Butterfly of the Month - November 2021

Butterfly of the Month - November 2021

The Dark Caerulean (Jamides bochus nabonassar)

A Dark Caerulean perched on the tip of a leaf and surveying its surroundings 

The 2nd last month of 2021 is almost over. But the world is still wondering when Covid19 is going to end, or will it continue to wreak havoc on our lives. It has been almost two years since the virus was discovered. Now, different countries are dealing with the virus in their own unique ways - from almost getting back to normalcy and dispensing with face masks, to extreme cases where snap lockdowns are imposed with zero tolerance of any infection cases.

A male Dark Caerulean showing a bit of its deep shining blue uppersides

Whatever the case may be, life must go on. Like fighting an alien invader in the movies, humankind has to reclaim the initiative. Medical science has improved in leaps and bounds for the past 24 months - from vaccines and better medical care to pills that can reduce the symptoms or even mitigate the seriousness of the virus attack to avert fatality. And the battle rages on.

Many countries are working to re-open their economies and connectivity. Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) have been negotiated and implemented amongst countries that have open travel of passengers who have been vaccinated - without the need for long and unproductive quarantines. There is a glimmer of hope for people who have not seen their loved ones for nearly two years, and families and friends to be reunited again.

Back here in Singapore, the government is relaxing its safety management protocols in small steps. As of this week, vaccinated individuals are now allowed to dine out in groups of five. Opening up of the economy is still cautiously done, as the number of infections are still in the 2000+ on average, although more than 98% of these covid positive cases have either mild or no symptoms. However, the sad part is that for the past two months, there have still  been daily fatalities, particularly amongst seniors above 60 years of age.

Whilst there is optimism that we will live with Covid as an endemic disease, a new threat rears its head in the form of Omicron, another variant of the virus that is said to be even more infectious and deadly. Originating from Africa, it has already begun to make its way across to Europe and Asia, and it will be a matter of time when we will have to deal with this new scourge.

A mating pair of Dark Caerulean.  Left : Male, Right : Female

Fortunately, our butterflies are not affected by such viruses that have exposed the vulnerability of our human species. The feature butterfly for the month of November 2021 is the Dark Caerulean (Jamides bochus nabonassar). One of six species from the genus Jamides found in Singapore, the Dark Caerulean is also the smallest amongst the six species.

A Dark Caerulean feeding on the flower of the Singapore Daisy (Sphagneticola trilobata)

The Dark Caerulean has, in recent years, become more regularly spotted by butterfly photographers in Singapore. Though recorded as a moderately rare species, it has been observed in a wide variety of locations and habitats. This may be because its caterpillars feed on several host plants which are considered weeds and grow quite commonly in wastelands and cleared areas.

A male Dark Caerulean showing its deep shining blue upperside.  Unfortunately, this individual was the victim of a Crab Spider

The male is a deep shining blue above on both wings, giving an attractive iridescent appearance when the butterfly is in flight. There is a broad black border on the forewing apical area with the hindwing border narrower. The females are paler blue and have broad black borders on both the fore and hindwings.

The underside is ochreous brown in the males and greyish in the females. There is the usual series of whitish striations on both wings. There is a large black tornal eyespot that is crowned with orange. and a smaller one adjacent to it. There is usually some light blue iridescent scales in the eye spots. At vein 2 of the hindwing, there is a filamentous white tipped black tail.

The eyes of the Dark Caerulean are large and jet black, whilst the antennae are banded black and white. The butterfly is often seen feeding at flowers or ovipositing on one of its caterpillar host plants. At other times, it can be seen fluttering restlesssly amongst shrubbery and stopping to rest on the tops of leaves in the habitats that it prefers.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Chng CK, Khew SK, Koh CH, Loh MY, Loke PF, Horace Tan and Benjamin Yam

References

• Life History of the Dark Caerulean

Life History of the Dark Caerulean

Life History of the Dark Caerulean (Jamides bochus nabonassar)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Jamides Hübner , 1819
Species: bochus Stoll, 1782
Sub-species: nabonassar, Fruhstorfer, 1916
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 30mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Pueraria phaseoloides (Leguminosae); Derris trifoliata (Leguminosae); Crotalaria mucronata (Leguminosae); Pongamia pinnata (Leguminosae).


