Rosli Omar
rosliomar@fastmail.fm
Posted 21 May 2020
Updated 29 August 2021
KLNFR is planned for degazettement (see previous post). I think this is a disaster since this forest is rich in biodiversity, and especially, it is a peat swamp forest which is getting less and less due to various “developments”.
To assess this richness in biodiversity, my friend, Mike H.N. Chong, and I carried out surveys at KLNFR for butterflies and birds as representatives of the overall biodiversity: if they are well represented then they could reflect the overall richness in biodiversity.
Altogether 32 species of butterflies were identified with four not identified. The forest proper has yielded a very good number of generally uncommon or rare forest species, 21 of them. The rest are forest edge or forest clearing butterflies.
In eight years of photographing butterflies, it is in KLNFR that I first saw the Blue Begum, Silver-spotted Lancer, and the Pointed Palmfly.
Some of the forest butterflies are shown below. Note that the name is common English name, scientific name, and Malay name which I created myself since I’ve not found Malay names anywhere.
a species of Zeuxidia
More species could be listed if more surveys were done given that every new trip brought several new species. The KLNFR has a good diversity of forest butterflies.
Below is the list of butterflies surveyed at KLNFR.
List of Butterflies of KLNFR
1. Psyche, Leptosia nina malayana,2. Striped Albatross Appias libythea olferna, 3. Three-spot Grass Yellow, Eurema blanda snelleni,4. One-spot Grass Yellow (Anderson’s Grass Yellow) Eurema andersonii andersonii,5. Blue Glassy Tiger Ideopsis vulgaris macrina,6. Dark Glassy Tiger Parantica algeoides algeoides, 7. Striped Blue Crow Euploea mulciber mulciber,8. Common Palmfly Elymnias hypermnestra agina,9.Pointed Palmfly Elymnias penanga penanga, 10. Mycalesis sp. (possibly visala or perseoides),11. Dark Grass-Brown (The Nigger) Orsotriaena medus cinereal,12. Blue Catseye Coelites epiminthia epiminthia,13. Common Five-Ring Ypthima baldus newboldi,14. Dark Blue Jungle Glory Thaumantis klugius lucipor, 15. Common Faun Faunis canens arcesilas,16. a species of Zeuxidia,17. a species of Zeuxidia,18. Blue Begum Prothoe franck uniformis, 19. Cruiser Vindula dejone erotella, 20. Dot-Dash Sergeant Athyma kanwa kanwa,21. Common Sailer (or Sailor) Neptis hylas papaja, 22. Tanaecia pelea pelea or T. munda waterstradti,23. Horsfield’s Baron Tanaecia iapis puseda,24. Harlequin Taxila haquinus haquinus, 25. Allotinus leogoron leogoron,26. Jamides abdul abdul, 27. Arhopala sp, 28. Common Posy Drupadia ravindra moorei,29. Large Snow Flat Tagiades gana gana,30. Silver-spotted Lancer Plastingia naga,31. unidentified hesperiid,32. Hesperiidae sp Idmon distanti.
Note: Species in bold letters were found in the forest. The rest at the forest edge or forest clearings.
Acknowledgement: I am grateful to Dr Laurence Kirton, formerly of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) and Dr Phon Chooi Khim of FRIM for the identification of the Dark Jungle Glory, Thaumantis noureddin noureddin and Idmon distanti, and corrections and verification of others.
They note however: Specimens photographed outside KLNFR:
The following species were recorded from KLNFR based on specimens observed in the wild, but the photographs shown in the article are from elsewhere. Therefore, the photos that were shown are not intended to be used as a reliable record of the presence of these species in KLNFR.
- One-spot Grass Yellow, Eurema andersonii andersonii
- Common Five-Ring, Ypthima baldus newboldi
- Large Snow Flat,Tagiades gana gana