Butterflies of Panti Forest Part 2

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I did't encounter many skippers in this trip. This is a Sumatran Bob (Arnetta verones) resting quite tamely and enjoying a quiet moment away from all the puddlling butterflies.  

A Forest Hopper (Astictopteru jama jama ) was nearby as well, taking a short nap under a big tree.

The only Arhopala shot in this trip was a tailless species with blue uppersides, identified by Dr Seow as Arhopala epimuta epiala.. It appeared outside the base camp in the late afternoon.  

Another shot from a new perch.

This Malay Staff Sergeant (Athyma reta moorei ) was photographed while it was attempting to puddle on the main track. It fluttered off hurriedly when I approached closer.

In the late afternoon, at the base camp CH spotted another individual feeding on a leaf surface.

While flapping its wings, I went lower to snap its underside.

I didn't know when this Fluffy Tit (Zeltus amasa maximinianus) came down to puddle on this specially prepared and clean sandy ground. 

A more pristine Great Assyrian (Terinos atlita teuthras ) was sighted "testing" the ground and puddling along the main dirt track.

This Five bar Swordtail (Pathysa antiphates itamputi) found a damp sandy spot.  

Blue Jay (Graphium evemon eventus) was rather common there.

There were at least a couple of  Malay Punchinello (Zemeros emesoides emesoides ) loitering around on a particular patch of bushes at the base camp. I did't have luck to snap a frontal shot - how I wish the perch of this pristine specimen  were lower at my eye level.  

In the late afternoon, a Banded Yeoman (Cirrochroa orissa orissa) appeared and it kept flapping its wings while sipping the moisture on the plastic bag.

The conditions at the "base camp" seem deteriorating over the years. A dwindling number of butterflies and insect species that I noticed, the loss of vegetation and the messing-up the forest ground with all sorts of waste by inconsiderate campers should warrant concerns for nature lovers.   

Butterflies of Panti Forest Part 1

While CH and I were having our late lunch at the usual eating place after our shooting session at Upper Seletar Reservoir Park on 2 June, the idea of going to Panti Forest was mooted by him. Within 15 minutes,  a trip to Panti on 3 June (Sunday) was confirmed by four of us as I happened to be free on that particular Sunday.

Thanks for CH picking me up around 6:40 am and also thanks to the efficiency of the customs officers on both sides of the causeway, by 8:30 am we were on a new highway heading towards Panti Forest.

A usual practice we have is to enjoy a "bak ku teh" "brunch" at a roadside stall at about three-quarter way point of our journey. The number of cars and a  large crowd startled us - we had to wait quite a while for a vacant table and our food to be served.

We set off for our destination about an hour later. When the car turned into a dirt road situated  between two immense World War II concrete bunkers, we saw a few Singaporean cars and a group of birders armed with their "big guns" waiting for their targets to appear. The moment we reached the "base camp", we put on our leech socks and sprang into actions. 

Though not strikingly coloured, to me The Constable (Dichorragia nesimachus deiokes) is a very pretty Nymphalid butterfly found in the rain forests.   

It was attracted by a pool of shit covered by the dry leaf. Though the undersides are not as attractive as the uppersides, it was good to have a record of how the undersides look like.  

There were a few Malay Yeoman (Cirrochroa emalea emalea ) butterflies flitting around and pudlling on the ground as well as on some dry woods at the base camp. 

This rather pristine specimen came down puddling in the early afternoon.

The uppersides of the The Malay Yeoman are predominantly orange with a thick apical and marginal black border on the forewings above. 

The Great Assyrian (Terinos atlita teuthras ) was quite abundant at the base camp as well. There were at three individuals teasing us for a shot.

It was a pity that this specimen that I shot was not pristine

A solitary Sunbeam (Curetis tagalica jopa ) came down to look for nutrients on the ground. It was quite skittish and this was a lucky shot when it happened to land in from of me. 

A glimpse of  the orange uppersides would be useful to identify the species with certainty.

Another shot when it appeared again.

The Common Yeoman (Cirrochroa tyche rotundata ) was very alert at first - it never allowed me to get closer to it. But once it found its sweet spot, it stayed there for quite a while, giving me opportunities to snap some shots even though it didn't stop flapping its wings.

Taking an underside shot was not that easy as it may seem to be - I had to be fast and precise on the shuttle.    

Cyrestis themire themire is a small butterfly and it looks whitish when it is in flight. After my persistent chasing, I finally got a shot along the main track.  

Another individual specimen was found at the base camp. It displayed the behaviour of  hiding beneath the leaf  whenever it perched. Getting a good shot was a huge challenge.   

It finally found a nice spot on the ground and CH and I got some shots on this bugger.

To be continued. 

