Traces of rare butterfly species found in Hong Kong for first time in 13 years

Traces of a rare butterfly species have been found in Hong Kong for the first time in over a decade, with experts expecting more of the insects to appear.

The Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve said on Sunday that one of its surveyors had found eggs of Libythea Myrrha, also known as the club beak, at Lui Kung Tin in Yuen Long district in late August.

The butterfly, which has an extremely long snout, was first spotted in Hong Kong in 2011 at the Wetland Park in Tin Shui Wai.

The species is distributed in mainland China in Yunnan, Hainan, Guangxi and Guangdong, South Asia and Southeast Asia, according to the reserve, which is run by the Environmental Association, an NGO.

Hydrogen Pun Sui-fai, who sits on the reserve’s advisory committee, said the species, currently categorised as “vagrant” by the authorities, could appear again in Hong Kong.

“The life cycle of the club beak in the larva stage is very short, taking less than three weeks to grow from an egg to an adult,” he said.

“Its larva feeds on Celtis Sinensis, which is a native tree commonly seen at roadsides and hillsides, so it is possible the club beak will appear again in Hong Kong.”