John&Jacq~s Garden

Posted by Jacqueline on November 9th, 2007 in Tropical Wildlife: Malaysia

Ypthima baldus newboldi (Common 5-ring)

What an attractively dressed beauty this tropical butterfly is!

I found it fluttering around our garden plot in the early afternoon, stopping at a few stations to bask in the sunlit areas. And I remembered being terribly excited following it around and being rewarded with some lovely poses for my camera. :D

With wing span measuring 3-4cm, this Common Five-ring butterfly is greyish brown on the upperside with a large sub-apical ocellus on the forewings. On the reverse side of its pale buff brown undersurfaces with fine dark striations, you can spot a large yellow-ringed black ocellus on each of the forewings. And, on the underside of each hindwing will prominently feature five smaller rings (eyespots), with the pair of rings at the tornus counted as one. It is this total number of rings counted that give this butterfly its common name.

It has a feeble flight and usually found close to the ground.

Taxonomy:

• Scientific name: Ypthima baldus newboldi
• Common name: Common 5-ring
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Insecta
• Order: Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
• Family: Nymphalidae
• Subfamily: Satyrinae
• Genus: Ypthima
• Species: Y. baldus newboldi

Range: India to Sundaland

Habitat: Grass patches or gardens

Food: Gramineae (grasses)

The distinguishing feature of the various species in the Ypthima family is the typical yellow-ringed black ocelli and each species is identified by the total number of rings (eyespots) it has on the underside of its hindwings. Some of which are Ypthima huebneri (Common Four Ring), Ypthima pandocus corticaria (Common Three Ring) and Ypthima fasciata torone identified with having 6 rings.

More lovely butterfly images and information can be found at Singapore Butterfly Checklist!

Update: 2008-03-28 -
Terribly excited that I’ve finally managed to capture an image of this lovely butterfly with its wings spread out. Though its wings are slightly damaged, I’m more than grateful for this opportunity. This species can be seen almost daily, enjoying nectar from the abundant blossoms of Cuphea hyssopifolia in our garden. :D

Last edited: 2008-06-17

Tags: butterflies/moths, insects, our garden, wildlife