A female Dark Caerulean "tip-toeing" on a leaf tip in a wasteland.


A male Dark Caerulean perching on a leaf.

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
Above, the male is dark metallic blue above on both wings, and the female is paler blue with prominent marginal spots on the hindwings. Both sexes have broad black borders on both wings (narrower in the hindwings) reaching into the upper portion of the cell. Underneath, the wings are ochreous-brown and marked with buff striae. The comma-like marking in space 1b on the hindwing is narrow and rather indistinct (marked with a flashing red circle in the picture above this section). Each hindwing features a black-centred orange-crowned tornal spot and a white-tipped filamentous tail at the end of vein 2.


A male Dark Caerulean giving us a partial view of its metallic blue patch on the upperside.


A male Dark Caerulean caught perching on a twig.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
This species is not uncommon in Singapore but its distribution is rather localized and restricted to places where its host plants are growing. At times, a fair number of the adults can occur together at certain locations. They are relatively small for a Jamides species, and have a rapid and active flight, unlike most of the other species of the genus. The males give an attention-grabbing metallic blue flash when fly past an observer. The adults can be found in open wastelands, mangrove areas and the fringes of various nature reserves.


A Dark Caerulean visiting flowers of Pueraria phaseoloides.


Another Dark Caerulean on a leaf perch.

Early Stages:

All four recorded local host plants are from the Leguminosae family and feature relating large inflorescences which serve as food sources for the early stages of the Dark Caerulean. A newly hatched caterpillar will bore into a flower bud and proceed to eat the flower parts lying within. Subsequent instars continue to do so until they are too large to feed within the bud. Moulting also takes place within the confine of the flower buds/flowers. For this reason, only the larger final instar caterpillars are readily observed on inflorescences of the host plants.


Host plant : Pueraria phaseoloides. Inflorescences are shown.


Host plant : Pongamia pinnata. Relatively young leaves are shown.


Host plant : Crotalaria mucronata. A close-up view of the flowers is given in the right panel.


A mating pair of the Dark Caerulean.

Eggs of the Dark Caerulean are laid in a rather unique manner with the females seeking out tightly spaced flower buds and then laying eggs in the space between the buds. If such tight spaces are not available, the eggs are laid in the space between the pedicel (flower stalk) and the peduncle (main supporting stalk of the inflorescence). The eggs are laid in a small group enclosed in a gelatinous substance.


A female Dark Caerulean laying eggs on flower buds of Pueraria phaseoloides.


A female Dark Caerulean laying eggs on flower buds of Pongamia pinnata .


Dark Caerulean mothers laying eggs on flower buds of Derris trifoliata (left) and Crotalaria mucronata (right)

The small pale green egg is discoid in shape and about 0.4-0.5mm in diameter. The surface is covered with a reticulated pattern of intersecting ridges.


Eggs of the Dark laid between buds on an inflorescence of Pueraria phaseoloides.


An egg of the Dark Caerulean laid between a pedicel and the peduncle of an inflorescence of Pongamia pinnata.

The egg takes 2 days to hatch. The young caterpillar emerges after nibbling away sufficiently large portion of the egg shell and eating its way out of the dried gelatinous substance. Measured at a length of about 0.8-0.9mm, its pale yellow body is cylindrical in shape, sporting long fine setae (hairs) dorso-laterally and laterally. It has a black head capsule, a broad and a greyish to black prothoracic shield and a greyish anal plate.


Two views of a newly hatched caterpillar, length: 0.8mm.

The newly hatched moves to a nearby flower bud and begins the laborious task of boring into it. It then stays within the flower bud for the goodies within. After about 1.5 days of growth and reaching a length of about 1.8-2mm, the caterpillar moults to the next instar, typically within the same first flower bud it bored into earlier.


