Langakwi Butterfly Trip

This is my first overseas butterfly trip for 2014 and my 3rd visit to Lanngkawi Island. Langkawi island is part of the state of Kedah and sits at the northernmost point of Peninsula Malaysia and very closed to Thailand. As such many of the flora and fauna on Langkawi Island are not found on the Malaysian mainland and are closer to those from Thailand.

This is a short 4D3N trip with my butterfly friends and the objective is to record and photograph the butterflies found on the island.  My wish list for this trip is the elusive Yoma sabina vasuki which in Malaysia is only found on the Langkawi Island and Perak.
The weather on  the island unfortunately has been unexpectedly hot and arid due the El Nino effect and as a result we did not see as many butterflies as we had hoped and those we came here for.  However, we still had a very productive trip. We recorded 110+ butterfly species, observed a mini migration and population explosion (1000+ individuals) of the Euploea butterflies and all of us leave the island with lifers on our check list. We will be back and I will continue to look for the elusive Yoma sabina !


CW from Top left - Papilio demolion ,Pathysa ramaceus, Parantica aglea, Lebadea martha, Cirrochroa surya , Zemeros flegyas, Euploea sylvester, Bindahara phocides, Prothoe franck.


CW from Top left - Euploea core, Bassarona teuta rayana, Euploea eyndhovii, Melanitis phedima, Curetis bullis, Tapena thwaitesi, Notocrypta curvifascia, Arhopala democritus and Appias albina
You can see more butterflies photos from this trip on my Flickr album and Lemon’s Flickr album.

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Haliman Guest House



Searching for and photographing butterflies


Sunset from the beach

Sunset from Gunung Machincang


Viewing station at Gunung Machincang


Langkawi Sky Bridge

Erebus ephesperis returns

Saw this Erebus moth outside my apartment yesterday.

Another moth that I see frequently in my garden is Hulodes caranae

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:

Visitors to my garden

Here are some recent visitors to my high rise garden.

2011 Nov : A female Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus) fluttering around my Sui Mei plant which has Dendrophthoe pentandra growing on it.

2012 Jan : A female Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparate) ovipositing on Dendrophthoe pentandra.

 

2012 Feb : A Chocolate Pansy (Junonia hedonia) was fluttering around my 5th floor garden for 30 mins.  I am surprised to find Chocolate Pansy up on a high rise garden because Chocolate pansy usually flies closed to the ground. I hope it laid some eggs on its hostplant which I have growing in my garden.

 

2012 Feb ; I found this Cleora sp. moth, measuring 40mm across on the wall outside my apartment.  It stayed there for 3 days before disappearing !

Butterfly Species #18 in my garden

Today, my Mrs alerted me to a 'large black butterfly' hovering over above me. I looked up and there is a King Crow (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui) circling over my garden !

The crow must have came from West Coast Park where there are many Pong Pong trees (Cerbera odollam), its larva host plant. It must have been attracted by my Dill plant. On 14 Dec, I spotted a Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica agleoides agleoides) circling my dill plant and it stayed for 2 days before disappearing.

Eupanacra elegantulus (Herrich-Schaeffer, [1856])

Name       : Eupanacra elegantulus (Herrich-Schaeffer, [1856])
Family      : SPHINGIDAE Latreille, 1802
Subfamily : MACROGLOSSINAE Harris, 1839 
Tribe        : Macroglossini Harris, 1839
Larva host plant : Alocasia, Diffenbachia, Anthurium, Philodendron
Female : Mar 2008 Singapore 

Female : Mar 2008 Singapore 


Jan 2009 Singapore

 
Male : Mar 2008 Singapore

 
Male : Dec 2011 Singapore

Reference : The Sphingidae of Southeast-Asia

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Life History Record :
- Dec 2011– Diffenbachia
- May 2009– Colocosia Black Magic
- Apr 2009 – Anthurium
- Jan 2009 - Philodendron selloum
- Mar 2008 – Alocacsia and Diffenbachia

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Date : 3 Dec 2011 source : Gan Location : MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore Host plant : Diffenbachia

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Date : 25 May 2009 source : GCS member “wolfman” Location : Along Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore Host plant : Colocasia Black Magic

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Date : 28 Mar 2008 Source : Ling Chai Joo, ZMPS Parent volunteer Location : Zhong Hua Primary School (ZMPS), Singapore Host Plant : Alocasia and Diffenbachia amoena (Dumbcane) Ovum ~ 1.3mm  2nd Instar larva ~ 14.5mm Larvae T-B : Prepupa, 5th, 3rd instar Final instar pre-pupa larva  : Pupa :   Imago (male) :

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Date : 9 Jan 2009 Source : Mubaraka, GCS member. Location : Along Holland Road, Singapore. Host Plant : Araceae - Philodendron selloum Larva : 5th instar Pre-Pupa : The caterpillar build a ‘cocoon’   That is how the caterpillar looks like before it change into Pupa.  it is now about 0.6 of its original size Pupa : ~ 39mm Adult (male):

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Date : April 2009 Source : Navin Brian, Location : Yio Chu Kang-Seletar area, Singapore. Host Plant : Anthurium (Araceae)

The Tailed Sulphur, Dercas gobrias herodorus (Fruhstorfer)

From a far, this species can be easily mistaken for a large Eurema, Gandaca or Catopsilia, especially when it is puddling with other Pierids.  However, its unique angled wing and blackish brown quadrate spot on the apex of the forewing makes it distintive and cannot be mistaken for any other species in Malaysia.

 

The larva host plant for D. gobrias is Dalbergia benthami, a plant that looks a bit like the Rattlebox pea plant (Crotalaria sp).

Note: The species that is found in West Malaysia has been reclassified as Dercas gobrias herodorus.The reason for the change is because D. verhuelli is a continental species and can only be found in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and southern China while D. gobrias is found in found Peninsula Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java.