Elusive Ormocana butterfly spotted by man on trek to Lake Danao, Ormoc

A man spotted the elusive Ormocana butterfly, scientific name Lexias satrapes ormocana, while trekking to Lake Danao in Ormoc City, Leyte. 

According to Kuya Kim Atienza's report in "24 Oras" Tuesday, Patrick Cruz and his companion spotted the butterfly, which had a blue color and black and white markings. 

"'Yung wingspan niya is around five to six inches. Sa upper wings niya black pattern with white spots then sa baba strong blue na color," Cruz said. 

He took photos and videos of the butterfly which he shared on social media. 

Per Cruz, the Ormocana butterfly is iconic in their city; it is even on the official seal of Ormoc. However, he had never seen one until their hike. 

"Sa photos ko lang sa Facebook nakikita 'yun, iba siya sa actual. Mas maganda, mas solemn, it was amazing na nakita ko kasi first time kong makita na ganun. I was happy to share the video sa social media I'm proud that Ormoc City has that kind of species na sa Ormoc lang din makikita," he said. 

The Ormocana butterfly is endemic to Ormoc; this means it can only be found in Ormoc and nowhere else in the world. 

According to Kuya Kim, a plant or animal becomes endemic to a certain area for different reasons. This may be because a plant or animal is highly adaptive to the environment of an area or an animal only eats a certain type of plant that grows in that area. Another reason is because a specific plant only thrives in a certain climate or soil type. 

Entomologist Alhmar Cervantes shared that the Ormocana butterfly was discovered by Professor Julian Jumalon in Ormoc in 1970. 

"Ganun 'yung mga scientists 'pag nagpapangalan sila ng mga species. Kung saan nila nakita or kung saan sila galing," he said. 

Per Cervantes, the presence of the Ormocana butterfly around Lake Danao means the area has a good ecosystem. 

"Napaka-balanced pa niya kaya may nakikitang Ormocana butterfly dun 'cause the presence of these butterflies are indicators of a good thriving ecosystem," he said. 

—CDC, GMA Integrated News