Breeding records of Hawk Moths

I have just published life history records of 3 common Hawk Moths in Singapore.  Click on the photo to find out more about these moths.

1. Pergesa acteus

2. Enpinanga borneensis

3. Eupanacra elegantulus

Pergesa acteus (Cramer, 1779)

Name : Pergesa acteus (Cramer, 1779)
Family : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802
Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839
Tribe : Choerocampina Grote & Robinson, 1865
Larva host plant : Alocasia, Caladium

Jul 2010, Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia

 

Reference : The Sphingidae of Southeast-Asia

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Life History Record : Dec 2006, May 2007, Dec 2008

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Date : Dec 2008
Source : Joana , GCS Member
Location : Victoria park Road off Farrer Road, Singapore
Host Plant : Caladium bicolor

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Date : May 2007
Source : Mark (mm), GCS Member
Location : Sunset Way, Singapore
Host Plant : Leea indica

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Date : Dec 2006
Source : Elizabeth
Location : Singapore
Host Plant : Alocasia

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Enpinanga borneensis (Butler, 1879)

Name       : Enpinanga borneensis (Butler, 1879)
Family      : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802
Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839 
Tribe        : Macroglossini Harris, 1839

Male

Female

Larva host plant : Dillenia suffruticosa (Simpoh Air) 

Reference : The Sphingidae of Southeast-Asia

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Life History Record : Mar 2008, Jan 2009

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Date : Mar 2008
Source : Gan CW
Location : Clementi Woods Park, Singapore
Host Plant : Dillenia suffruticosa (Simpoh Air)

Dillenia leaves

 
Larva : 2nd instar
 
Larva : 5th instar and 2nd instar

Larva : Lateral and Dorsal view
Larva : Pre-pupa
Adult:

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Butterfly trip to Gopeng, Perak – Part II

Continue from part I

In addition to the Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing, we also saw many magnificent and rare butterflies :

1. Doleschallia bisaltide continentalis (Autumn Leaf)

This subspecies is probably a migrant from Thailand and is synonym for Doleschallia bisaltide siamensis.  The other more common subspecies being Doleschallia bisaltide partipa and Doleschallia bisaltide australis (which is also a migrant).

2. Papilio nephelus annulus (Black & White Helen)

3. Ideopsis similis and Tirumala septentrionis (Dark Blue Tiger)

I. similis is rare and is a lifer for me !


4. Thaumantis odana and Melanocyma faunula (Pallid faun)

Unlike at Fraser’s Hill where the Pallid Faun are always perching high up on the tree, the Pallid faun here seems to be more friendly and flies very low and perches at eye level.  We saw 3 on one single trip

5. Catapaecilma major (Gray Tinsel) and 
    Rapala pheretima (Copper Flash)

The Gray Tinsel is a 5-STAR !

6. Koruthaialos sindu (The Bright Red Velvet Bob) and 
    Pseudocoladenia dan (Fulvous Pied Flat)

The Bright Red Velvet Bob is not uncommon at the the fringe of forest. 

We also saw 3 species of day flying ‘Tiger Moth’ on the last day !  These moths belong to the Geometridae family, Geometrinae subfamily and Dysphaniini tribe.

1. Dysphania sagana

2. Dysphania subrepleta
 

3. Dysphania militaris

You can see the other Dysphania moths in my Dysphania Flickr album.

Butterfly trip to Gopeng, Perak – Part I

I have always wanted to visit this place, especially after reading about the Rafflesia and Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing at Ulu Geroh in MNS Naturalist magazine.

Finally in mid Mar, 5 of us made our way to Gopeng. During our 2.5 days there we sighted 100+ species of butterflies ! This is definitely a 5-STAR location for butterfly watcher

Accommodation

We stayed at Rumah Rehat Adeline which is located at Kampung Geruntum, about 7 Km from the town of Gopeng. The place is located in a durian plantation and next to a large oil palm plantation.

Simon (right) and I in front of Rumah Rehat Adeline

This is our the hut we stayed in. It has fan, light and mattresses. It is simple and clean and that’s all we need for our trip.

For those who enjoy cold shower, they have outdoor shower area which is fantastic after a hot day out.


and that’s me having a shower before dinner !

Food

Our package includes 4 meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. The food here is one of the best and a friend commented it is many times better than what he had at Taman Negara.

All the food are prepared with the freshest ingredients and some prepared right in front of us. The picture below shows the cook preparing chicken soup in bamboo stick, one of many delicious dishes served.

Tou Fu with Petai and prawn

After a long hot day out chasing butterflies, nothing beats having hot delicious food waiting for you at the dining table.

Butterflies

The Rajah Brooke’s area is located 4 km away from where we stayed.

We have to cross a river to get there but on the first day, the bridge was submerged due to the heavy down pour the night before.

So we had to use the suspension bridge instead

Here is Simon checking out one of the tracks.

Simon and I outside the RBB/Rafflesia visitor center

Finally, I get to see RBB puddling, up close !

There were at least 50~60 of them spread over a 3 sqm area. What a spectacular sight !

A male RBB

The female RBB is very rare and does not puddle. They only feed on nectar and can usually be seen gliding high up at the canopy, feeding on bauhinia flowers. We were fortunate to see at least 4 of them feeding on wild Clerodendron about 10 feet above the ground.
 

 

continue in Part II