Super Weird Looking Butterfly

[Silverstreak]

This weird looking don't-know-what butterfly flew passed me while I was attempting to shoot a Bamboo Tree Brown. I gave chase and managed a couple of shots . Trying to reposition him but he fluttered off into the deep bush. It is almost the size of a Bamboo Tree Brown.

One of the ugliest BF I have ever come across......can't find any look-alike in Pisuth and C&P 4 .

Any one wanna attempt an identification?:bsmile:


http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/2009_05_13_1D3_IMG_1057.jpg


:cheers:

[atronox]

Looks like a butt bt there are a few moths, notably those in the Castniidae that have clavate antennae, are day-flying and hold their wings upright, like butts. This could be one of them, but i highly doubt so.

Or it could be dead and the scales are dropping off coz the abdomen looks swollen and the stem of the plant seems to have "dug" into the butt's body.:sweat:

[Peacock Royal]

A badly deformed Common Palmfly ?

[Archduke]

looks like the cousin of the biggs brownie....
no idea what it is, +1 for u!

[Silverstreak]

Aaroon,

It was perfectly healthy as far as I can assessed. He flew around me a couple of times while I was chasing him. Like Mark, initially it appears to be a super size Miletinae.:bsmile:

The leaf appears to cut int0 its fat abdomen was just an optical illusion , the shot was taken when he rested temporarily on the wild cinnamon. He fluttered off at fairly high speed into the dark shade subsequently.

[Great Mormon]

i cant see the palps or proboscis in the picture, but the pose with it standing on its 4 legs looks like a butt pose :thinking:

Anyone care to enlighten us on what this wierd thing is?

looks like a mutated Miletinae IMO.

[Commander]

It looks like a severly deformed butt, which didn't eclose properly, or was disturbed before its wings fully inflated. The rather large abdomen suggests a Nymphalid, rather than any Miletinae. Furthermore, if you said that the size of this butt is close to the Bamboo Tree Brown, then there is no known Miletinae of that size.

Hard to tell what species it actually is. One of those mysteries of nature. :)

[Painted Jezebel]

Sunny, as it flew around a bit, did you see the colour of the upperside? If it was orangish, then, from the shape of the forewings, I think you MAY have shot Liphyra brassolis brassolis (The Moth Butterfly). It likes the same deep cover an the Tree Browns. The short stubby abdomen fits this species as well.

[Silverstreak]

Les,

Thank you for the lead.

Yes , I had a few glimpses of the upper when it fluttered, it was orange yellow.

When it first flew passed, its flight characteristics and appearance in flight appeared very similar to the Autumn Leaf.


:cheers:

[butterfly_effect]

moth butterfly? Wow... This is nature at its most indecisive maybe... Amazing!

[Painted Jezebel]

Oops, I've given you the northern subpecies name. C&P4 says L. b. abbreviata. The more I look at the photo, the surer I become. I can not see any proboscis, another trait of this species, which does not feed in its adult state.

[Great Mormon]

this could be possibly another +1 to the singapore checklist! :cheers:

too bad the c&p4 dont have the undersides :(

as quoted from c&p4


stout build and moth-like appearance. The palpi are vert small, and the proboscis is wholly atrophied, so that the adult cannot feed.


great find Sunny!


I do find the early stages for this butterfly amazingly interesting, it breeds in an ants nest!

[Commander]

too bad the c&p4 dont have the undersides :(

Ya, that's why it didn't look familiar at all. I've never seen one out in the field before either, much less the underside.

But take a look at this link (http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/lyca/brassol.html) and look at the underside of the male on the left. Markings and shadings are quite similar! :thinking:

[Commander]

Another shot from this site (http://www.myrmecophile.net/gallery/Liphyra/). Sunny may have stumbled on to one of the rarest Lycaenids in Malaysia and Singapore.

Thanks for the lead, Les! :cheers:

[Great Mormon]

ya, the description fits very well into the C&P4 one too. The one sunny shot probably dont have that "grey powder" on it anymore.

A +1 for SG? :thinking:

[Great Mormon]

Another shot from this site (http://www.myrmecophile.net/gallery/Liphyra/). Sunny may have stumbled on to one of the rarest Lycaenids in Malaysia and Singapore.

Thanks for the lead, Les! :cheers:

Yupp, amazing find Sunny, and thanks Les for the lead! :redbounce

[Archduke]

even the pupae and cat looks weird... more like a beetle...

[Commander]

And it feeds on ants' larvae, so it could be anywhere!

