Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies 3

A Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies
Part 3 : An Analysis of Name Changes

In this continuing series of our discussion and recommendations of butterflies' English Common Name changes, we look at a further six species grouped under various proposed name changes and analyse them. We had, in part 2 of this series, established a baseline for the biogeographical regions which formed the origins of some of these name changes, and also the available literature covering these species.

We reiterate that the zoogeographical subregion of the Indo-Malayan ecozone, known as the Sundanian Subregion (or often called Sundaland) is the area of interest where species of butterflies have been assigned common names by various authors. It is largely this Sundaland subregion which we are concerned with, pertaining to the butterfly fauna of this region, and from which we base our literature reviews of books published about the butterflies in these countries.

For the benefit of our readers who are viewing this Part 3 of this discussion series, we would like to explain that a number of proposed changes were made by Dr Laurence Kirton in his recent book, A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. We analyse these changes and state our agreements or alternative views, and recommendations for future publications to consider.

The first group that we analyse would be the Eurema or Grass Yellow species. Referring to the earliest reference literature, The Identification of Indian Butterflies by Col W.H. Evans 1927, we note that this genus was known then as Terias. Two species' names were affected by Dr Kirton's proposed changes as far as the Singapore butterfly fauna are concerned.

Excerpt from the Identification of Indian Butterflies by WH Evans, 1927

The first, is Eurema andersonii andersonii. The common name quoted in Dr Kirton's book is One Spot Grass Yellow. In tracing the historical "etymology" of this English Common Name, we found that in Evans' book, the name One Spot Grass Yellow was originally coined for Eurema (Terias) sari sodalis which was then incorrectly considered a synonym of E. andersonii. However, E. sari sodalis was declared a distinct species and assigned the common name of Chocolate Grass Yellow, leaving the synonymous species of E. andersonii to claim the name One Spot Grass Yellow.

Anderson's Grass Yellow feeding at Mile-A-Minute flowers

However, we feel that, as E. andersonii, is not the only species amongst the Eurema group to have a single cell spot, and should not lay claim to this common name as it could cause confusion. This is because the cell spots form part of the diagnostic features of separating the Eurema group of species. In the Butterflies of Singapore (2010), we used the common name Anderson's Grass Yellow, taking our cue from the scientific name Eurema andersonii andersonii. Precedents of using a common name that originates from the scientific name are not new and we do not need to elaborate on this.

Checking with other literature of butterflies in the region, we find that the Butterflies of Thailand 2nd Edition by Pisuth Ek-Amnuay also makes reference to this species as Anderson's Grass Yellow. The 1st edition of the book, published in 2006, also calls it by this name.

Recommendation : Eurema andersonii andersonii should retain its name Anderson's Grass Yellow.

The second Eurema species of interest is E. simulatrix tecmessa. In the Butterflies of Singapore, we did not coin an English Common Name for this species, leaving the scientific name as it was. Dr Kirton makes reference to it as the Changeable Grass Yellow, whilst Butterflies of Thailand calls it the Hill Grass Yellow. An article in Wikipedia coined the name deNiceville's Grass Yellow for E. simulatrix tecmessa, although at species level, this same article refers to E. simulatrix as Changeable Grass Yellow.

A trio of Forest Grass Yellows puddling at a damp sandbank

ButterflyCircle had earlier coined the name Forest Grass Yellow for this species, due to its preference to remain in the forested nature reserves and rarely, if ever, seen outside the sanctuary of the forests. Whilst there would be no right or wrong in some of these common names, which certainly vary over geographical areas and depending on the propensity for active groups to invent new names for the local butterflies, we cannot imagine why this species is so "changeable" as to deserve the name Changeable Grass Yellow. The closest critter that we know locally is the Changeable Lizard (Calotes versicolor) and we certainly know why it deserves that name!

Recommendation : Eurema simulatrix tecmessa should be known as Forest Grass Yellow.

A male Malay Lacewing feeding at Ixora flowers

We next move to the Nymphalidae family. The first two names of contention are those belonging to the Lacewings or genus Cethosia. The first species of note is the Malay Lacewing (Cethosia hypsea hypsina). At Dr Kirton's sharing session at the launch of his book, one of the motivations for a name change that relates to this species probably came from "where the original name refers to a people group".

In trying to understand the rationale behind this, we can only surmise that Dr Kirton referred to the racial connotations that the common names imply. For example, he proposed that the Malay Lacewing should be renamed Malayan Lacewing. Whilst there are certainly precedents that are coined for butterfly names to make reference to nationality/country, we do not see how the reference that is based on racial origins would offend any particular race. For example, "Chinese" and "Indian", found in butterfly names, can both refer to the race as well as the people of a country. To deprive the Malays of the honour of their race being in the name of a beautiful butterfly may even raise a protest that it is discriminatory, since the Chinese and Indians have that privilege!

