Death-head Hawk Moth

Name : Acherontia lachesis (Fabricius, 1798)
Family : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802
Subfamily : Sphinginae Latreille, [1802]
Tribe : Acherontiini Boisduval, [1875]
Larva host plant :Clerodendrum paniculatum (Labiatae), Stachytarpheta indica (Verbenaceae)

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Life History Record :
- ?? ?? ????: Larva from Fraser’s Hill, feeds on Clerodendrum sp.
- 11 Jan 2012 : Larva from Lyndi Whye, feeds on variegated Stachytarpheta indica

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Date : Jan 2011
Location : Namly Avenue, Bukit Timah, Singapore.
Host Plant : Stachytarpheta indica (Verbenaceae)

5th instar:

Pre-pupa:

Just pupated:

Pupa:

Pupation period : 18 days.

Adult:

Larva of Miletini

Last week at Pulau Tinggi,  a Croton plant outside my chalet was infested with mealy bugs.  I noticed some of the mealy bugs were rather big. They were between 5mm to 8mm long. On closer examination, I realised they were not mealy bugs but caterpillars !  In fact I have seem these big ‘mealy bugs’ before and it never occurred to me that they wre butterfly caterpillars.

Unlike most butterfly caterpillars, the caterpillar of the butterfly from the tribe Miletini are carnivorous and feeds on Homoptera and ants broods.

These are some photos of these big ‘mealy bugs’ :

1. The caterpillar is covered with white powdery stuff.

2. This caterpillar felled onto a leave when I tried to photograph it. 

 

3. This caterpillar has moved away from its food source and prepare to anchor itself to a leave to start the process of transforming to a pupa.

More Plain Tigers eclosed

7 Plain Tigers eclosed today – 4 male and 3 female. 

3 flew off when I open the container to check on them and the other four were released near One North.

The tigers left and returned

The Plain Tiger butterfly and butterflies from this genus (Danaus) have a very short life cycle. The time it take from egg to adult is anywhere between 16-21 days ! For Plain Tiger the pupa period is between 5 to 7 days.

1. Two pupae the night before eclosion.  The pupa case is now transparent, showing the color of the upperside of the wings.

2. A newly emerged female drying its wings.

3. Another female about to fly off.
4. A freshly emerged male resting on its host plant.

 

A few days ago, I noticed a female Plain Tiger fluttering around my Asclepias fruticosa , a relative of the Blood flower (Asclepias  curassavica).

The female was feeding on the flowers and laying eggs on the leaves. I found many eggs and early instar caterpillars on the plant.  The female returned the next few days and I noticed it favored the Asclepias over Calotropis as host plant.

Baby Tigers spotted !

This morning I noticed the leaves of my Blood Flower (Asclepias  curassavica ) show signs of being eaten by caterpillar. On closer examination, I found Plain Tiger caterpillars on the plant.

I checked the plants and counted at least 10 caterpillars ! 
I decided to collect all the caterpillars and put them in container so that I can ration the leaves and ensure there is sufficient leaves for all of them.

New born in February

Leopard reared on Flacourtia rukam.

Painted Jezebel (PJ) – the pupa on the top is a male - showing it’s white upperside forewings while the one below with black color forewings is a female.

A newly emerged PJ drying itself on the leaf of Tillandsia balbisiana.

   
Another newly emerged PJ drying its wings on Rhipsalis leaf.

Mr vs Mrs Gan

See what is lining up at my Mrs nursery :

9 pupae

At least 15 final instar cats ..


Another 15+ 3rd and 4th instar cats ..

and many many newly emerged caterpillars !

I admit defeat ! My only consolation is the cats I rear are more varied and uncommon. ;-)

BTW, if anyone is interested is rearing Lime Butterfly or Painted Jezebel caterpillar, just drop me an email to arrange for collection from my place in the west.

Delias hyparete ovipositing

Yesterday morning, a female Painted Jezebel come to my garden to lay eggs on the mistletoe (Dendrophthoe pentandra) growing on my Sui Wrightia religiosa

I grabbed my camera and managed to video it laying eggs on the mistletoe leaf.

Painted Jezebel caterpillars

These are the 30+ caterpillars (a few hidden behind the leaf ) my mrs rescued from the mistletoe plant in my condo.

If left on the plant, the caterpillars will most likely perish from the weekly fogging or being removed together with the mistletoe by my condo’s gardener.

A 3-4” long green caterpillar

Last week, a GCS member sent me a SMS asking if I am interested in a 3~4” long green caterpillar.  Caterpillar of this size in a garden is most likely that of Hawk moth or Atlas moth.  On probing I found out that it has a tail and was feeding on a plant belonging to Araceae family.  This confirmed it is a Hawk moth caterpillar and most likely that of Eupanacra elegantulus.
The member was kind enough to bring the caterpillar and a cutting of the host plant to me on that evening and the caterpillar was confirmed to be that of Eupanacra elegantulus.

Pandita sinope sinope – The Colonel

Name	: Pandita sinope sinope Moore 1858
Family	: Nymphalidae
Subfamily	: Numphalinae
Tribe	: Limentidini
Larva host plant	: Rubiaceae

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Life History Record
- 2007 May– Uncaria sp (Rubiaceae)

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Date         : 1 May 2007 Location   : Bunker Trail, Johor, Malaysia Host Plant : Uncaria sp (Rubiaceae) Ovum: Larva: 1st instar 3rd instar 5th instar Pre-pupa   Pupa : The night before eclosion

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Macroglossum sitiene Walker, 1856

Name       : Macroglossum sitiene Walker, 1856
Family      : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802
Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839 
Tribe        : Macroglossini Harris, 1839
Genus       : Macroglossum Scopoli, 1777
Larva host plant : Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae)

 

Reference : Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic

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Life History Record :
- Nov 2001 – Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae)

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Date         : 9 Nov 2001 Location   : Clementi Woods Park, Singapore Host Plant : Paederia foetida (Rubiaceae) Ovum : Laid single at the underside of leaf Larva : 2nd instar larva Final instar larva – green form   Just before it pupate, the larva changes to pink color Pupa : Adult :

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