Autumn Moths

 

Even with all the excitement last week with the rare Long-tailed Blue butterflies I still managed to get the moth trap out a few times. For most of the week the weather was favourable with light winds, although the overnight temperatures were a little lower than they had been.

 

Despite this I still caught a few new species and also some nice individuals.

 

 

The Black Rustic.

 

 

Dark Sword-grass

 

and the Sallow

 

 

All these moths are quite common but were all very fresh individuals. Now its waiting for the wind to die down before the next attempt.

Life History of the Large Snow Flat

Life History of the Large Snow Flat (Tagiades gana gana)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Tagiades Hübner, 1819
Species: gana Moore, 1866
Sub-species: gana Moore, 1866
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 38-45mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Dioscorea pyrifolia (Dioscoreaceae), Dioscorea orbiculata var. tenuifolia (Dioscoreaceae) and other Dioscorea spp.

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:

Above, the wings are brown with obscure post-discal and discal spots in darker brown. On the forewing, there are three white hyaline sub-apical spots in spaces 6,7,8. On the hindwing, the tornal area is whitened and there are black marginal spots at the end of veins 2, 3 and 4, and in some specimens, another spot at the end of vein 1b. Below, the wings are similarly marked as per above but with the whitened area on the hindwing extended to the basal area and almost to the costal margin.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:  
This species is common in Singapore and can be found in the forested areas in the Central Catchment and Bukit Timah nature reserves, and several other sites across the island. The adults are rapid flyers and are more active in the cooler hours of the day. As is the case for the other Tagiades species, the adults have the habit of perching on the underside of a leaf between flights, and with wings opened flat. The adults are often seen visiting flowers for nectar.

Early Stages:
Several Dioscorea spp. have been found to be the local host plants for the Large Snow Flat. Only two of them have been formally identified. The caterpillars of the Large Snow Flat feed on leaves of the host plant. When not feeding, the caterpillars seek safety and concealment in a leaf shelter formed by cutting and folding a leaf fragment along the edge of the leaf.

Local host plant #1: Dioscorea pyrifolia.

Local host plant #2: Dioscorea orbiculata var. tenuifolia.

Leaf shelter of a 2nd instar caterpillar of the Large Snow Flat.

A mating pair of the Large Snow Flat.

The eggs of the Large Snow Flat are laid singly on the underside of a leaf of the host plant. The pale yellowish is hemispherical with surface marked with longitudinal ridges running from the pole to the rim of the base. The egg is well concealed in a mass of fine whitish to pale yellowish setae deposited by the mother butterfly. Each egg has a diameter of about 0.9mm.

Two views of an egg of the Large Snow Flat.

Left: a maturing egg; Right : a mature egg with the polar portion of the egg shell already nibbled away.

The egg takes about 5 days to hatch. The young caterpillar emerges by eating away the polar portion of the egg shell. The rest of the egg shell is not eaten by the newly hatched which is about 3mm in length. The dull orange body is reddish laterally and feature a few moderately long setae at its anal end. The head capsule is black in color, and there is a black collar mark on the dorsum of the prothorax.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 3mm.

The newly hatched makes its way to the leaf edge to construct its very first leaf shelter. It ventures out of the shelter from time to time to feed on the leaf lamina in the vicinity. As the caterpillar grows, the body assumes a green undertone. After reaching about 5mm in about 3 days, the caterpillar moults to the 2nd instar.

Two views of a 1st instar caterpillar, length: 4.5mm.

Two views of a late 1st instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult.

The body of the 2nd instar caterpillar is initially dull orange but becoming more yellowish as it grows in this instar. The lateral reddish coloration also dissipates in the same time frame. There are numerous, obscure and whitish specks carpeting the body surface. The black colar mark on the prothorax is still present but has become obscure. The dark reddish brown head is broadened sideways to two rounded tips at the upper end. This instar lasts about 4 days with the body length reaching about 8mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 4.2mm.

Two views of a 2nd instar caterpillar, length: 5.8mm.

A late 2nd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult, length: 8mm.

The 3rd instar caterpillar closely resembles the 2nd instar caterpillar. The head capsule is still dark reddish brown but broader sideways and with the two raised points more pronounced, resulting in a heart-shaped outline. The whitish/yellowish specks on the body are now more prominent. This instar takes about 5 days to complete with body length reaching about 12mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 7.5mm.

Two views of a 3rd instar caterpillar, length: 12mm.

Two views of a late 3rd instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult.

The 4th instar caterpillar is little changed from the 3rd instar. The yellowish green body is covered with numerous, yellowish specks, and there is hardly any hint of a dark collar mark on the prothorax. This instar lasts about 6 days with body length reaching about 21-22mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 12.5mm.

Two views of a 4th instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 22mm.

Two views of a late 4th instar caterpillar, dormant prior to its moult.

The 5th instar caterpillar has similar body markings as in the 4th instar. The yellow coloration of the body ground colour and that of the numerous specks is more mellow than in the earlier instar. This final instar lasts for about 8-9 days, and the body length reaches up to 33-40mm.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 22mm.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, length:30mm.

On the last day of 5th instar, the body decolorises to an iridescent shade of pink. The caterpillar ceases feeding and remains in its leaf shelter. In it, the pre-pupatory larva prepares for the pupal phase with a series of silk construction work with the main pieces being a silk girdle across the dorsum of its early abdominal segments, and a short and thickened transverse silk band on the substrate at its posterior end. Pupation takes place about 1 day later.

Two views of a 5th instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length:28mm.

Top: A pre-pupa of the Large Snow Flat secured with silk girdle in its shelter. Bottom: The fresh pupa, note the change to cremastral attachment at the posterior end.

