Thanks to ButterflyCircle member Sunny Chir, the elusive and very rare Moth Butterfly (Liphyra brassolis abbreviata) has been spotted in Singapore.  This species of the subfamily Miletinae, has a very interesting life history which can be viewed on the main Butterflies of Singapore Blog.  Its armour-plated caterpillar invades the nests of the aggressive Kerengga ants and eats the ants’ larvae!  Even after pupating and upon eclosion, it has evolved techniques in protecting itself from the killer mandibles of the ants.

The confirmation of the Moth Butterfly is another feather in the cap of ButterflyCircle, which continues to make significant discoveries and insights into Singapore’s Flying Jewels! 

Read all about the Moth Butterfly at the Butterflies of Singapore BLOG.

The Malayan Plum Judy was spotted only on the offshore island of Pulau Tekong towards the end of 90’s but has since colonised varoius areas at the Southern Ridges of Singapore.  Its host plant, Ardisia elliptica, is a common plant and rather widespread across Singapore island.  The species is quite often seen at several locations besides the Southern Ridges.  The area around Marina South, where the future Gardens by the Bay is being constructed, is also another location where the Malayan Plum Judy is frequently seen.  Recently, another host plant, Embelia dasythyrsa, was discovered, where the early stages of this species also feed on.

Above, the male is deep crimson brown and entirely unmarked; the female is much paler and has a diffuse white subapical patch on the forewing, and black submarginal spots in spaces 1b, 4 and 5 on the hindwing. Underneath, for both sexes, the underside is paler, and each wing has a pair of diffuse, pale-purplish, post-discal bands. The outer band on the hindwing has a series of black, white-edged, submarginal spots in spaces 1b, 4, 5 and 6, that in space 1b being double. The female has broader and paler transverse lines than the male. In both sexes the hindwing is prominently angled at vein 4.

Read all about it at the Butterflies of Singapore BLOG,