Environmental group Green Power reported discovery of a new butterfly species – Yamfly (Loxura atymnus) in Hong Kong. Butterfly Surveyors of the organisation - Lo Tsz Kin, Sze-To Sum Yu, Chan Lok Him, Hui Kwan Yi - spotted a Yamfly near a stream in Luk Keng when conducting the fieldwork at two in the afternoon last Sunday (19 October 2025). The butterfly was sighted for the first time in Hong Kong and recorded in picture.
Matthew Sin, Chief Environmental Affairs Manager of Green Power, said Yamfly belonged to the Lycaenidae (Blues) family. It is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 2.5 to 3.5 centimetres and rear wing tails of about one centimetre long. Its wings are reddish orange on the upperside with black apical border on the forewings and are brownish yellow on the underside with obscure markings of stripes and dots. It has a fluttering flight style and flits near woodland edges. When it perches on a tree, it is indistinguishable from a dry leaf. The butterfly surveyors found it on a rock drinking or feeding on faeces supposedly.
Matthew Sin said Yamfly was widely distributed, ranging from India and Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia, to southern China including Hainan, Yunnan, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces according to literature. But it was never spotted in Hong Kong. He said the first sighting of the butterfly was a significant indication of Hong Kong falling into the species distribution. The butterfly should be able to breed in Hong Kong because its caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the Smilax plants which can be found here.
