central Catchment Nature Reserves in Singapore, where Horace Tan saw this species.


An Angled Castor with partially opened wings shot recently in the nature reserves in Singapore

Another species that surprised members of ButterflyCircle on our regular weekend outing on 12 Oct 2013 was the Angled Castor (Ariadne ariadne ariadne). The species has reddish brown upperside traversed by sinous black lines and having a prominent white subapical streak on the forewing. The Angled Castor is described as local and found in forest clearings.


Another shot of the same Angled Castor with wings folded upright

Indeed, ButterflyCircle members Simon Sng and Loke PF came across this species at a forest clearing where other species were present due to the mass fruiting of the Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum). Both photographers managed to take a few shots of the Angled Castor before it made its way to the treetops and disappeared.


A record upperside shot of the same individual showing the subapical white spot on the forewing

The shots shown here confirmed the existence of the Angled Castor beyond any doubt. The single black line just beyond the cell end and the white subapical spot on the upperside and underside of the forewing validates the identity of the Angled Castor. The other likely species that occurs in nearby Johor in Malaysia, is the Malay Castor (Ariadne isaeus isaeus). However, this species is described as having a narrow, zigzagged orange brown band just beyond the cell end of the forewing, and without a white apical spot.


A similar-looking species, the Malay Castor (Ariadne isaeus isaeus) taken in Panti Forest, Johor, Malaysia.  Note no subapical white spot, and the orange-brown band beyond the cell area

Again, a species that was encountered in the forested nature reserves of Singapore suggests that there may still be more surprises in our forests that have yet to be discovered. The Angled Castor is considered a re-discovery, as the C&P4 checklist indicates this species as extant in Singapore. The importance of our central catchment core cannot be overstated, as it is a critical sanctuary to a diverse range of floral and faunal biodiversity in Singapore.


An Angled Castor shot in Penang, Malaysia for comparison

The Angled Castor is added to the Singapore Butterfly Checklist as species #308. It is hoped that these two species will continue to be spotted in Singapore even though at the moment, they would be considered 'seasonal visitors'. However, given the period that both have been spotted in Singapore, the postulation that these species may have been carried over by the prevailing winds from Malaysia may be unfounded. This is because the prevailing winds in the months of mid-Aug to Oct 2013, are largely from the south-west!

The Singapore Butterfly Checklist is hence updated to 308 species as at end Oct 2013. There are a number of Hesperiidae and Lycaeninae which are currently under investigations and will be added to the Singapore Checklist by the end of this year when all the validations are complete.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Khew SK, Loke PF, Simon Sng & Horace Tan

References :

• [C&P4] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society, 1992
• Butterflies of West Malaysia & Singapore, WA Fleming, 2nd Edition, 1983
• Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 2nd Edition, 2012

Butterflies Galore! : Peacock Royal

Butterflies Galore!
The Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus maxentius)

The Peacock Royal is a widely distributed butterfly in Singapore, and can be encountered as regularly in urban parks and gardens as it is in nature reserves. It is usually skittish and alert but can be approached easily at times, especially when it is feeding, or just resting with its wings folded upright. The upperside of the male is a iridescent royal blue, whilst the female is pale blue. The underside is greyish white with dark grey striae. The hindwing features a pair of tails.

This Peacock Royal was photographed by ButterflyCircle member Loke PF. The species' full life history is recorded on its preferred host plant, Dendrophthoe pentandra, a common parasitic plant.