Sulawesi Hesperiidae

[Painted Jezebel]

There are a lot of very similar photos to be shown here, so, to avoid confusion, I have started a seperate thread for the Hesperidae, hardly any have I been able to ID with any certainty!.

Firstly, from Bogani Nani NP:

1) A familiar one, I think, Polytremis lubricans lubricans?
2&3) No idea!
4) One of the more unusual species we came across, a species of deep forest.
5&6) No apicalus. A Taractrocera sp?
7) Same as for 5&6. No upperside available, sorry!

[Painted Jezebel]

Part 2: Tangkoko Nature Reserve and our accomodation garden.

There may be some duplicates, is so, I apologise in advance! Only one species was I able to get both underside and, a very bad, an upperside.

The first is the only one I can positively identify - Coladenia kehelatha

[Painted Jezebel]

Part 3 (last) - Minahsa Highlands.

That is the lot of my pesky Hesperids!

[Glorious Begum]

Quite same to me for these 3





Again Quite same to me for these 3





Upper & under sides

[Glorious Begum]

Not sure

[Painted Jezebel]

Now you know why I decided to start a second thread, and not mess up the main one!!

[Psyche]

This skipper is so radically different from the continental subspecies, that I guessed most readers are unconvinced that it is Lotongus calathus taprobanus.
Admittedly I have a twinge of doubt until I could find proof that it does have a white hindwing band on the underside.

Here is Plotz's original description of the taxon taprobanus in German. Ceylon is a location error.
http://www.archive.org/stream/berlin...e/226/mode/1up
Part of the 2nd last sentence read as
" Die Hinterflugel haben unten einen grossen fast ovalen auswarts gezahuten Weissen Querfleck auf der Mitte."
This roughly translates as " The hindwing has on the underside a large almost ?oval to(wards) ?(unknown) White Patch at the Middle

The 2nd clue is the four(if all are present) forewing spots in space 4,5,6, &,7 form an " L ".
This is unique as it is not seen in the other skippers of Sulawesi. (nor in C&P4.)
This can be compared with upperside image of L. C. toprobanus in Vane-wright, de Jong' article at plate 2 fig 8.
For those in the dark here is the link.
http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/document/46743

TL Seow

[Painted Jezebel]

Seow, thank so much. Yes, after reading Plotz's original description everything fits. (My German is not very good, but I understand enough)

So, Lotongus calathus taprobanus it is.

However, I still have a gut feeling that it's status as a ssp. of L. calathus is odd. But I have neither the facilities, the specimens nor, most importantly, the ability to confirm this, so I must go with current thinking.