A 1st instar caterpillar, later in this stage, length: 1.5mm.

The 2nd instar caterpillar has numerous short setae, each with a black base. The body ground color is yellow, but the body surface is predominantly red on the lateral fringe, and to a lesser extent on the dorsum. The diamond-shaped prothoracic shield has become pitch-black in color and the head capsule yellowish brown. This instar lasts about 2 days with the body length reaches up to 3.5mm.


Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 1.7mm.


A far view of the previous picture showing the 2nd instar caterpillar boring into a flower bud of Pongamia pinnata.


Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 2.8mm.

The 3rd instar caterpillar resembles the 2nd instar caterpillar closely in having numerous short and fine setae all over the body, and the same reddish brown body coloration. Both the dorsal nectary organ (on the 7th abdominal segment) and tentacular organs (on the 8th abdominal segment) are barely discernible. The 3rd instar takes 2-3 days to complete with the body length reaching about 6.5mm.


Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillars, newly moulted, length: .3mm.


Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, length: 4.5mm.

A 3rd instar caterpillar boring into a flower bud of Pongamia pinnata.

Still covered with numerous fine setae on the body surface, the 4th (and final) instar caterpillar has taken on a darker shade of yellowish to reddish brown. The dorsal nectary organ is now more easily observed as a paler elliptical patch on the 7th abdominal segment. The whitish tentacular organs are short but everted rather frequently . Another noticeable change is in the diamond shaped prothoracic shield becoming less prominent with its color changed to yellowish brown.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, length: 6mm.


A 4th instar caterpillar feeding on a flower bud of Derris trifoliata.


Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, length: 10mm.

After about 4 days of growth and reaching a maximum length of around 11mm in the final instar, the body of the caterpillar gradually shrinks, and finally takes on a dark pinkish to reddish brown coloration. Most bred specimens chose to enter their pre-pupatory phase in tight pockets of space within leaf litter, sometimes in groups of 2 to 3. A handful chose to do so within flower buds which are sufficiently large to house the matuer caterpillar. At the chosen spot, the caterpillar readies itself for pupation by spinning a silk girdle and a silk pad. The caterpillar secures itself to the silk pad via claspers on its posterior end.

Two views of a pre-pupa of the Dark Caerulean.

Pupation takes place after one day of the pre-pupal stage. The pupa has the typical lycaenid shape. It is pale pinkish to beige in base color with a number brown and black specks. of various sizes. The pupa has a length of about 8.5-9.5mm.


Two views of a pupa of the Dark Caerulean, length: 9mm

Eclosion takes place after 6 days in the pupal stage. The mature pupa gradually darkens in colour the day before. Bluish patches on forewing uppersides become clearly visible in the wing pads of the mature pupa.


Two views of a mature pupa of a male Dark Caerulean.


A newly eclosed male Dark Caerulean

References:

• The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, The Malayan Nature Society.
• A Photographic Monograph on Hong Kong Butterflies, Volume 2, Hong Kong Lepidopterists' Society.
• Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 1st Edition, 2006

Text by Horace Tan; Photos by Sunny Chir, Khew SK and Horace Tan

Butterflies Galore! : Dark Caerulean

Butterflies Galore!
The Dark Caerulean (Jamides bochus nabonassar)

The iridescent deep blue upperside of the male of the Dark Caerulean would probably make it the most attractive species of the Jamides genus. However, its diminutive size often means that it is either overlooked in the field. The underside is greyish brown with the usual striations of the genus. The tornal area on the underside of the hindwing features a large orange-crowned spot and vein 2b has a filamentous white-tipped tail.

This individual was photographed at a recent outing at Pulau Ubin. Preferring to hide quietly in the shade, it perched on the tip of the leaf for quite some time, allowing almost every member of ButterflyCircle on that outing to take a shot of it. This shot was the work of ButterflyCircle member Chng CK.

