Butterflies from Singapore

Below are a few butterflies I shot today around the Central Catchments area.

1. Sumatran sunbeam (Curetis santana) taking off.

2. Common Snowflat (Tagiades japetus), one of the most common Snowflat in Singapore.


3. Tawny Palmfly (Elymnias panthera), the rarer of the 2 Palmfly in Singapore. 


4. Flos anniella, uncommon.


5. Flos apidanus, uncommon.

Caterpillar feeding on Desert Rose plant

During a recent GCS gathering, a GCS member told me she had a big green caterpillar eating her Desert Rose (Adenium obesium) plant, a plant belonging to the Dogbane Family ( Apocynaceae )

She sent me a photo and it turned out the caterpillar is another hawk moth caterpillar, the Oleander Hawk-moth - Daphnis nerii.

In Singapore, Oleander Hawk-moth caterpillar is usually found feeding on Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus) , PinWheel Jasmine (Tabernaemontana sp) and Oleander (Nerium oleander), all  belonging to the Apocynaceae family. 

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.

Butterfly Walks

Simon and I conducted 2 butterfly walks for NSS members this weekend.

Yesterday we had our inaugural walk at the Changi Airport Terminal 3 Butterfly Garden.  The butterfly garden is inside the transit area thus is accessible only to transit passengers but NSS managed to secure special visitor pass for 60 NSS members to visit the T3 butterfly garden. 3 cheers to NSS-BIG !

and this morning we had a big turnout for the butterfly walk at Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail.

Pictures from the walks will be posted on BIG’s Blog later this week.

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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April Butterfly trip to Fraser’s Hill – Part 2

Continue from Part 1

Moths
We saw lots of colorful and interesting but only one new species of Hawk moth - Cypa decolor decolor.

Cypa decolor decolor

Antheraea helferi borneensis (m)

A very tattered Lamaireia loepoides

Two Ambulyx moorei

Eudocima homaena (f)
 

Plutodes malaysiana
 

Fascellina clausaria
and a few others I have not had time to id .. 
 

Assassin Bug with its prey

 

Birds

Pink-necked Green Pigeon at Ayer Keroh

Mountain Imperial Pigeon at High Pines

Cave Racer snake along the new road

The END.