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Euthalia merta merta (Moore, 1859)
| Family Name: | Nymphalidae |
| Taxonomic Group: | Invertebrates (Butterfly and Moth) |
| Common Name: | White Tipped Baron |
Name
Description
| Description | Males are dark brown above whilst the female is whitish with separated spots on the inner edge of the post-discal fascia on the upperside forewing in spaces 2-6. The dark submarginal line on the hindwing are composed of spots which tend to appear as arrowheads pointing outwards. Both sexes have a slight bluish sheen when photographed in the field, particularly on the forewings. |
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Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | The species is a forest butterfly and prefers to remain in heavily shaded parts of the forest. They occaionally appear along sunlit paths and are fond of rotting fruits and damp leaf litter along forest paths. |
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| Habitats | Forest |
| Distribution | South-east Asia from Peninsular Malaysia to the Philippines. |
| Nature Reserves | Central Catchment Nature Reserve |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | Loss of habitat and host plants. |
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| Scientific Interest & Potential Value | Part of Singapore's indigenous biological heritage and of general educational value and interest to the public and enthusiasts. |
| Conservation Notes | The preservation of its preferred habitats and its hitherto unknown host plant would be critical to this species’ continued survival in Singapore. As it has so far been seen in a small forested patch in the northern area of the Central Catchment Reserves, more observations may be needed to ascertain the distribution of this very rare species. |
Status
| Conservation Status | Very Rare |
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| Singapore Red Data Book Status | Critically Endangered (CR) [2008] |
Photos
References
| References | Davison, G.W.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Ho, H.C (Eds.). 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book (2nd Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 285pp Khew, S.K. 2010. A field guide to the butterflies of Singapore. Singapore: Ink On Paper Communications Pte Ltd. 342pp |
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