Ah so the female semangas have 3 pairs of tails whereas the male only 2 pairs and both have similar coloured upperside. Thanks for the info!
Cannot escape the eyes of Khew, and Benedict who has spent lots of time monitoring the species !
It is the Semanga superba deliciosa. The male has 2 pairs of tail whilst the female which is generally more colorful has an additional pair of tails at vein 4.
The specimen had missing tails , hence unable to differentiate from the shot whether it was a male or female.
Females are more often sighted than the male , it is very skittish and generally prefer the semi shaded areas in or adjacent to ripen Melastoma malabathricum . Best time for open wing shots is after a light drizzle and the sun comes through.
Male
Female
Had a peek of a pretty pristine specimen today with open wings for 1 sec before it decides to head up the canopy. Very skittish. I'm just wondering, if we have seen the female so many times, why can't once the female bring it's mate along down for a stroll so we can get a mating shot of this delicious. Let us complete the series and we will be very glad that happen!
Cheers!
Cheers!
Jewel in the sky