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.
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