It would appear consistent in Dr Kirton's approach to rename everything that contains the word Malay to Malayan. In this context, we can find many books and references that continue to use the word Malay in butterfly names e.g. Malay Lacewing, Malay Viscount, Malay Baron and so on. Other than Dr Kirton's latest book, most the known literature that we have found makes reference to the common names with Malay in them.

Recommendation : Cethosia hypsea hypsina should retain its name Malay Lacewing.

The next species in the Lacewing group is Cethosia methypsea methypsea. Dr Kirton uses the new name Northern Orange Lacewing for this species. In our literature research, Pisuth uses Orange Lacewing in his Butterflies of Thailand book. This species, which was previously called C. penthesilea methypsea, was not known during Evans' time, hence there was no reference to it. In recent years, it has been reclassified as C. methypsea methypsea.

A Plain Lacewing takes a rest in the shade after feeding

This Wikipedia page has the original subspecies methypsea called Plain Lacewing, whilst the subspecies paksha has been designated Orange Lacewing. In Butterflies of Singapore (2010) as well as the first book on butterflies in Singapore, A Guide to the Common Butterflies of Singapore (1996) by Steven Neo and Malaysian Butterflies - An Introduction (1983) by Prof Yong Hoi-Sen, all refer to this species as the Plain Lacewing. Furthermore, we feel that adding cardinal directions as prefixes to common names tends to be controversial, as placing a name "northern" can get quite meaningless when butterflies move freely across regions,

Recommendation : Cethosia methypsea methypsea should retain its name Plain Lacewing

The Malay Yeoman puddling at a damp concrete kerb

The next species of interest falls into the same category that we discussed regarding the change from the race Malay to the country Malayan (which should rightfully be Malaysian, if we are to be up to date!). Hence it would be consistent to recommend that the common name for the species Cirrochroa emalea emalea to retain its common name that is found in many reference books as "Malay Yeoman". This name has been used as far back as 1927 in Evans' book as well.

Recommendation : Cirrochroa emalea emalea should retain its name Malay Yeoman

The Cruiser's English common name has usually be used to refer to the species Vindula dejone erotella in Corbet & Pendlebury's Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula (1992) although in the first edition of the book, it was used for the species Vindula erota erotella before research showed that there were actually two distinct species now known as V. dejone erotella and V. erota chersonesia (in Malaysia) and V. erota erota (the continental subspecies in Thailand).

A male Lesser Cruiser puddling at a damp sandbank

Dr Kirton proposed Lesser Cruiser for V. dejone. In Pisuth's book, he refers to this species as the Malayan Cruiser, and uses Common Cruiser for the species V. erota erota. Tracing back to the historical names and taking reference from the two earliest documentation for this species, it is clear that both Evans (1927) and C&P1 (1934) intended the name Cruiser for V. erota. This leaves us to contemplate which name to use for C. dejone. At this point in time, we would be inclined to agree with Dr Kirton, and adopt the common name Lesser Cruiser for the species V. dejone erotella.

A female Lesser Cruiser feeds on Mile-A-Minute flowers

Recommendation : Vindula dejone erotella should henceforth be called by the name Lesser Cruiser

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Sunny Chir, Chng CK, Goh EC, Federick Ho, Khew SK, Loke PF, Nelson Ong and Anthony Wong

References :

[BPMST] A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies of P. Malaysia, Singapore & Thailand, Laurence G Kirton : John Beaufoy Publishing 2014
[C&P1] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 1st Edition, Kyle & Palmer, 1934.
[C&P4] The Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Revised by Col John Eliot, Malaysian Nature Society, 1992
[BOT1] Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 1st Edition, Amarin Printing & Publishing, 2006
[BOT2] Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 1st Edition, Amarin Printing & Publishing, 2012
[CMB] Common Malayan Butterflies, R. Morrell, Longmans Malaysia, 1960
[MBAI] Malaysian Butterflies - An Introduction, Yong Hoi-Sen, Tropical Press, Malaysia, 1983
[BOS] Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew SK, Ink On Paper Publishing, Singapore, 2010
[BBSEA] Butterflies of Borneo & South East Asia, Kazuhisa Otsuka, Hornbill Books, Malaysia, 2001
[IIB] Identification of Indian Butterflies, W.A. Evans, Diocesan Press, India, 1927
[GCBOS] Guide to the Common Butterflies of Singapore, Steven Neo, Science Centre Singapore, 1996

Further Reading :

A Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies : Part 1
A Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies : Part 2

Random Gallery - Cruiser

Random Butterfly Gallery
The Cruiser (Vindula dejone erotella)

Last Sunday was scorching hot out in the field, and ButterflyCircle member EC Goh managed to nail an excellent shot of this puddling male Cruiser (Vindula dejone erotella) within the Central Catchment Area nature reserves.  The Cruiser is a common forest butterfly that makes rare forays into urban areas.  The species is dimorphic, in that the male and female are different in appearance.