Butterfly Photography at Our Local Parks - Seletar Country Club

Butterfly Photography at Our Local Parks
Featuring : Seletar Country Club Butterfly Garden


Welcome to the Seletar Country Club Butterfly Garden

Golf courses are large tracts of greenery that are, ironically, not very "green". A typical golf course occupies tens of hectares of land that is usually cleared of vegetation for the course to serve its purpose. Referred to as "green deserts" by Dr Richard Corlett (formerly from the NUS), the greenery on golf courses may mislead one to think that the greens are rich with biodiversity. This is usually furthest from the truth, as the amount of environmentally-unfriendly fertilisers and pesticides used to keep golf greens pristine and manicured can adversely affect biodiversity.

However, one man set out to at least make an effort to mitigate the "golf course effect" at his club. Mr Foo Jit Leang, owner of a private software company, wanted to show that golf courses need not necessarily be devoid of wildlife. During a visit by Prof Peter Ng of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, and the Seletar Country Club Chairman, Mr Khoo Teng Chye, they challenged Mr Foo to try to create pockets of planted areas that can attract biodiversity to the club premises.

Armed with only his love for nature, and the information that he could get from available books and the internet, and amongst the nature community in Singapore, Mr Foo set out to plant butterfly-attracting host and nectaring plants at a small patch of land next to the clubhouse in 2012. Today, the Seletar Country Club Butterfly Garden, as it is known, occupies an area of about 500-600 sqm and is usually teeming with butterflies on a good sunny day.

Mr Foo and the visitors who spent time at the Butterfly Garden have, to date, spotted a total of 102 butterfly species at the three-year old project. On a good day, an observer can usually expect to see about 20-25 different species of butterflies, from the large Papilionidaes to the small and skittish Hesperiidaes. Combining host plants with nectaring plants around the garden, the SCC Butterfly Garden is now a magnet for butterflies, as well as other insects, birds and even small reptiles.

Different views of the SCC Butterfly Garden - from open areas to intimate corners for butterflies

This morning, I visited Mr Foo and the SCC Butterfly Garden. It was a bright sunny day when I arrived and the butterflies were already up and about, and feeding on the flowers of the String Bush and Shepherd's Needles bushes. A few Plain Tigers and Dark Glassy Tigers were chasing each other amongst the shrubbery.



I spotted a Leopard (Phalanta phalantha phalantha) ovipositing on its caterpillar host plant, the Batoko Plum. A Lime Butterfly (Papilio demoleus malayanus) zipped past me, stopping for a fleeting moment to feed on the flower of the Pink Snakeweed.

Mr Foo and our young ButterflyCircle member Jonathan Soong joined me, and we walked around the garden as Mr Foo shared his stories of the challenges of setting up the butterfly garden, and maintaining the momentum of his initiative. He had to "educate" the club's gardeners not to spray pesticides and not to pull out plants that they considered "weeds". Many butterfly host plants are what landscape designers see as invasive and ugly weeds. However, without these host plants, one cannot expect to see a wider variety of butterfly species. Mr Foo proudly shared that he has bred a total of 42 different species of butterflies found at the garden.

The "closed-loop" water-based habitat for butterflies, dragonflies and other critters

Besides the lush greenery that the Butterfly Garden showcases today, Mr Foo also brought us to the "closed-loop" stream nearby. This stream creates a water-based habitat with appropriate plants to attract dragonflies and butterflies. The body of water is constantly moving, using the topography of the land and a simple pump to move the water around. We noticed a number of the diminutive Pygmy Grass Blues fluttering happily around the bushes near the stream.

Walking back to the main Butterfly Garden, I spotted a hungry Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparete metarete) feeding on the flowers of the String Bush. It kept me busy chasing it for about half an hour, teasing me as it came close, and then quickly flitted away as I approached it. After a tiring game of cat-and-mouse with it, I finally managed to take a decent shot of it on the String Bush flowers.

The scorching overhead noon sun was taking a toll on us, and we quickly retreated to the clubhouse for a yummy lunch, courtesy of Mr Foo. Looking back at the Butterfly Garden, I would consider it a successful rehabilitation of a piece of land adjacent to a somewhat sterile golf course. The butterfly diversity is considered very good, and it took a simple initiative to populate an otherwise featureless piece of land with butterfly-attracting plants to rejuvenate the biodiversity.