The girdled pupa is secured with its cremaster attached to the short transverse band on the substrate. It has a short thorax, a rather long abdomen, a pointed rostrum and two small ear-like appendages at the leading edge of the mesothorax. The body is pale beige brown dotted with numerous brown to reddish brown spots. Unlike other Tagiades spp., the pupa doe snot have white triangular patches on the sides of its body. Length of pupae: 24-25mm.

Two views of a pupa of the Large Snow Flat.

Left: Frontal view of the anterior of a pupa of the Large Snow Flat. Right: Close-up view of the cremastral attachment.

After about 8 days of development, the pupal turns dark as the development within the pupal case comes to an end.  The following day, the adult butterfly emerges from the pupal case.

Two views of a mature pupa of the Large Snow Flat .

A newly eclosed adult of the Large Snow Flat .

References:

• [C&P4] The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.
• Butterflies of Thailand, Pisuth Ek-Amnuay, 2nd Edition, 2012.
• A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore, Khew S.K., Ink On Paper Communications, 2010.

Text by Horace Tan, Photos by Antonio Giudici, Mark Wong, Federick Ho, Chng CK, Loke PF, Nelson Ong, Sunny Chir, Khew SK and Horace Tan

Butterflies Galore! : Plain Palm Dart

Butterflies Galore!
The Plain Palm Dart (Cephrenes acalle niasicus)

The Plain Palm Dart is one of two extant species of the genus Cephrenes in Singapore. Males of this species are often confused with the commoner Telicota species which are lookalikes and not easy to identify when in the field. However, the Plain Palm Dart is slightly more unique than the other species in that the females are purple-brown and can be distinguished immediately. The species can be found in urban parks and gardens, and is also quite regularly observed on Pulau Ubin, especially when there are flowering Syzygium trees.

This female Plain Palm Dart was photographed by ButterflyCircle member Loke PF. The butterfly is feeding on the flower of a common "weed", Bidens sp. Females are rarer than males.  The caterpillar of the Plain Palm Dart feeds on the common coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) and one of the "fan" palms (Livistonia sp).  The life history has been recorded here.

Its a Female Long-tailed Blue !!

 

So there we were thinking we'd had another wasted day in our quest to find the Long-tailed Blue, with the sea mist never really clearing and the chances of any Long-tailed Blues flying very poor. Giving up we were heading back to the car when we saw the shape of the sun amongst the low cloud and the temperature rose a degree or two. I spotted a Small Copper as we climbed a small hill and as the Copper flew off in one direction another butterfly flew in the other direction. This one however looked like a blue of some type. Panic ensued whilst Nigel and myself tried to keep on it. It settled very briefly on bramble, just long enough to confirm the id as our first British Long-tailed Blue. Could we possibly get a photograph now as it took off and kept landing very briefly. It then settled halfway up a grass stem and stayed there for a record shot each with the wings slightly open.

 

 

 

 

 

Will it open its wings for us. Not only did it open its wings but it was in a position where we could both take several pictures at the same time. It was also in superb condition and had only recently emerged. A real experience to see one of Britain's rarest butterflies and one that I never thought I would ever see here.

 

 

 

 

Thanks are also due to Colin!!

 

 

 

Hunting Long-tailed Blues

 

Anyone interested in wildlife, and particularly butterflies could not have missed the fact that this year has been the best year in living memory for migrants with good quantities of Painted Lady, Clouded Yellow and particularly the very rare Swallowtail and Long-tailed Blue. An excellent find of a newly emerged Long-tailed Blue by Colin Knight locally was the incentive for myself and Nigel to spend far more time than we should have to try and find one for ourselves. For the last 3 days we have searched two areas whilst hearing about another Blue that we had just missed.

 

One of the beauties of hunting any species is that you never know what else you will come across. There are few butterflies flying now but Small Coppers are still appearing and several of these have been spotted.

 

 

 There are also many dragonflies with Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters being the most common. This is a male Migrant Hawker.

 

 

 

The bizarre looking peppered Moth larva was a great find by Claire, very hard to see with its amazing camouflage.

 

 

 

 

I was very pleased to find the fantastic female Wasp Spider, only the 2nd one I have seen and without doubt the most colourful of the British spiders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butterflies Galore! : Archduke

Butterflies Galore!
The Archduke (Lexias pardalis dirteana)

The large, robust-bodied butterflies of the genus Lexias are forest-dependent species that seldom stray from the sanctuary of the forested nature reserves of Singapore. They are largely ground feeders, preferring to forage amongst leaf litter and fallen fruits on forest floor. Two of the three extant species of the genus display distinct sexual dimorphism in that the male and female look very different from each other.

This shot, taken by ButterflyCircle member Nelson Ong, shows a male of the Archduke feeding on some liquid nutrients on a tree trunk. The males are velvety black above with a prominent blue marginal border on the hindwing, which continues to the termen of the forewing. The Archduke is a powerful flyer and is usually skittish.

Canary-shouldered Thorn

 

When I was sorting out the moth trap this morning I nearly missed this Canary-shouldered Thorn, a fantastic looking moth. I thought it was a honeysuckle flower that had fallen off the bush next to the trap. For a Thorn it was surprisingly happy to sit and have its photo taken. Other interesting moths included 2 more L-album Wainscot, this time I managed to improve on my other photo effort with this moth. Mallow, Autumnal Rustic and feathered Brindle were all new moths for the trap.

 

 

The fabulous Canary-shouldered Thorn

 

 

L-album Wainscot

 

 

On the fence near the trap was a real surprise, the rare micro moth

 

Ethmia Bipunctella