This shot was taken under direct sun, and EC did well in maintaining the exposure of the underside of the butterfly without blowing out the details. The added bonus that makes this shot special, are the extended legs of the butterfly, that makes it look like a ballerina on tip-toe.

Butterfly of the Month - March 2009

Butterfly of the Month - March 2009
The Cruiser (Vindula dejone erotella)

The month of March usually heralds the beginning of the butterfly season in SouthEast Asia, which peaks in April & May. These are the few months of the year when the weather is generally hot and humid, and when butterflies are abundant in Malaysia, and to a lesser extent, in Singapore as well.

We feature a relatively common butterfly in Singapore - the Cruiser (Vindula dejone erotella). The species is very much a forest-dependent species, and is rarely, if ever, found in urban parks and gardens. A regular in the forested nature reserves of Singapore, the Cruiser is a relatively large Nymphalid belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae. This species displays a classic example of sexual dimorphism, where the male and female of the species are distinctly different in appearance.

The male Cruiser is a rich fulvous orange above, and has a broad post-discal band of slightly paler colour on both wings. The band is broad at the forewing, and narrows almost to a point near the tornus of the hindwing. There are distinct black marginal and submarginal lines which give the wing a zig-zag appearance. There is a small orange apical spot on the forewing, and six black-centred ocelli on the hindwing, usually small in size. There is a short pointed tail at vein 4 of the hindwing. The undersides are lighter orange in colour.

The female is usually larger in size, but is coloured a pale greenish grey. The post-discal band is white. The hindwings have three pairs of orange-yellow black-centred ocelli which are large and distinct. There is a small white apical spot on the forewing. The tail at vein 4 of the hindwing is longer than that of the male.

The larval host plant is reported to be a species of Adenia (Passifloraceae) which is a vine with spring-like tendrils.

In the nature reserves, males are often found puddling on fermenting organic matter, carrion and at urine-tainted banks of streams. They may also be observed puddling at muddy footpaths. They are less skittish when puddling and can be observed of one approaches them slowly. Males are also fond of sunbathing with their wings opened flat but they are skittish when not feeding.

Females rarely puddle but can be found flying at great speeds high in amongst the treetop level. They are often seen perched on leaves at high level, with wings either opened flat or closed upright. Like the males, they are skittish, and take off quickly if they sense movement towards them. However, when they are encountered feeding on flowering plants, they are likely to be more cooperative for a closer observation.

A female Cruiser feeding on the flower of the Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum)

At public parks on the fringes of the nature reserves, both males and females have been observed together, feeding greedily on the flowers of Ixora and Lantana bushes. When feeding on flowers, they have a habit of opening and closing their wings regularly, and turning around.

A female Cruiser feeding on the flowers of Ixora sp.

The Cruiser is a sun-loving butterfly and is active on bright hot days, and is probably one of the first few butterflies that a beginner butterfly watcher is likely to encounter in Singapore's forested nature areas.

Text by Khew SK ; Photos by Khew SK

This blog article is dedicated to Tan Ben Jin, a veteran butterfly watcher and photographer, and a long-time friend and active supporter of ButterflyCircle.

Ubin Field Survey 2016

Ubin Butterfly Survey 2016
Outward Bound Singapore - West Ubin


All aboard!  ButterflyCircle and Seletar CC members at OBS Ubin

At the invitation of OBS to conduct a butterfly survey on their premises on the western sector of Pulau Ubin, ButterflyCircle members made a trip to the OBS Ubin campus this morning. Accompanied by the enthusiastic members of the Seletar Country Club Butterfly Garden, a total of 11 butterfly enthusiasts turned up at the Punggol Point Jetty on this hot and humid morning. The morning sky was clear blue with nice cloud formations.

Our ride from Punggol Point Jetty to OBS Ubin

We met our hospitable hosts from OBS, Mr Ng Thian Choon, Dy Director (Programmes and Partnerships) and Mr Bernard Teo, Snr Asst Director (Estates Services) at the Punggol OBS office and headed for the Punggol Point Jetty. Transport to OBS Ubin was via private ferry owned by OBS. The trip across the channel of water took much shorter than the typical trip from Changi Ferry Terminal to Pulau Ubin via the commercial bumboats.