Mr Foo sharing his stories about the Butterfly Garden

Mr Foo has gone on to spread his enthusiasm to schools, childcare centres, community gardens, and to anyone who is interested to set up a butterfly garden. He has unselfishly shared plant cuttings, seeds and always willing to impart his experience and knowledge to give a helping hand to our butterflies to survive and thrive in urban areas in Singapore.

"Green Desert" alert!! - a view across the Butterfly Garden to the golf course beyond

Mr Foo has also shown golf course owners that they can do something for nature, and to use part of the large tracts of land that these golf courses sit on, to support our local biodiversity, instead of maintaining their unsavoury reputation for being "green deserts" in Singapore. Interestingly, for a small island of only about 714 sqkm, Singapore has 21 golf courses! Imagine if small Butterfly Gardens sprout up in all these golf courses. We will need more people like Mr Foo to achieve this dream!

And so we have another local "garden" at the Seletar Country Club that is a haven for butterflies. Photographers and nature lovers can visit this SCC Butterfly Garden to have their fill of nature's flying jewels, and you might meet Mr Foo walking around and infect you with his passion for nature and butterflies!

How to get to Seletar Country Club Butterfly Garden

Driving/Taxi : From the Central Expressway heading north, use the exit 16 to Seletar West Link and turn into Seletar Club Road.  There is ample free parking at the premises.

By MRT/Bus : Drop at Khatib MRT, and cross the road.  Take Bus 85 to just before the TPE, alight and switch to Bus 103 and alight just before West Camp Road and walk to Seletar CC. Alternatively, take Bus 39 and alight at the stop before Seletar Camp G and switch to Bus 103 and alight just before West Camp Road and walk to Seletar CC.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Janice Ang, Bob Cheong, Foo JL, Khew SK, Koh CH and Jonathan Soong

Checklist of Butterflies Spotted at Seletar CC Butterfly Garden as at Jan 2016 (by Mr Foo JL)

