Butterfly monitoring and introduction at Sungei Buloh Nature Park: a report

A snippet on the butterfly monitoring
and introduction exercise carried out
by Lim Haw Chuan at the Visitor Centre

A Report on Butterfly Monitoring
and Introduction

As the Visitor Centre is the main area for viewing butterflies, regular counts (3-4 per month) have been conducted along a fixed transect in the Visitor Centre. The table below shows all the butterflies encountered, arranged in the order of increasing abundance (survey period: Nov 98 to Jun 99).

Not all the species found in the Park are on this list as the Park contains a much more varied habitat than the Visitor Centre. Particularly valuable are Curetis saronis sumatrana, Arhopala pseudocentaurus nakula (Centaur Oak Blue) and Hypolycaena erylus teatus (Common Tit) which are common in some areas in the Reserve. The abundance of the butterflies is very closely related to the abundance of the host plant. Some of the rarer species (those encountered in only 1-2 months) could have flown in from areas where the host plants are present.

More articles about butterflies
at Sungei Buloh

Butterfly-Plant relationships
at Sungei Buloh
(Vol 7 No 2, Aug 00)

List of butterflies
at Sungei Buloh
(1999-2000)
(Vol 7 No 2, Aug 00)

Butterflies and
their food plants
(Vol 6 No 1 Apr 99)

Butterfly Appreciation
(Vol 5 No 3, Nov 98)

Two species were selected for the first phase of butterfly introduction. They were imported from Tropical Entomological House, Penang, Malaysia. They are the Common Mormon (50 butterflies) and Great Egg-fly (50 butterflies). The butterflies were released into the wild after pupation. The two species are native to Singapore and to the Park.

The host plants found here or are planted for the butterflies include: Lime Plant and Curry Leaf Plant for the Common Mormon; Common Asystasia and Sweet Potato for the Great Egg-fly.

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