Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies 6

A Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies
Part 6 : An Analysis of Name Changes


A mating pair of Dark Caeruleans (or is it Dark Ceruleans?)

In Part 6 of our discussion on Common Names of Butterflies in the Southeast Asian region, we continue with the remaining species in the Lycaenidae family for which recent references had updated or amended the English common names of these species. As in the earlier parts of this series, the primary reference that made significant changes to the common names is the book by Dr Kirton.

After writing the earlier parts, it is interesting to note that even with the rationalisation of certain common names, the regular usage of names in cyberspace and social media appears to take precedence over any printed literature. Once a name is coined and repeated through frequent usage and cross-referencing across the internet, these names are difficult to change.

A Pygmy (or Tiny?) Grass Blue perches on the flower bud of Lantana camara

In any case, we continue our discussion on some of these changes proposed by Dr Kirton in his book, Butterflies of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The first species that we will discuss in this article is Zizula hylax pygmaea. Across the hardcopy references in the region, most books refer to it as the Tiny Grass Blue.

However, the common name Pygmy Grass Blue has more frequently been used in the Singapore context and the name appears to have been adopted by common usage in the local references. Perhaps it may be apt to use the name for subspecies pygmaea (where the common name makes sense when reference is made to the latin scientific name, for obvious reasons).

Recommendation : Zizula hylax pygmaea should retain its common name Pygmy Grass Blue but may also be simultaneously referred to as Tiny Grass Blue (Zizula hylax hylax) and its various subspecies in the Asian region.



Malaysian Butterflies - An Introduction (1983) by Prof Yong Hoi-sen : Chilades pandava is called Cycad Blue

The next species, Chilades pandava pandava, is a common urban species whose caterpillar feeds on the Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) and several other Cycas spp. (commonly referred to as Cycads). It is no wonder that the name Cycad Blue was coined by Prof Yong Hoi-sen in his book, Malaysian Butterflies - An Introduction, back in 1983. Elsewhere in the region, most references refer to this species as Plains Cupid.

A Guide to Common Butterflies of Singapore (1996) by Steven Neo : Chilades pandava is called Cycad Blue

In another Singapore reference, A Guide to Common Butterflies of Singapore, the author Steven Neo also referred to this species as Cycad Blue. In reference websites in the region, both names are used interchangeably in social media and other digital media.

Recommendation : Chilades pandava pandava is referred to by its common names Cycad Blue and Plains Cupid interchangeably, and there is no preference for either name through common usage, and time will tell which becomes the adopted name in this region.

The next group of butterflies under the Jamides genus comes under scrutiny. The common name that varies amongst different literature is how the name "Cerulean" is spelt. Some references show "Cerulean" whilst others show "Caerulean". Upon checking different sources, the spelling is correct in both cases.

Wikipedia references state that Cerulean and Caerulean are both correct, and the word refers to a colour with the hue ranging between blue and cyan. The etymology of "Cerulean/Caerulean" originates from the Latin word caeruleus, "dark blue, blue, or blue-green", which in turn probably derives from caerulum, diminutive of caelum, "heaven, sky".


Malaysian Butterflies - An Introduction (1983) by Prof Yong Hoi-sen uses "Caerulean" to refer to the Jamides spp.

Again, in Prof Yong's book in 1983, he spelt the name of these butterflies as "Caerulean". In Corbet and Pendlebury's Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula, the spelling "Caerulean" is adopted. Elsewhere in the region, Cerulean is more commonly used. In both editions of Butterflies of Singapore, I used "Caerulean". Both names are also found in digital media across many websites, social media and online references and apps.


Caerulean is spelt with the extra 'e' in Corbet and Pendlebury's Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula 4th Edition (1992)

Recommendation : The Jamides species' common names can be referred to as Cerulean or Caerulean as both spellings are deemed acceptable, and it depends on how individuals prefer to use it.



In Pisuth's Butterflies of Thailand 2nd Edition, he coined the name Green-scaled Acacia Blue for the species Surendra vivarna amisena. In Dr Kirton's book, he calls it the Burmese Acacia Blue. Local references in Singapore refer to this species as just the Acacia Blue.


Corbet and Pendlebury's Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula 4th Edition (1992) refers to Surendra vivarna amisena as Acacia Blue

It is obvious that in the region, there are other species of the genus Surendra, hence prompting authors to coin names for the different species to differentiate them. Corbet and Pendlebury refers to Surendra vivarna amisena as "Acacia Blue". In Singapore, there is only a single species of the genus, and hence there is unlikely to be any confusion to refer to Surendra vivarna amisena as Acacia Blue.

Recommendation : Surendra vivarna amisena should retain its common name as just Acacia Blue.

