BIG - 2003 May

Updated on May 2003

Another new species discovered in Singapore! ^{New !}

Orange-tailed Awl (Bibasis sena uniformis)

A female Bibasis sena about to lay an egg

During one of our weekend rambles into the forest sometime in March, Gan spotted some rolled up leaves on a tree. Opening one up, he found a colourful caterpillar of the Hesperiidae or Skipper family inside. Taking it home to rear until maturity, he made a startling discovery. It was an Orange-tailed Awl (Bibasis sena uniformis), a species not recorded in Singapore before.

We may have overlooked the existence of this species because at a glance the adult looks similar to another commoner species, the Plain Banded Awl (Hasora vitta vitta) shown on the right. The differences are clear when viewed from the attached photographs. The former has an orange tip to its tail and a broader white band while the latter has a black tip and a narrower band.

Hasora vitta

Photo Highlight ^{New !}

Athyma asura idita
The Studded Sergeant

This is one of a group of five Athyma or Sergeant species you will most likely encounter in the forest. It differs from the rest in that the white spots on its underside of the forewings and some white spots on both sides of its hindwings are black-centred. This particular male specimen was found sipping from the ground on a really hot day.

Expert Insight

Polyura hebe plautus
The Plain Nawab

The commoner of the two known species of the genus Polyura in Singapore. The butterfly is greenish white above and the forewing has a broad black apical border, which is very wide at the apex, but decreases in width towards the tornus and base of the costa. Find out more about this butterfly from this article. more ..

Butterfly Article

Saved from the Fog of Hell !
By Steven Neo - Apr 2003

"Steven, Steven, I need your help. The Birdwing has just hatched but the pest control guys are coming any minute to fog my garden! " For one blur moment, as I held the phone,
I wondered if I was the victim of an April Fool's joke. But the desperate tone of Evelyn's voice sank in and I recalled that the beautiful Birdwing Butterflies were breeding in her condo garden ... more ...

Flying Flowers
by Steven Neo, Betty L Khoo and Andrew Tay

The sight of butterflies flitting and feeding from flower to flower is something that urban Singaporeans can still appreciate in our parks, but probably few make the connection between the worm-like fat caterpillar that chews up the leaves of plants and the gorgeous butterfly with its exquisitely delicate wings. more ...

Butterfly Sightings^{New !}

25/05/03	Found 5 empty pupa of the Euripus nyctelius eupleoides (Courtesan) on a plant at Upper Pierce.
12/04/03	Sighted Bindahara phocides phocides at Upper Seletar
01/03/03	Sighted Danaus melanippus hegesippus (Black Veined Tiger) at Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail
08/02/03	Sighted Zizeeria maha serica at Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail
04/01/03	Sighted Euploea tulliolus ledederi (Dwarf Crow) at Sime Forest.
01/01/03	Singted a pair of Idea leuconoe clara at Sime Forest again !

Calender

2003 Butterfly Walks
	26/1	Alexandra Hospital - G
	23/2	Kallang Riverside -SC
	29/3	Upper Seletar - SN
	19/4	Bukit Timah - BJ
	17/5	Pulau Ubin - SC
	15/6	Sungei Buloh - JL
	29/6	Fun with Butterfly
	13/7	Telok Blangah Hill - G
	17/8	SICC - BJ
2002 Butterfly Walks
	13/01	Kallang Riverside -SC
	16/03	Bukit Timah - SN
	13/04	Bukit Timah - G
	26/05	Sungei Buloh - JL
	08/06	SICC - SC
	21/07	Alexandar Hospital - G
	11/08	Pulau Ubin - SC
	22/09	Upper Seletar - G
	13/10	Bukit Batok - JL
	Nov	No Butterfly walk
	Dec	No Butterfly walk

Photo Gallery

Butterfly Walks ^{New !}

Caterpillars ^{New !}

Common urban butterflies

Autumn Leaf

Chocolate Pansy

Common Grass Yellow

Common Palmfly

Lemon Emigrant

Lesser Grass Blue

Lime Butterfly

Orange Emigrant

Painted Jezebel

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