Butterflies of Borneo

[MikeOxon]

Perhaps a few readers with long memories might recall that I wrote about a visit I made to Sabah (North Borneo) in 2015. In a diary post dated 3rd Nov 2015, I wrote that "Unfortunately, there is no guide to Borneo butterflies currently in print, though Pemberley are taking pre-orders for one." Well, the anticipated publication date of that book kept being put back, first by a year at a time and then by 2 years, until I had given up on it.

Now at long last, 'A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies of Borneo' by Honor Phillipps has finally arrived. It is in the usual compact format of the series, with short introductory sections giving site information and some general notes on butterflies. The coverage appears to be heavily biassed towards Sabah, looking at the list of sites that are mentioned. There are then one-to-a-page descriptions of 122 of the species that are most likely to be encountered. For each species there is at least one photo and a brief text covering the main facts regarding habitat, range, and larval food plants. Towards the end of the book are plates showing a few larvae and a small selection of food plants.

It would have made a handy pocket reference, if it had been available for my visit. It is not a comprehensive review of the thousand or so species to be found in Borneo (The Kinabalu National Park alone holds around 625 species of butterflies - far more than for the whole of Europe), so won't help if you do manage to spot a rarity. , There is no 'Borneo Birdwing' Troides andromache, for example, which I was fortunate to find on the slopes of Mt.Kinabalu.

Mt.Kinanbalu, Sabah - 27th September 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/640s@f/8 ISO640

Mike

[Padfield]

I do remember, Mike! In fact, I pre-ordered a copy at the same time as you and then, like you, gave up on it. Now I have a copy and will be posting a full review soon. Well done on photographing andromache! It's always nice to find endemics, especially when you go on once-in-a-lifetime trips.

Guy

[MikeOxon]

I look forward to your review, Guy. In my opinion, it rather falls between two stools - too few species for an ID guide and too little detail for a true field guide. I think, as a pocket ID guide, the companion volume covering Peninsular Malaysia provided a better balance.

Mike