The next species of interest is Iraota rochana boswelliana. Most references in the region use the common name "Scarce Silverstreak Blue" for this species. The Singapore references dropped the "Blue" in the name, and through common usage, it has often been referred to as only Scarce Silverstreak.

The other species found in Singapore (and only 1 sighting has been confirmed in the past 20 years), is Iraota distanti distanti. This species, which was referred to as the Spotted Silverstreak, also omitted the "Blue" from its name. In Thailand, this species is referred to as the Malayan Silverstreak Blue.

Recommendation : The species Iraota rochana boswelliana should be named Scarce Silverstreak Blue. However, for convenience and common usage, the "Blue" is likely to be left out. Again, time will tell which is the preferred name that will be more often used by the general community.

The next species, Catapaecilma major emas is referred to as the Greater Tinsel by Dr Kirton. A related species, C. elegans was given the name Lesser Tinsel in the same book. Elsewhere in the region, reference books refer to C. major as Gray Tinsel and C. elegans as Common Tinsel in Butterflies of Thailand.

In his latest book, Isaac Kehimkar's Butterflies of India refers to C. major as Common Tinsel, as C. elegans is probably not found in India. Our local Singapore butterfly references refer to C. major as Gray Tinsel.

Recommendation : It is not likely that the confusion across the region can be resolved in the immediate future. We recommend that the name Gray Tinsel be retained for the species Catapaecilma major emas until such time enough authors come together to have a common stand on the name of this species.

The final species of interest in this series of discussions on Lycaenidae is Horaga syrinx maenala. Dr Kirton calls it the Yellow Onyx. Several Indian references call it by the same name. (However, the species is rare in India, and many hardcopy references do not feature this species). Pisuth refers to it as Ambon Onyx in Butterflies of Thailand.

We have adopted the name Ambon Onyx for this species in Singapore references and the name has been regularly used in cyberspace. An online article from Bhutan, as recently as last week, calls this species the Ambon Onyx as well.

Again, it does not appear that there is any common consensus on the English common name of this butterfly, and hence the jury is still out on the matter. However, through common usage, time will tell which of the two common names will be preferred by amateur enthusiasts.

Recommendation : The name Ambon Onyx will be retained for the species Horaga syrinx maenala.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Bob Cheong, Sunny Chir, Chng CK, Huang CJ, Khew SK, Loke PF and Jonathan Soong

Earlier articles in this series :
Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies Part 1
Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies Part 2
Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies Part 3
Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies Part 4
Revision to the Common Names of Butterflies Part 5

Ubin Bioblitz 2016

Ubin BioBlitz 2016
Pulau Ubin Butterfly Survey

Last weekend, ButterflyCircle and Nature @ Seletar Country Club members participated in the 24-hour biodiversity survey on Pulau Ubin. The survey coincided with a special event, "Celebrating Ubin's Heritage" on 3 Dec 2016, graced by Senior Minister of State, Desmond Lee. At the same event, NParks flagged off BioBlitz@Ubin, a community effort involving various biodiversity groups to survey the island’s fauna and flora over 24 hours. This will provide a snapshot of the fauna found on the island, and sets the ground for the Pulau Ubin survey in 2017.

The familiar portal welcoming all visitors to Pulau Ubin

BioBlitz is a popular citizen science movement worldwide. The term “BioBlitz” was coined by Susan Rudy, a naturalist with the US National Park service, in 1996. BioBlitz refers to a concerted effort by scientists and the community to record as many species of flora and fauna as possible within a specific location and timeframe. BioBlitzes have been conducted around the world, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. There is a community involvement component to many of these BioBlitzes, and members of the public are invited to join scientists and naturalists in a concerted effort to inventory species that exist within a designated area, such as an urban park or nature reserve.



The bumboat ride is an integral part of the experience of any outing to Pulau Ubin

Our survey group met at the Changi Point Ferry Terminal and took the NParks-chartered bumboat over to Pulau Ubin. After meeting at the registration point, and waiting for Mr Desmond Lee to ring the bell to start of the 24-hour survey, the group, together with a few other members of the public who had signed up for the survey, set off to Butterfly Hill.


Some of the survey members with Senior Minister of State, Mr Desmond Lee

The scheduled 2-hour survey of Butterfly Hill and the surrounding trails commenced with a quick briefing and the group started on the trail, counting the number of species that were seen along the transects.




After a quick briefing, the survey of Butterfly Hill commences

As the weather in the morning was cloudy and overcast, there were fewer butterflies up and about as would normally be expected on sunny days. However, as the early morning drizzle cleared up, our winged jewels started being slightly more active as the morning wore on. The interpretative signage on Butterfly Hill helped to inform the new members in the group about the butterfly-plant relationships.






