White Royal (Pratapa deva relata)

Dr Seow, please help to confirm if this Pratapa deva relata is a female? Why are the black borders on the upperside appear to be patchy?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0156bb_b_d.jpghttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8d9c30_b_d.jpg

The patchy black border are just developmental defect.

However the upperside with the blue patch & broader black borders on both wings strongly suggest the female of Pratapa icetoides.

See C&P4 plate 46 for the females of both P. deva & icetoides.
Also.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4h/83240020.html
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4h/83260010.html
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4h/83260001.html

P. icetoides should have ochreous shading of the FW costal base & a more continuous postdiscal line. HW orange patch always large.
Borneo.
https://static.inaturalist.org/photo...1617/large.jpg
https://www.jamiun.com/category/macr...ides-calculis/
Thailand.
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...2-1080x675.jpg
This is labelled as P. icetoides (female) ssp icetoides Thailand.
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...-icetoides.jpg




It seem most examples of P. deva in Singapore have lightly shaded ochreous costal base.
Perhaps the Singapore population is now largely hybrid.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...te-Royal)..jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...16_02_2011.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...20-%20Khew.jpg


Thailand. P. deva.
Male. ? ssp.
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...atapa-deva.jpg
Female P. deva relata
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...eva-relata.jpg
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...a-relata-3.jpg



TL Seow: Cheers.
Compare uppersides with

Female P. deva relata
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/pict14h/83240020_221.jpg

Female P. icetoides (ssp. icetoides)
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/pict14h/83260001_211.jpg

The larva and the pupa stages of the White Royal female shot by Mei Yee are shown below.

Attachment 27529Attachment 27530

They match those of P. deva's early stages featured in the Hong Kong book (A Photographic Monograph on Hong Kong Butterflies, volume 2, p.220) and Thailand's web page at https://wingscales.com/Lycaenidae/Pr...a#early-stages

The early stages of P. icetoides featured in Thailand's web page at https://wingscales.com/Lycaenidae/Pr...s#early-stages show very different looking larva and pupa from those of P. deva.

I will leaves this as a form of Pratapa deva relata female.
I see no examples of males from Singapore that could be undoubtedly P. icetoides.


The female of P. icetoides is consistently bluer with wide black borders.
This differences can also be seen in the Bornean Lycaenids by Otsuka plate 57.


I am also wary of Life-histories in which the butterfly that eclosed is not shown.
In some case a field shot is added (which can be a different species).


Finally comparing larvae can sometimes be tricky.
eg. The larva of Papilio demoleus in Australia looks like nothing from here.
http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.co.../demoleus.html



TL Seow : Cheers.

Thank you, Dr Seow

I did further cross checking & I feel that the two species are very similar in Singapore & easily confused.

Pratapa deva relata.
Underside FW costa base not or barely shaded ochreous variable.
Male upperside bright metallic blue.
Female pale lavender blue with narrow black border.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4h/83240020.html

Male.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...race%20Tan.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...race%20Tan.jpg
Female.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...lson%20Ong.jpg
Female in S. thailand.
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...eva-relata.jpg
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...a-relata-3.jpg



Pratapa icetoides calculis.
Underside FW costa base distinctly shaded ochreous.
Upperside male darker blue , Female deeper blue with wider black borders on both wings.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4h/83260010.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratap...Un_480_AC1.jpg

Female.Note this is a female, the HW is rounded, upperside blue; in the male the cell area is black.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...Sunny-Chir.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...te-Royal)..jpg
Another female with more rounded FWs.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...16_02_2011.jpg




TL Seow: Cheers.

Correction : all are Pratapa deva


It appears the markings & colours can varies widely in both species.

But all correct examples of Pratapa deva have grey eyes.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yzw2AzY2d...WR_adult_1.jpg
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/butt...e-35145922.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...16_02_2011.jpg


& all correct examples of P. icetoides have black eyes.
https://www.jamiun.com/wp-content/up...rmarksmall.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNXQ71J_r...0/DSC_1689.JPG
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...-icetoides.jpg


TL Seow: Cheers.

Thank you for the update, Dr Seow :)