Samui 2012

[Psyche]

The angulation of that hindwing band appears to vary quite a bit. I think we had quite a bit of discussion earlier when we were trying to establish if A. kausambi existed in Singapore or not. (After a mating pair captured was sent to Dr Kirton for dissection, it was established that it was A. geza after all)

Sunny did quite a bit of comparison of the examples that we've encountered, and one of the features of the female saturata that emerged, is the flared and rather sharp "tails" as can be seen in Les' first shot.

A. geza "tails" are more rounded and less pronounced in comparison as shown in Les' more recent post.

A good observation there, Khew.
I did a check and all those females with the tails sharply pointed are A. saturata.
There are some saturata females with blunted points, but none of the valid geza females have sharply pointed tails.

TL Seow

[Psyche]

Thank you, Seow, SK. I had been looking at all my similar Abisara sp. photos, and getting very confused. I remember the previous discussion, but I still have difficulty in being absolutely positive between A. geza, saturata and kausamboides.

Since you mentioned kausamboides, I was wondering if the ssp. in Samui is this ssp., a relic of the Sundainian form not over-run by maya on the mainland.
You can see the maya ssp. female on the Yutaka website is different (wrongly labelled).
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/rio/8a210020.html

TL Seow

[Painted Jezebel]

Since you mentioned kausamboides, I was wondering if the ssp. in Samui is this ssp., a relic of the Sundainian form not over-run by maya on the mainland.
You can see the maya ssp. female on the Yutaka website is different (wrongly labelled).
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/rio/8a210020.html

TL Seow

My mistake, I meant to say A. kausambi! This is what happens when I type without a book in front of me. Before anyone replies regarding this one, I know that the forewing postdiscal band is straight(er) for this sp.

However, according to both Pinratana and Ek-Amnuay, A. s. kausamboides is only found in the Yala area of Thailand. Yutaka's map also suggests that mine should be A. s. maya. I am happy with this.

According to Pinratana, all three subspecies found in Thailand can only be distinguished by minor variations to the male genitalia, while Ek-Amnuay states that for the three subspecies, they can be distinguished by the width of the forewing discal bands in the males, A. s. meta the widest, then maya with kausamboides the thinnest (a North-South movement). If I lived further south, then I think I would have a 'which ssp.?' quandry. At least, in Singapore and Malaya you only have one ssp. to worry about.

[Painted Jezebel]

This weekend has been blisteringly hot!

Butterfly activity has been almost non-existent, but have a few things.

1) Tajuria cippus cippus - male. Sorry about the boring background, not my prefered style, but inescapable on this occasion.
2) Plastingia naga - rarely seen upperside shot.
3) A Zographetus species. This looks in between Z. doxus and Z. ogygia, both of which have been found on the Island, but I am not sure which one.
4) Potanthus sp. The hindwing looks like the veins are darkened, as in P. omaha, but as I have not yet encountered this species here, I would like confirmation.

[Psyche]

Quite difficult once it is worn.
Looks like Z. doxus because of the brown border on the hndwing.
The hindwing of Z. ogygia is concolorous.

It is P. omaha. All veins are darkened including tthose across the subapical spots.

TL Seow

[Painted Jezebel]

Thank you. You confirmed what I suspected, but was not sure enough myself. Yet another +1 for this year (P. omaha, which I have always thought should be here), I am having a good year! It can not continue.

[Painted Jezebel]

Blisteringly hot today. Went back to where I found the Arhopala athada, as I had also seen, but not photographed to any degree of satisfaction, two other new species. Unfortunately, neither were seen.

The only thing worth shooting was this, the flash rather overdone! I note that both Kimura and Yusaka have reinstated this as a species, Hasora malayana (Felder & Felder 1860), this includes all specimens from the Malay Peninsular including Singapore. I presume this is because the ranges of H. taminatus malayana and H. t. bhavara appear to overlap considerably in northern Thailand.

[Psyche]

Blisteringly hot today. Went back to where I found the Arhopala athada, as I had also seen, but not photographed to any degree of satisfaction, two other new species. Unfortunately, neither were seen.

The only thing worth shooting was this, the flash rather overdone! I note that both Kimura and Yusaka have reinstated this as a species, Hasora malayana (Felder & Felder 1860), this includes all specimens from the Malay Peninsular including Singapore. I presume this is because the ranges of H. taminatus malayana and H. t. bhavara appear to overlap considerably in northern Thailand.

Yutaka shows H. malayana with blue-green & H. taminatus with purple glaze. I wonder if this colour is constant.

Correction to female Potanthus post 74.
This should be P. ganda female.

As often the female dart shows vein darkening where the male does not.

The female omaha is light. Too much dark shading here and spot 3 is excavated by a black 'spot' at its outer margin not seen in omaha.
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1046/1...22b7a1a10c.jpg

The male ganda is very similar except the veins are not darkened.
http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/142059551

TL Seow

[Painted Jezebel]

Yutaka shows H. malayana with blue-green & H. taminatus with purple glaze. I wonder if this colour is constant.

Correction to female Potanthus post 74.
This should be P. ganda female.

I attach what should be H. taminatus bhavara, from Cambodia.

With regards to the Potanthus, shame, I will have to delete this from my list. Back down to 339!

[Psyche]

I attach what should be H. taminatus bhavara, from Cambodia.
!

I fail to see any difference between these 2 species.

TL Seow