1. Common Birdwing - Troides helena cerberus  
2. Common Rose - Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris 
3. Common Mime - Papilio clytia clytia
4. Lime Butterfly - Papilio demoleus malayanus
5. Common Mormon - Papilio polytes romulus
6. Common Bluebottle - Graphium sarpedon luctatius
7. Tailed Jay - Graphium agamemnon agamemnon
8. Painted Jezebel - Delias hyparete metarete
9. Striped Albatross - Appias libythea olferna
10. Mottled Emigrant - Catopsilia pyranthe pyranthe
11. Lemon Emigrant - Catopsilia pomona pomona
12. Orange Emigrant - Catopsilia scylla cornelia
13. Common Grass Yellow - Eurema hecabe contubernalis
14. Three Spot Grass Yellow - Eurema blanda snelleni
15. Plain Tiger - Danaus chrysippus chrysippus
16. Common Tiger - Danaus genutia genutia
17. Blue Glassy Tiger - Ideopsis vulgaris macrina
18. Common Evening Brown - Melanitis leda leda
19. Common Palmfly - Elymnias hypermnestra agina
20. Malayan Eggfly - Hypolimnas anomala anomala
21. Great Eggfly - Hypolimnas bolina bolina
22. Jacintha Eggfly - Hypolimnas bolina jacintha
23. Autumn Leaf - Doleschallia bisaltide bisaltide
24. Chocolate Pansy - Junonia hedonia ida
25. Grey Pansy - Junonia atlites atlites
26. Peacock Pansy - Junonia almana javana
27. Blue Pansy - Junonia orithya wallacei
28. Tawny Coster - Acraea terpsicore
29. Leopard Lacewing - Cethosia cyane
30. Green Baron - Euthalia adonia pinwilli
31. Plain Nawab - Polyura hebe plautus
32. The Apefly - Spalgis epius epius
33. Lesser Grass Blue - Zizina otis lampa
34. Pygmy Grass Blue - Zizula hylax pygmaea
35. Cycad Blue - Chilades pandava pandava
36. Gram Blue - Euchrysops cnejus cnejus
37. Ciliate Blue - Anthene emolus goberus
38. Pointed Ciliate Blue - Anthene lycaenina miya
39. Centaur Oak Blue - Arhopala centaurus nakula
40. Peacock Royal - Tajuria cippus maxentius
41. Common Tit - Hypolycaena erylus teatus
42. Chestnut Bob - Iambrix salsala salsala
43. Palm Bob - Suastus gremius gremius
44. Yellow Palm Dart - Cephrenes trichopepla
45. Common Palm Dart - Telicota colon stinga
46. Small Branded Swift - Pelopidas mathias mathias
47. Lesser Dart - Potanthus omaha omaha
48. Large Dart - Potanthus serina
49. Plain Palm Dart - Cephrenes acalle niasicus
50. Conjoined Swift - Pelopidas conjunctus conjunctus
51. Dingy Bush Brown - Mycalesis perseus cepheus
52. Dark Brand Bush Brown - Mycalesis mineus macromalayana
53. Common Four Ring - Ypthima huebneri
54. Palm King - Amathusia phidippus phidippus
55. Short Banded Sailor - Phaedyma columella singa
56. Malayan Lascar - Lasippa tiga siaka
57. Dark Glassy Tiger - Parantica agleoides agleoides
58. Pea Blue - Lampides boeticus
59. Copper Flash - Rapala pheretima sequeira
60. Black Veined Tiger - Danaus melanippus hegesippus
61. Chocolate Albatross - Appias lyncida vasava
62. Detached Dart - Potanthus trachala tytleri
63. Cornelian - Deudorix epijarbas cinnabarus
64. Slate Flash - Rapala manea chozeba
65. Transparent Sixline Blue - Nacaduba kurava nemana
66. Dark Malayan Sixline Blue - Nacaduba calauria malayica
67. Blue Nawab - Polyura schreiber tisamenus
68. Dark Caerulean - Jamides bochus nabonassar
69. Common Line Blue - Prosotas nora superdates
70. Formosan Swift - Borbo cinnara
71. Colonel - Pandita sinope sinope
72. Common Sailor - Neptis hylas papaja
73. Leopard - Phalanta phalantha phalantha
74. Common Banded Awl - Hasora chromus chromus
75. Striped Blue Crow - Euploea mulciber mulciber
76. Common Dartlet - Oriens gola pseudolus
77. Chocolate Demon - Ancistroides nigrita maura
78. Tailless Line Blue - Prosotas dubiosa lumpura
79. Contiguous Swift - Polytremis lubricans lubricans
80. Vagrant - Vagrans sinha sinha
81. Bush Hopper - Ampittia dioscorides camertes
82. Striped Black Crow - Euploea eyndhovii gardineri
83. Plain PlushBlue - Flos apidanus saturatus
84. Brown Awl - Badamia exclamationis
85. Great Swift - Pelopidas assamensis
86. Cabbage White - Pieris canidia canidia
87. Besta Palm Dart - Telicota besta bina
88. Grass Demon - Udaspes folus
89. Common Red Flash - Rapala iarbus iarbus
90. King Crow - Euploea phaenareta castelnaui
91. Banana Skipper - Erionota thrax thrax
92. Common Awl - Hasora badra badra
93. Baron - Euthalia aconthea gurda
94. White Tipped Skipper - Erionota hiraca apicalis
95. Pale Grass Blue - Zizeeria maha serica
96. Pale Palm Dart - Telicota augias augias
97. Bamboo Paintbrush Swift - Baoris farri farri
98. Vinous Oakblue - Arhopala athada athada
99. Full Stop Swift - Caltoris cormasa
100. Linna Palm Dart - Telicota linna
101. Silver Forget-Me-Not - Catochrysops panormus exiguus
102. Rustic - Cupha erymanthis lotis