Other Insects @ Panti Forest

Please read my previous post here if you want to know the full story.

The number of butterfly species was not as many as I had expected - so I had time to shoot other insects whenever they came into my sights.

This must be the best camouflaged cricket I have seen - it was as still as a dead insect. I am so proud of myself being able to spot it.

This dragonfly looks like a male Cratilla metallica which was rather abundant around the base-camp. A common species in Singapore as well,
This blue critter looks like a wasp to me or is it a fly ? A very energetic fellow which moved on the foliage constantly resulting in this not well-taken shot.
A very prominent brick-red net-winged beetle was found foraging on a leaf. This is a typical example of how aposematic colour is being used to warn predators that it is unpalatable or even toxic to be consumed.

A pair of long and serrated antennae with a triangular-shaped head and conspicuous colours are some of the distinctive characteristics of a net-winged beetle. It was about to show me how it overcame the gap and went over to another leaf.

This may be a Scolid wasp with a pair of short antennae, getting ready to take a leap from the edge of the leaf.

This rather small female dragonfly was my last shot of the day before the thunder storm at around 4 pm.
I shall end my post with these three very small and cute tortoise beetles scrambling together - what were they doing ?
The loser had to go away !
Once again, I must thank the drivers Sunny, Chng and Cher Hern who were so generously providing us transport for this trip - we owe them a good lunch.

Butterflies @ Panti Forest

Initiated by one of our enthusiastic ButterflyCircle (BC) members, Chng, ten of us in 3 vehicles set off for Panti Forest Reserve in Southern Johor State early morning on 11 Dec. Efficient customs clearance on both sides of the causeway and a smooth ride gave us plenty of time enjoying a fantastic Bak Ku Teh breakfast at a roadside makeshift stall.

About 10:30 am, we reached the carpark where the Panti Forest Reserve Information Centre is.

It has been about five years since my last visit to Bunker's Trail at Panti Forest. The conditions of the track are better now. The moment we stopped our cars at the "base camp" - a camp site area where remnants of charcoals, firewood, left-over food and containers could still be seen, we sprang into actions.

My first shot of the day a few minutes after we alighted from the car was this Banded Yeoman (Cirrochroa orissa orissa). I finally nailed a shot of this skittish and shy bugger after stalking with "tactical movement" .

This Tawny Rajah (Charaxes bernardus crepax ) was our star model for the trip - everyone got a few shots. It was skittish initially, any slight movement would have scared him/her to flee and perch on a leaf above us.

With our relentless patience of waiting, it finally got used to our acquittance and succumbed to the enriched mineral solutions on the ground.

It was rather tame and allowed us to take pictures from different angles.

This dark brown skipper with a very prominent orange apical patch more parallel to the forewing costal margin is Sumatran Bob (Arnetta verones).It was abundant and we can see that its underside wings are sparsely covered with some reddish-brown scales.

This is another similar-looking brown skipper or perhaps the same species as above ?

When it was in-flight, we could see its glittering light-blue upperside. This lycaenid was rather abundant and it looks like a Malaccan Caerulean (Jamides malaccanus malacanus), fluttering non-stop most of the time and getting a shot was a test of perseverance and of course luck playing a part as well.

According to Mr TL Seow, an expert BC member, this is Arhopala inornata. A very skittish bugger which refused to stop long enough for me to take a proper underside shot.

However it presented a rare moment in front of me for this upperside shot.

The weather at Panti was fast-changing - a characteristic of the North-east monsoon season. It was overcast around 2 pm when I spotted this Malay Lacewing (Cethosia hypsea hypesina) very lethargically resting in a bush along the gravel track outside the "base-camp".

This Acacia Blue (Surendra vivarna amisena) also felt the effect of declining temperature causing it to rest longer rather than flitting around.

Another tame Bob appeared on a rather quiet afternoon along the super quite forest track. Palm Bob (Suastus gremius gremius) is a very common skipper in Singapore as well.

I noticed a couple of Sunbeam lycaenids (may be Curetis tagalica according to Mr Seow) were chasing each other around a sunlit spot. The moment they perched they opened their wings giving me no chance at all taking any underside shot.

As the clock ticked away, the number of butterflies dropped significantly and the clouds gather momentum as well, signalling an imminent storm was approaching. While all of us were ready to call it a day, this solitary Rustic (Cupha erymanthis lotis) did not seem to like our partings, kept flitting around a particular shrub. It never stayed still for more than a few seconds, so getting a shot like this was a bonus for me.

Occupying an area of about 10 thousand hectare, Panti Forest has a lot to offer to nature lovers. Apart from its potentially rich diversity of insects, it has been an important bird sanctuary for bird-watchers and ornithologists. I will feature other insects in my next post.