eGuide to the Butterflies of Singapore

eGuide to the Butterflies of Singapore

After several months of wait, iPhone apps for Butterflies of Singapore finally ready to publish now available in App Store now!

For the start, this app features 101 medium and large size butterflies from 3 families (Swallowtails, Whites and Sulfurs, and Brush-footed) found in Singapore. With this apps, you can identify every species of butterflies in your gardens, parks and nature reserves with more than 340 well taken photographs.

  

Sample Screens on iPhone

You may use the app on your iPhone or iTouch or iPad anywhere, anytime. Internet connection is not necessary. With alphabetical list that you can scroll through and simple search tools, it’s easy to find the butterflies you are looking for.

Sample screen on iPad - photos and facts about the species

Sample screen on iPad (Landscape mode)

Looking for additional of 200 species in a upcoming update.

Contents
* Butterflies grouped in family
* Alphabetical list of butterflies with thumbnail images, common and scientific name
* Full colour photos of each butterflies
* Butterflies list sorted by common name
* Search by both common name & Scientific name
* Information on every species - habitat, size, color, status and more
* Nature Reserves and Parks information



Send me your suggestions, comments or requests. We also welcome submission of high quality photograph of butterflies and it will be make available to the rest of the users.

Patial life history of Melanocyma faunula (Pallid Faun)

Melanocyma faunula (Pallid Faun)

The butterfly is represented from Myanmar, Thailand & Peninsular Malaysia. It's a moderate size butterfly with wingspan of 90mm


During one of the visits to Malacca Butterflies Park in year 2007, a group of these caterpillars was found feeding on a Cycad palm.




5th instar caterpillar covered in fine hairs, with black head capsule.

The pupa is smooth, suspended by cremaster from the leaf of hostplant, and in bright yellow color.

Adult butterfly feeding on a pineapple, together with a Common Palmfly

Note:
In "Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula" by Corbet & Pendlebury ( 1992 ), plate 18, this species was wrong labelled Taenaris horsfieldii

A notes of NEW butterflies species recorded in Singapore & who found them

This notes was prepared by comparing the Latest Singapore Butterflies Observation List against the Bible of butterflies reference - "The Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula 4th Edition".
Reference Website: NSS Butterflies Sighting records

Family : Papilionidae
Graphium doson evemonides (Common Jay) - (2004) Richard Ong

Family : Pieridae
Pieris canidia canidia (Cabbage White) - (2001) Simon Chan
Hebomoia glaucippe aturia (Great Orange Tip) - (2004) Richard Ong

Family : Nymphalidae
Acraea violae (Tawny Coster) - (2006) Rey Aguila
Cethosia cyane (Leopard Lacewing) - (2005) ?
Vanessa indica indica (Indian Red Admiral) - (2008) James Chia
Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) - (2007) Horace Tan
Hypolimnas bolina jacintha (Jacintha Eggfly) - (2001) Simon Chan and Gan CW
Doleschallia bisaltide ?bisaltide (Autumn Leaf) - (1999) Andrea, Steven Neo
Athyma pravara helma (Lance Sergeant) - ?
Lebadea martha malayana (Knight) - (2005) Khew SK
Lexias dirtea merguia - ?

Family : Lycaenidae
Megisba malaya sikkima  (The Malayan) - ?
Zizeeria maha serica (Pale Grass Blue) - (2001) Steven Neo
Nacaduba biocellata (Two Spotted Line Blue) - (2004) Federick Ho
Catopyrops ancyra (Ancyra Blue) - (2005) Soon Chye
Petrelaea dana dana (Dingy Line Blue) - ?
Sinthusa nasaka amba (Narrow Spark) - ?

Family : Hesperiidae
Bibasis sena uniformis (Orange-Tail Awl) - (2002) Gan CW
Pseudocoladenia dan dhyana (Fulvous Pied Flat) - (2002) Steven Neo, Simon Chan
Suastus gremius gremius (Palm Bob) - ?
Suastus everyx everyx - ?
Zela zenon - ?
Taractrocera archias quinta - ?
Telicota linna (Linna Palm Dart) - (2010) Soon Chye
Cephrenes trichopepla (Yellow Palm Dart) - (1999) Kelvyn Dunn
Pelopidas conjunctus conjunctus (Conjoined Swift) - (2005) Soon Chye
Pelopidas assamensis (Great Swift) - (2002) Khew SK, Steven Neo, Gan CW

Note:
1. NSS = Nature Society (Singapore), most of the new records came from this group in early 2000.
2. Records marked as ? was recorded by some earlier authors.

Early stage of Catopsilia pomona pomona (Lemon Emigrant)

Early stage of Badamia exclamationis (Brown Awl)

The adult of Brown Awl is not often seen in Singapore, but it's definitely not rare as described by the early author, the species & their larva has been found in several location such as CCA, SBG, MOG & SBWR.

The adult visits flowers, and sometimes spotted stop on damp rock but usually found hide under leaf.

Early stage of Iambrix salsala salsala (Chestnut Bob)

Why we need a new Singapore Butterflies Observation Checklist?

There're a couple of Singapore Butterflies Checklists available on internet today, mostly maintained by old time butterflies collectors, either with old sighting records, or are not updated.

The problem of such checklists is that, it's maintained with "secrecy", the additional of new or removal of old butterfly species was made unclear, not open & to certain extend, individual likeness.

Butterfly species such as Delias pasithoe parthenope (Red-Base Jezebel), is still kept in most of the checklist, while in actual fact, the butterflies had not been seen for at least the past donkey years. Photos used in such checklists were taken in the neighboring country, and posted in the local checklist.

Same for Iraota distanti distanti, also not sighted for long, and the photo illustrated in local website, is the individual captured by the butterflies collector, pinched on the body to make it immobile, and appear standing in weird & weak position.

Species such as Hebomoia glaucippe aturia (Great Orange Tip), was sighted only once in the recent year but also included in the checklist. A simple notes of such sighting will help to public to understand it's a single sighting (possibly migratory species) and not a local native species.