Sky Blue?

[horace2264]

Encountered this Jamides butt with Les and Federick alogn MNT today. We all saw the bright shining blue upperside when the butt were flying around. We suggested it was a Soldier Caerulean, but after checking the color plates in Pisuth's book, I now think that it might be the Sky Blue.

I now took one distant shot, hopefully Federick could share a better shot later.

[Commander]

Can you compare the markings with the Dark Caerulean (Jamides bochus) again? From the large eyes to the rather lighter markings on the wings of the specimen that you've shot, it does look like a Dark Caerulean. :thinking:

[horace2264]

Can you compare the markings with the Dark Caerulean (Jamides bochus) again? From the large eyes to the rather lighter markings on the wings of the specimen that you've shot, it does look like a Dark Caerulean. :thinking:

The male Dark Caerulean has metallic blue uppersides which were not what we saw, and the female Dark Caerulean has rather wide black borders on the upperside, and this is not the case in the specimen too (see pic for a glimpse of the blue upperside almost right up to the termen). :thinking:

[Peacock Royal]

Here is one of my shots at high ISO and low speed.

[horace2264]

Here is one of my shots at high ISO and low speed.
Thanks, Federick. Much better shot than the one I took.

The underside markings do suggest a possibility of a Dark Caerulean male, although the specimen is of larger size than the male Dark Caerulean I used to see in the western sector.

[Commander]

Oh yes, the size. Only you guys who saw it would be able to have some reference. The Sky Blue is definitely much larger - almost the size of the Common Caerulean, and much faster flight.

It's quite common at Bunker Trail actually... Sunny should've seen them quite often.

[Peacock Royal]

Agree with Horace that the size is larger than the Dark Caerulean I saw at LSR and at Ubin last Saturday
Also, when it flies the blue uppersides that we saw appear to be different from that of the DC.

[Painted Jezebel]

It was definately not the Dark Cerulean, the size and shade of blue were all wrong. Now I have had the chance to see the photo close up, I can also say that it is not the Soldier Cerulean either (I had my doubts at the time owing to the paler background colouring of the underside compared to the Jamides malaccanus specimes I have seen). It does seem closest to a Sky Blue.

[Silverstreak]

The size might not be a reliable ID feature. I have just spent 4 days tracking a colony of hill-topping Jamides bochu nabonassar (Dark Caeruleans)at half its normal size thinking it was somethingesle!:bsmile:

I do not think it is a Dark Caerulean either, basing on what I can see in the differences as highlighted at the attached comparison.

Neither do I see it resembles the Jamide caerulean caerulean ( Sky Blue ) I recorded from Panti Forest previously and a few days ago.

looks like we have to create a Jamides Bin similar to the Arhopala Bin.

:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Sunny, your photo above of J. caeruleus is J. malaccanus. Check the hindwing.

[Silverstreak]

Ops ! You are right that is a J. malaccanus...:whistle:

Here is the J. Caerulean taken and IDed last year.;P

[horace2264]

One important ID key for J. caeruleus is, according to C&P4, "the post-discal band on the forewing beneath is completely dislocated at vein 3". Your specimen in post #9 has the post-discal band (as in the case of spp. belonging to the celeno sub-group, to which J. celeno and J. malaccanus belongs, among others) continuous from vein 3 to vein 7.

For a comparison of this feature between the species (post-discal band on forewing underside), please refer to C&P4, plate 36, in fig. 26 for J. malaccanus and fig. 35 for J. caeruleus.

[Silverstreak]

Let me include the J caerulean into the chart....

[horace2264]

Sunny, IMHO your shot in post #11 is not J. caeruleus too as its post-discal band does not have the correct dislocation feature for this species. The spot in space 3 is still roughly in line with the rest of the post-discal band.

Let me post some pics from plates in the "Butterflies of Borneo" book to illustrate the ID key I mentioned in my earlier post.

Pic 1 shows the underside of J. caeruleus whereas pic 2 shows the underside of J. celeno. Pic 3 and 4 shows the forewing areas of the two species, highlighing the dislocation of the post-discal spot in space 3 in J. caeruleus but not in J.celeno.

[horace2264]

Let me highlight the spot in space 3 for the Jamides sp. featured in post #11.

[Silverstreak]

Thanks for the clear illustration.... a picture worth a thounsand words. So what we had IDed from Panti forest might be wrong too, believing it to be the Sky Blue.

[horace2264]

Thanks for the clear illustration.... a picture worth a thounsand words. So what we had IDed from Panti forest might be wrong too, believing it to be the Sky Blue.
This butt in post #11 should be another member of the celeno sub-group. The ID job will be easier if Khew had taken a voucher specimen on a previous visit.

[atronox]

Wow, Horace, was that done with PS?

[horace2264]

Wow, Horace, was that done with PS?
Yes, Adobe CS2 and ImageReady were used to create the animated gifs from layers prepared in CS2.

[atronox]

Yes, Adobe CS2 and ImageReady were used to create the animated gifs from layers prepared in CS2.Thx, Horace. I'm gonna learn it.:redbounce