ID help please

[Psyche]

Post 10.

1.Male Nacaduba berenice.

2, & 3. males N. beroe

4. Female N. beroe.

5. Arhopala epimuta.

The 6line Blues need to be identified by the sex first.

Male ;FW apex blunt,termen fairly straight; abdominal end truncated & brush like.; palpi short (not reliable)

Female ;FW apex pointed follow by a convex termen. abdominal pointed without a brush. Palpi longer but confusing in photos.


Male 6Line Blues.
A. Dark striae strong .
A1, N berenice; FW postdiscal typically broken in the middle ;submarginals irregular.
A2, N. calauria ;FW postdiscal almost always straight & unbroken; FW submarginal spots 4 & 5 sharp pointed.

B. Dark striae weak/moderate to obsolete.FW termen always rather straight.
B1. N. beroe : FW innermost (costal spot 12)absent; postdiscal band broken in the middle ;lower 3 submarginal rectangular; wingbase darkish.
B2; N kurava ;FW costal spot 12 always present; postdiscal usually fairly straight , not broken; submarginal often broad with rounded margins; wingbase not dark.


Female 6Line Blues.
All females have strong dark striae.

Female .N. beroe 'FW costal spot 12 absent or vestigial. FW postdiscal broken (variable) in the middle.

Female N. kurava;FW costal spot 12 present; FW postdiscal usually straight; submarginals large with rounded margins.

Female calauria. FW costal spot 12 present; postdiscal straight & unbroken; submarginal spots 4 & 6 sharp-pointed.

Female N berenice; FW costal spot 12 present; postdiscal usually partially broken in the middle; submarginals irregular; spot 4 & 6 not sharper than the others.

eg N. calauria male on the left, female on the right.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...llen%20Tan.JPG


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Banded Yeoman]

Thanks for the detailed response Dr Seow!

I understand Nacaduba can be difficult to identify with certainty with underside shots only. However, would there be any 6-line species that were recorded in Singapore but missed in recent searches?

Also, is it correct to say that the 4-line species do not need to be identified by sex first.. Or did this rule apply across the whole genus?

[Psyche]

Thanks for the detailed response Dr Seow!

I understand Nacaduba can be difficult to identify with certainty with underside shots only. However, would there be any 6-line species that were recorded in Singapore but missed in recent searches?

Also, is it correct to say that the 4-line species do not need to be identified by sex first.. Or did this rule apply across the whole genus?

All 6line blues are accounted for.
A rare highland endemic is present in P. Malaysia, N. kirtoni.

Generally it is good to know the sex.
The females all have broader markings ,but otherwise ID features are the same as for the males.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Banded Yeoman]

Dr Seow, good to hear that for the 4-line species, the ID features are largely the same between sexes.. That certainly makes life a little easier!

Here's a break from the usual Lycaenids.. shot on Ubin. I'm assuming that it is Amathusia phidippus, since it is the only species that seems to be recorded around here. Yet, the pale markings and deeper indented bands caught my attention.

ID as Amathusia friderici holmanhunti

[Psyche]

Post 14.

It looks like you have found another new species.
This is Amathusia friderici holmanhunti .

If you look at the HW 4th dark band from the base, it is narrow & notched in the sides.
This typical of several other species.
In A. phidippus, this band is entire usually & not notched on the sides.

Examples of A. phiddippus from Singapore.
https://wanderingbutterflyeffect.fil...e7731b860b.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yzw2AzY2du...m-King-KSK.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...lson%20Ong.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...erick%20Ho.jpg

A. friderici ; HW 4th dark band narrow & notched on the sides.
Malaya
http://lithops.com.ua/image/cache/da...em-500x500.JPG
Southern Thailand.
http://paro6.dnp.go.th/paro6_royal_p...20palmking.jpg

A. perakensis : HW 4th dark band broken & head end separated.
https://www.thaibutterflies.com/wp-c...a-1080x719.jpg

A. binghami ;HW 4th dark band lightly notched ;main band reddish & broad.
https://a4.pbase.com/g9/25/686825/2/...5.KgQ4Jik0.jpg


A. friderici 's host plant is the common oilpalm & it is reported to be common in some oilpalm plantations.
The form utana which is commoner is very dark ,almost black in the male upperside.
You may have notice this as it flies off. This looks like a female though.
TL Seow: Cheers.

[Banded Yeoman]

Thanks Dr Seow! I was aware that there were many more "Palm Kings" in the region but had no clue how to identify them, or even expect to see anything besides the usual A. phidippus.

There were several individuals flying around in the thicket. I do recall them to be very black when in flight, which attracted my attention in the very first place. I cannot say whether the upperside was black for this specific individual however, as I wasn't keeping track of them.

[Banded Yeoman]

Two more Amathusia for consideration, both shot in Ubin. The first is my sighting, while the second is a shot sent to me by Mr Michael Soh (on the forums as Blue Pansy). Aaron, Dr Seow, what do you think?

1) ID as Amathusia friderici holmanhunti


2) Amathusia phidippus, by Michael Soh

[Psyche]

Post 17.

The 1st is undoubtedly A. friderici.

The 2nd one is a bit tricky.
I think it is a variant of A. phidippusbut I am not too sure at the moment.

TL Seow: Cheers.

PS. On reflection 2 is more likely to be A. friderici as well.

[Psyche]

Having look through many pix of Amathusia from Singapore, the 2nd pix in which the 4th HW band is not distinctly notched by the veins is best left as A. phidippus.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Banded Yeoman]

Aaron, Dr Seow, here are some skipper shots that I cannot ID.... Your opinions are greatly appreciated!

1) Potanthus ganda female..


2) Baoris farri male


3) Caltoris cormasa female




4) Borbo cinnara female


5) Pelopidas mathias male