Subject:  Maybe a moth?
Geographic location of the bug:  Subic Bay, Phillipians
Date: 12/23/2017
Time: 10:29 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  This bug was chilling on our ship when we were docked in a Subic Bay.  The wing span, tip to tip, was about 6 inches or so. The picture was taken 10/11/2017.How you want your letter signed:  Jeremy

Tropical Swallowtail Moth

Dear Jeremy,
This is a Tropical Swallowtail Moth, Lyssa zampa, a species that has periodic population explosions.

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Subject: Tropical Swallowtail Moth
Location: Singapore
July 31, 2014 10:59 pm
Hi!
Sorry that this is a couple of months late. I had the chance to take some pictures of this pretty thing some time back in June. It was resting on the other side of the glass pane right in front of me. Unfortunately, I was only equipped with my smart phone camera, so please pardon the image quality. I hope these images are useful to you; viewing a moth from its underside was very interesting.
Love the site! Images of pretty bugs inspire me in my creative endeavors. Thank you for hosting so many of them.
Signature: Fuer

Tropical Swallowtail Moth

Dear Fuer,
We received four other images of Tropical Swallowtail Moths this year, and your image is probably the best.  We also received numerous comments of sightings without images.  Seems it was a banner year for this species that puts in cyclical appearances.

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Subject: Tropical Swallowtail Moth
Location: Near Buona Vista MRT
May 21, 2014 7:40 am
Hi, just to let you know, we live on the 36th floor of an apartment block near Buona Vista MRT, we’ve got 3 Tropical Swallowtail Moths on our balcony and one flying around inside!
Signature: Sue

Tropical Swallowtail Moth

Hi Sue,
Our original posting of a Tropical Swallowtail Moth a few days ago has generated much interest, but your image is only the second we have received this year of this magnificent moth.  Our featured posting has generated 20 Comments and 138 Facebook “likes” at this time.

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Ed. Note:  Please submit images of Tropical Swallowtail Moths using our Ask What’s That Bug? link.

Subject: What’s that moth?
Location: Singapore
May 18, 2014 10:54 pm
Three of the same variety of moths flew into my house on the 16th floor last night at 9pm. I live in Singapore (South East Asia). It’s large, about 21cm wide. While I have had moths visiting before, I’ve never had three visitors of the same kind, especially since I live in a very densely populated housing area. Does this particular species travel in groups? The photos I have attached are pictures of the same moth from different angles.
Signature: Sodaprincess

Tropical Swallowtail Moth

Dear Sodaprincess,
This Tropical Swallowtail Moth, Lyssa zampa, is a species found throughout Southeast Asia.  According to Habitat News which last reported significant sightings in 2010:  “In May 2005, Singapore witnessed the widespread occurrence of adult Lyssa zampa, the large, nocturnal white-striped moth known variously as the ‘Tropical Swallowtail Moth’ and the ‘Giant Uranid Moth’. I recalled incidents from my youth when these large moths used to appear seasonally in Singapore on damp nights. Veteran biologist Kok Oi Yee, agreed, saying the moth used to appear in large numbers in Singapore back in the 1960’s and she was sure it used to happened between May to July.  Not in recent years though. With urbanisation reducing forest cover and the number of areas near forests in Singapore, perhaps it is not surprising there are fewer observations of large numbers of moths. This outbreak had us discussing the climate and the food plant, reportedly a species of Endospermum but we could not say much beyond speculation.”  Large numbers of Tropical Swallowtail Moths appear cyclically, and in certain years there are significant population explosions resulting in numerous sightings.  Otterman Speaks reported a sighting this past April.

Some Questions about the Tropical Swallowtail Moth
May 20, 2014 9:45 pm
Good day,
1) I would just like to know how do you tell the difference between a male and female
tropical swallowtail moth Lyssa zampa  (Lepidoptera: Uraniidae) ?
2) Do males and females have different period where they emerge from their chryslis?
3) What do they feed on?
Thank you,
Signature: Hui Min

Dear Hui Min,
We have added your questions to the featured posting of the Tropical Swallowtail Moth.  We have already gotten several comments, including a report that about thirty individual were sighted at The National Library Building in Singapore.  We will attempt to research your questions.

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Subject: Phillipino butterfly
Location: Manilla, Philippines
April 28, 2014 3:50 am
Hello Bugman,
My brother is working in the Philippines, and he found this gorgeous butterfly in the entrance to his office building today. The quality isn’t great, it was taken with his cell phone but you can still see details.
I was wondering if you could help me give it a name.
Thanks, and continue your wonderful work! This is really a wonderful website!
Signature: Ben, from Israel

Hi again Bugman,
I found it! Turns out it’s a tropical swallowtail moth, Lyssa zampa, and not a butterfly.
Feel free to post it on your website,
Ben

Swallowtail Moth

Hi Ben,
Thanks for forwarding your brother’s image of a Tropical Swallowtail Moth, and thanks for the compliment as well.

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