Our route to OBS Ubin.  Note the newly opened Coney Island

Along the way, we could see the newly opened Coney Island. Coincidentally, there was a special run event on the island this morning. Another OBS campus will be built on Coney Island in the near future, to cope with the increasing demand from educational institutions, and also enhancing the OBS programme in Singapore.

At OBS Ubin and a short briefing by Choon

We reached OBS Camp 1 via the newly-constructed jetty, and Choon briefed the group about the facilities at OBS, and where we will trek this morning for the butterfly survey. The group started off the transect heading west towards a promontory called Tanjung Tajam. Along the way, we reached an open area that suffered a bush fire some time in March 2014, wiping out about 3 Hectares of vegetation. Reforestation efforts are in progress, and we could see the newly planted areas slowly reclaiming the open area.

The Tanjung Tajam area which was destroyed by fire in 2014.  Reforestation is in progress

Our first butterflies were up and about, and the first species recorded was the Sumatran Sunbeam (Curetis saronis sumatrana) at the Camp 1 premises. Along the transect westwards, we spotted quite a number of Knights flying around and perching on leaves just beyond our reach. It is noted that the Knight's caterpillar host plant, Ixora congesta were plentiful in the area. We saw a Spotted Black Crow, a strange-looking Delias which did not stop for us, and a couple of Common Tits dogfighting at high level. A Long Banded Silverline (Spindasis lohita senama) perched on the bushes nearby as we were exiting the Tanjung Tajam area.

The transect continued into shaded forest, where we spotted an Orange Awlet, and another caterpillar of the same species on its host plant. Strangely the caterpillar was not in its usual leaf shelter, and was instead on the top of a leaf (which is not a good sign!). The forest floor was dry, probably due to the hot season over the past week. Knights were aplenty and we spotted no fewer than a dozen of them - both males and females, all along the forest paths.

Choon taking a closer look at a friendly Common Tit

Heading to the next part of the trail towards the reservoir, we spotted a couple of Oakblues and a caterpillar of the Studded Sergeant (Athyma asura idita). Along the way, we saw two female Cruisers (Vindula dejone erotella) and a friendly male that stopped on our members before scooting off to the treetops. The sighting of the Cruisers was a surprise, because I do not recall having spotted this species on Ubin before.

An old rubber sheet machine 

In the shady forest understory, we spotted two Malayan Plum Judy (Abisara saturata kausambioides) flitting amongst the undergrowth. A Malay Viscount was foraging in the undergrowth, and we also saw two male Horsfield's Barons fighting for territorial dominance. Along the trail skirting around Hill 31, several other fast flying Lycaenids which looked like Common Tits were zipping around at the treetops.


Birds aplenty too at OBS Ubin!  A Buffy Fish Owl glares down at the trespassers

The OBS area is also a birder's paradise, and we saw/heard Magpie Robins, Purple Throated Sunbirds and a huge Buffy Fish Owl. Perhaps not being easily accessible to the general public, the biodiversity in the OBS premises is relatively undisturbed most of the time, and is able to thrive in that area.



Time to head back to Singapore island on a larger boat this time

We ended the walk at around 11:30am, and the weather was very hot and humid. After a quick freshening up, we headed to the jetty where the OBS boatman was already waiting for us in a larger boat this time. The western sector of Ubin where the OBS campus is, covers an area of about 9 Hectares. We only scouted about a third of the area, and were impressed with the butterfly diversity. We will certainly return for a more closer survey and hopefully find more species to add to the OBS checklist.



Text by Khew SK : Photos by ChngCK, Huang CJ, Khew SK, Loke PF, Or CK and Ria Tan.

Special thanks to Mr Ng Thian Choon and Mr Bernard Teo for facilitating this survey and showing us around OBS

Checklist of Butterflies spotted at OBS Ubin on 16 April 2016

1. Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus)
2. Spotted Black Crow (Euploea crameri bremeri)
3. Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris macrina)
4. Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica agleoides agleoides)
5. Colour Sergeant (Athyma nefte subrata)
6. Studded Sergeant (Athyma asura idita) - caterpillar
7. Knight (Lebadea martha parkeri) (and some ssp malayana-looking individuals)
8. Malay Viscount (Tanaecia pelea pelea)
9. Cruiser (Vindula dejone erotella)
10. Horsfield's Baron (Tanaecia iapis puseda)
11. Malay Plum Judy (Abisara saturata kausambioides)
12. Sumatran Sunbeam (Curetis saronis sumatrana)
13. Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus teatus)
14. Centaur Oakblue (Arhopala centaurus nakula)
15. (Arhopala amphimuta amphimuta)
16. Long Banded Silverline (Spindasis lohita senama)
17. Orange Awlet (Burara harisa consobrina)
18. Perak Lascar (Pantoporia paraka paraka)