Salanoemia tavoyana sighting in Cambodia

[MrGee]

A few days ago I spotted a butterfly here at Rainbow Lodge (South Cardamom foothills) and identified it as Salanoemia tavoyana. Les has kindly confirmed the ID for me but informed me that it shouldn't be here . He said:

Its known range in from S. Myanmar, down the peninsular to the Malay/Thai border only. It was found for the first time in Singapore 1-2 years ago and caused a bit of a sensation. It was believed, then, to be an accidental introduction there on nursery plants such as palms.

[Psyche]

As the colony in Pulau Ubin, Singapore feed on Licuala spinosa, a local wild fan palm of mangrove swamp, this skipper may have survived in wildly scattered small colonies in SE Asia.

TL Seow
PS. It is also listed in Kaziranga Assam, India.
Hesperiidae no. 90
http://www.assamforest.in/knp-osc/li...ry=butterflies

[MrGee]

Thanks for the info Seow. I have looked up the plant. We have something that looks identical to that growing here on Rainbow Lodge land. We also have a few mangrove trees growing in the stream the borders the land and along the edge of the river here.

[Painted Jezebel]

Indeed, thanks Seow. It does appear that this species may be more widely distributed than previously thought, even if only in small pockets. Now to visit my two areas of Mangroves on Samui!

[Commander]

Nice find!