Friday, March 2, 2012

A New Butterfly Species Found in NTU

Continue from my last post.

After taking some shots t the NIE pond, I took a casual walk along Nanyang Crescent. I noticed quite a number Bush Brown butterflies (
Mycalesis species) fluttering on a grass patch. A deformed but relatively tame Nigger (Orsotriaena medus cinerea) was my first model along a forest fringe.
The weather wasn't ideal for butterfly hunting as dark clouds assisted by strong winds congregating rapidly. With an umbrella in my camera bag, I continued walking towards Nanyang Avenue. On a quiet corner, a brown skipper which looks like a Small Branded Swift (Pelopidas mathias) was still taking a nap in a cool morning.
At the junction of Nanyang Avenue and Nanyang Crescent, I noticed at least half a dozen Jamides were fluttering in the breeze. My instinct told me that this particular lycaenid may not be a Common Caerulean (Jamides celeno aelianus). I waited patiently and took some a few shots when it settled down on a twig. According to Dr Seow, this may be J. pura but without a clear upperside view, we can't be absolutely sure of the species.
I followed a walking path that led me into a forested area and was rewarded with a few shots of a Biggs's Brownie (Miletus biggsii biggsii ) and a group of big wild fungus.
Just before a heavy downpour in the late morning, I took a long-distance shot of a puddling orange butterfly before it took off hastily. A few days later, I realised that I had accidentally shot a new butterfly species for Singapore - the Common Jester (Symbrenthia hippoclus). You may want to read a detailed write-up posted on the ButterflyCircle's Blog.

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