Butterfly Hill survey and some of the butterfly species that came out to greet us

The group were entertained by the usual Danainaes like the Plain Tiger, Blue and Dark Glassy Tiger, Common Mormon, Painted Jezebel and the larger butterflies on Butterfly Hill. Of notable interest was a couple of Grass Demons (Udaspes folus) that were active around their host plants. There were several Common Rose fluttering amongst the Snakeweeds and other flowering plants, one female was even spotted ovipositing on its caterpillar host plant, Aristolochia acuminata.


At the mangrove boardwalk at Chek Jawa Wetlands

The group recorded about 30 species of butterflies on this first leg of the walk, which ended at around 1:45pm. After a short break at the registration point, two mini buses arrived and took the group to the starting point of the second leg of the survey - Chek Jawa. A short trip brought us to the start point at Chek Jawa and the survey started at around 2:15pm.


A friendly Spotted Black Crow perched on a palm leaf

The weather continued to be cloudy and overcast, and the group walked along the boardwalks leading to the mangrove swamp area. Other than the usual Common Palmfly which was active along the boardwalk, the group encountered a Spotted Black Crow that was perched on a palm leaf. The butterfly was cooperative and did not fly off from its perch even after everyone had their full share of photos of it.


Out at the coastal boardwalk

The group emerged from the mangrove boardwalk and spotted a few Lycaenidae like the Common Tit and what appears to be a worn-out Scarlet Flash. A school of mudskippers distracted the group for a while, as would a large White Bellied Sea Eagle, that flew overhead. The walk along the coastal boardwalk, as expected, did not turn up any butterflies.


Back at the entrance to Chek Jawa Wetlands

The survey ended around 3:45pm at the Chek Jawa Visitor Centre and the group headed back to the main village to take the bumboat back to Singapore island. Although the BioBlitz was a 24-hour survey, the butterfly survey ended after 4:30pm as generally, it would be less fruitful to survey butterflies in the late afternoon and evening, as most of them would be settling in for the night and would not be flying actively any more.


Part 2 of the BioBlitz survey starting at the Sensory Trail

The next day, Sunday 4 Dec 2016, the survey continued. A smaller group this time, members took the bumboat over to Pulau Ubin and started the survey at 10:00am. This time, the survey transect started at the Sensory Trail. The weather was more cooperative on this hot and sunny Sunday morning.




Forested walk at the Sensory Trail

There were many species of butterflies actively flying, and of note were the Common Jay (first discovered on Pulau Ubin, and is now a regularly seen resident), Malayan Plum Judy, Ancyra Blue (also first discovered on Pulau Ubin), Perak Lascar, Blue Nawab and residents of the mangrove area along with the transects brought us past.




Members of the survey looking out for butterflies

A cooperative Common Mormon was spotted puddling and allowed the group to take photos and videos of its puddling activity before it flitted off, having its fill of its liquid diet. With the sun almost overhead, the group reached the end of the transect along the Sensory Trail, and we saw some workers putting on the finishing touches to House 363B which was refurbished and conserved as a model of a Chinese kampung house.



Taking a closer look at a puddling Common Mormon

Built in the 1970s, the house was owned by Mr Chew Teck Seng, who used to operate a provision shop in the village centre known as ‘Teck Seng Provision Shop’. Renamed ‘Teck Seng’s Place’, the house features interpretive signs and specially-curated memorabilia to give visitors a glimpse into life on Pulau Ubin in the 1970s.

ButterflyCircle photographers at work!

The group made its way back to the registration point and met other survey groups that had also completed their respective surveys of other taxonomic groups. The BioBlitz ended at 12 noon, and all the group leaders recorded their finds over the past 24 hours on their designated transects. The results will be consolidated by NParks and will be shared at a future Ubin forum.

Big group of BioBlitz @ Ubin participants covering bees and wasps, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, other insects, snakes, and many taxonomic groups!

The happy but tired group made their way back to the jetty and took the bumboats back to the mainland. It was a relatively fruitful survey for butterflies (despite the poor weather on Saturday), yielding 34 species over a four-hour survey of Butterfly Hill and Chek Jawa, and 31 species over a two-hour survey at Sensory Trail.

ButterflyCircle and Nature @ SCC members with other volunteers who joined us on Sat and Sun for the 24-hour biodiversity survey on Pulau Ubin

Members of the two groups, ButterflyCircle and Nature @ SCC, were happy to have participated in BioBlitz @ Ubin 2016 and look forward to the comprehensive biodiversity survey of Pulau Ubin in 2017.

Text by Khew SK : Photos by Bob Cheong, Chng CK, Goh EC, Huang CJ, Khew SK, Vanessa Lee, Soh KY and Jonathan Soong.

Special thanks to the members of ButterflyCircle and Nature @ Seletar CC who turned up to help with the survey, and the newbie members who also joined in.  Thanks to members of the public who also joined as volunteers on the survey with us!