:embrass: I stand corrected then, cos it is a Miletinae.

I'll send the pic to Dr Kirton and see what he says.

[Archduke]

what auspicious number are u gonna pick for this butt then Sunny?

[Commander]

Last count was 292. You think this is a 4D lottery ah? :whip:

[Wanderer]

i wonder how this butt survives without feeding!

[Silverstreak]

Ooohh! : :omg:


The Butterfly Fairy smiled on me again!!


:cheers:

[Great Mormon]

i wonder how this butt survives without feeding!

i dont think they feed. Their sole purpose is to go forth and reproduce! They just survive with all the protein stored in them during their early stages? Thats what i read about atlas moths. I wonder if its the same here. :hmmm:

[horace2264]

Congrats to Sunny for the great find. :cheers:

[horace2264]

Last count was 292. You think this is a 4D lottery ah? :whip:

The current bottleneck is species #288. Has Dr Kirton gotten round to give us the confirmation for 288?

[atronox]

Aaroon,

It was perfectly healthy as far as I can assessed. He flew around me a couple of times while I was chasing him. Like Mark, initially it appears to be a super size Miletinae.:bsmile:

The leaf appears to cut int0 its fat abdomen was just an optical illusion , the shot was taken when he rested temporarily on the wild cinnamon. He fluttered off at fairly high speed into the dark shade subsequently.
That is amazing!:what:I think the idea of it being the moth butt is totally possible.
According to C&P4 records, it has been found in Sg before.

I've watched the life history of this sp on nat geo. The larva is highly specialised.:grin2:

[atronox]

i wonder how this butt survives without feeding!
It mates and lays eggs in the amount of time its fat reserves would last it. This one could be nearing the end of its life, esp since it's a male:grin2:
Many moths behave the same way.

[Peacock Royal]

I never expect this to be a healthy butterfly. :embrass:
Once again, what an amazing find. Well done Sunny.

[Painted Jezebel]

I can feel the excitement on this thread even here on Samui!!!! I remember my shock when I first found it on Samui (seen it 3 times now). However, please note that I can only say 'May' be this species, as I can only go on the photo, and did not see the specimen itself. Nevertheless, nothing I have seen or read on this thread has lead me to doubt my original suggestion. Just covering myself!:grin2:

Incedentally, it does not surprise me in the slightest that it was Sunny who found it, if it is that species. After all, who goes bashing through the undergrowth more, and that is the only way to disturb this species which likes to remain hidden during the day, and only comes out at dusk!

[Cruiser]

Excellent find, Sunny :cheers:

[Common Mime]

Congrats, Sunny!

[Silverstreak]

Thanks guys for the kind words and leads in tentatively identifying this rare butterfly.

Have no ideal that such a butterfly existed on our island and was stumped by its looks .My first thought was this is badly deformed or worn out butterfly of perhaps an Autumn Leaf.

However,the BF was relatively healthy and it flew perfectly, the wing structure and antennae looks kind of weird and resemble a Miletinae. After a fruitless search through C&P 4 and Pisuth's book for possible lead I was none the wiser . Was about to archive it under my UFO file but though it might be a good idea sharing this weird looking BF here with everyone.:)

Thanks Les for giving us the lead to this new discovery ! We will have a couple when we meet at Selai.


:cheers:






Cheers!

[Commander]

Well done, Sunny. Dr Kirton has just replied that he also thinks that this is Liphyra brassolis. :redbounce In my email to him, I didn't even give any hint as to what we think it is - I just posted the shot to ask him what he thought it was! :)

One more for the Singapore Checklist!

[Leopard Lacewing]

Congratulation for +1 into our Singapore Checlist! :thumgsup:

Thanks Sunny for spotting it!

Cheers!

[EarlyStages]

No symbiosis/mutualism with these lycaenid cats!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L830lAsrU8

Keith

[Sky Blue]

Great find & identification, else we will thought it's just another UFO.

Keith, thanks for sharing the video, eyes opening.

[Leopard Lacewing]

Thanks for sharing this video, Keith :thumbsup:

Cheers!

[benetay]

Congrats on the +1 Sunny! Certainly a great great find!

Cheers!

[atronox]

Congratulations on the discovery!:grin2:

[Silverstreak]

An update on research done on the Moth Butterfly:

Collecting and eating Liphyra brassolis (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in southern
Thailand (http://lepidopteraresearchfoundation.org/journals/43/jrl_43_19_22.pdf)

Writeup on Moth butterfly (http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Caterpillar%20-%20Liphyra%20brassolis.htm)