Butterflies in Kemensah - December 2018

Here are two butterfly species among others which were seen recently:

Dark Evening Brown

Melanitis phedima

Tree Yellow

Gandaca harina distani

Butterflies in August 2018

Weather over here has been sunny and hot lately. Plenty of butterflies around but mainly from the "Lycaenidae" family. Here are some other species seen.

Parantica melaneus

This "Chocolate Tiger" flies a bit like a 'wood-nymph', flapping its wings gently and glides slowly among low shrubs. Surprisingly this butterfly is reported to be absent from Singapore.

Looks like some "Bush-brown" but minus its clearly define eyespots.

Malayan Viscount (Tanaecia pelea)

This female Malayan Viscount is simply gorgeous !

Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)

This is a common butterfly which can be found along the jungle trails in this region.

Common Duffer (Discophora sondaica)

A butterfly which prefers virgin and dark forest.

Here are a few more butterflies photos taken from the higher elevation (hill station):

Vagrant (Vagrans sinha macromalayana)

Wood-Nymph (Ideopsis gaura perakana)

Purple Bush Brown (Mycalesis orseis natilus)

Differentiated from "Dingy Bush Brown" by its more straight ocellus (eye-spots) arrangements as compared to the last two ocellus at the forewing and hindwing of a "Dingy Bush Brown" which are positioned more inwards.  

Archduke (female)

I believe the above butterfly is a "Plain Puffin" (Appias indra plana). Identified from the yellow stripe at the top of its hindwing.

The above butterfly is certainly from the Euploea genus but i am not sure which subspecies it belongs to.

Note: local expert, Liew NL has confirmed that the above butterfly was a "Euploea mulciber mulciber" (Stripped Blue Crow)

Horsfield Baron (male).

HAPPY BUTTERFLY WATCHING !

Butterfly Watching - June 2018

Great Egg-fly (female - Ssp Bolina)

Magpie Crow (Euploea radamanthus)

Compared with the above Great Egg-fly, Magpie Crows have light blue spots from the Apex to Tornus section of its wings.

Dark Yellow-banded flat 

Lemon Pansy

Quite common in northern Peninsular Malaysia

Common Posy

Colonel (Pandita sinope)

Its wing was probably been chip off by a bird.

Here is a skipper which is probably under reported. It is small and has dull colors. I believe the above skipper is a "Plain Tufted Lancer" (Isma iapis) instead of a "Small Branded Swift" as it does not show any green sheen at its wing base as reported on the latter.

Butterfly Watching - May 2018

Here are some butterflies which came across my path recently. They were all seen at sub montane level.

.

Common Three-Ring Butterfly

Marbled White Morph

This is probably a female Common Earl. Identified thru its white band hindwing.

Small Wood-Nymph (Ideopsis gaura)

Saw a few of them flying slowly in the forest trail.

Not so sure which butterfly does this Caterpillar belongs to but saw lots of the above wood-nymphs flying around.

Lastly this could be a Common Tiger (D.melanippus) from the old world.

Like its relatives in North America, the Monarch Butterfly, it is probably poisonous too.

HAPPY BUTTERFLY WATCHING !

Butterflies of Tropical Rainforest - 2017

In the tropical rainforest, you will feel just like a child in a toy shop. There are so many things to explore and see within a day. Like birds and animals, there are also butterflies which are common as well as rare ones.

Here are some rare ones which i have came across recently.

Bamboo Tree-Brown (Lethe europa)

Palm King (Amathusia phidippus)

Tufted Jungle King (Thauria aliris)

The above photo was taken without a diffuser flash.

This one was taken with some flash.

Blue-banded Jungle Glory (Thaumantis odana)

All the above butterflies were very skittish except for the Palm King. Their comfort zone was very wide which prevented me from going closer.

Here are the more common ones.

Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra)

The single white costal hindwing spot should give away its identity.

The above butterfly looks very much like a "Tawny Palmfly" (Elymnias panthera)

Great Egg-fly (ssp H. b. jacintha)

Malayan Owl (Neorina lowii)

The above photos show a female Archduke (Lexias pardalis) 

Features: i) orange-tipped antennae

ii) larger size      

For comparison, the photo below shows a "Yellow Archduke" 

Yellow Archduke (Lexias canescens)

Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)

Darts can be difficult to distinguish so i will leave them to the experts. I can only guess that the above skipper might probably be a "Pale Palm Dart" (Telicota colon)

Enjoy the Natural World 

and 

HAPPY WATCHING BUTTERFLIES !