Hong Kong Lepidopterists' Society Events & Activities

HKLS Annual BBQ Night 18^th October, 2003 

- At Kadoorie Agricultural Research Centre, Shek Kong - Afternoon butterfly watching and evening moth trapping and annual BBQ party.   

Our Society's annual BBQ night was held as scheduled on the 18th of  October. We started the day butterfly watching in Kadoorie Farm. At 2:30p.m., we drove up to the top of Kwun Yum Shan. We were  disappointed because there were only a few butterflies.  We saw a very torn male Hypolimnas misippus and some common Lycaenids  including the Everes lacturnus.  

Hypolimnas misippus Linnaeus, 1764 (Nymphalidae)- male	Euchrysops cnejus cnejus Fabricius, 1798 (Lycaenidae) - female

We went down to the butterfly garden but there was also no movement in the area.   We proceeded to the HKU center where we would have our BBQ party. After setting up the moth trap, which was part of the activity for the day, we continued looking around. A few Jamides celeno were found, but other than these, very few butterflies were seen.  As the sun was setting,  it was time to set up the BBQ party, there were 14 of us including the wives and girlfriends. After we had stuffed our stomachs, we went back to the moth trap. Roger was the only one who knew the stuff, so we watched and listened to his talk. I don't have any experience taking photos with a bright mercury lamp overhead. All the moth pictures did not come out well.  

Jamides celeno celeno Cramer, 1775 (Lycaenidae)	Arctornis spp. (Lymantriidae)

Also according to Roger, there were around 165 moth species recorded at the one light operated overnight, including at least one species new for Hong Kong, Parapoynx stagnalis (Crambidae, Nymphulinae), a species associated with ponds and lakes and whose larvae feed on aquatic vegetation. Other notable species included Ugia purpurea and Cerynea discontenta, both thought to be endemic to Hong Kong. Before the BBQ, several HKLS members spent a while watching a Duranta repens hedge, searching for hummingbird hawk moths nectaring on the flowers. Several species were seen, including Macroglossum pyrrhosticta.

Ugia purpurea  Galsworthy, 1997 [Noctuidae, Calpinae]	Cerynea discontenta Galsworthy, 1997 [Noctuidae, Acontiinae]
Lemyra alikangensis (Strand, 1915) [Arctiidae, Arctiinae]	Macroglossum pyrrhosticta  Butler, 1875 [Sphingidae, Macroglossinae]

As time was getting late, we called the day off at around 11p.m.