Semanga superba deliciosa

Hi guys, in this blog post I'd like to share a little about

the butterfly 'semanga superba deliciosa'. It is rare and

quite local here in Singapore. The females are more often

observed as they tend to come out to forest clearings. The

elusive males stay deep inside the forest reserves.

Sightings of the adults are usually confined to the Central

Catchment forests and the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Both

the males and females like to hide in between leaves or deep in

a bush, out of reach from predators. But this also makes them

hard to shoot! The flight is weak and fluttery and they never

like the sun - you are more likely to see one where there is

plenty of shade.

The female semanga is brilliant purple on top, with a broad

black border on the forewing. It is much more bluish than

the male, that has thinner black borders. The underside is

buff with a lovely pattern of blue, black, red and orange on

the hindwing. The male is duller and darker, and has only 2

pairs of tails, whereas the female has 3.

It is a small lycaenid, and has a wingspan of say,27mm.

Despite being rare it has many host plants! Here is a list:

. melastoma malabathricum

. macrosolen cochinchinensis

. mallotus paniculatus

. saraca cauliflora

. bridelia tormentosa

. kopsia fruticosa

. trema tormentosa

Well, that's all for now.

The End.