Haloe flava - confirmation of ID

[DaveChiangMai]

Photographed at Thaksin Maharat NP, w Thailand at an elevation of 1,000 metres, forest edge. Two images of same individual.

I think this can only be Halpe flava, but there are a few slight mismatches with the underwing pattern compared with other images on the web. Also H. hauxwelli crossed my mine but that species should have additional spots in the upperwing.
Could this ID be confirmed please.
Many thanks.

IMG_9038.JPG

IMG_9039.JPG

[Psyche]

This should be Halpe filda. The Absent Ace (absent because of lack of FW cellspot.)

H. flava has a yellow band with dark veins.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91360001.html

The other lookalikes all have the HW underside blurry with the markings diffuse.
The part of the pale submarginal area divided by the interneural dark spots is mostly of narrow lunules (crescents).
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91350001.html
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91355001.html
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91340001.html
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91351001.html

Only in H. filda is the pale submarginal spots relatively large & clear.
http://photobucket.com/gallery/http:...33505.png.html
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/787/Halpe-filda


TL Seow: Cheers.

[DaveChiangMai]

Many thanks for the detail. Currently there are no records of H. filda from Thailand. Digging deeper into the literature that is available on the web there appears to be much taxonomic confusion around the Halpe homolea group. Looking at images on Yutaka could it be that this specimen is H. handa? Itself a split from homolea?

[Psyche]

I cant see it as H. handa for the following reasons.
Most examples of H. handa have the FW spot 2 & 3 with little overlap. Granted there are a few with large spots, & so greater overlap as the example from Nan.
More importantly it is the HW underside.
If you look at the bottom of the link there are 4 field shots of H. handa.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91340001.html

Shot no.4 shows the underside pattern.
The interneural dark spots are large so that the outer submarginal rows of pale spots are reduced to thin lunules.
Here is a better view of what is H. handa from China.
http://www.insect-fans.com/bbs/data/...1105257629.jpg

In your pic the HW submarginal spots are not lunules but a series of quadrate spots.
This gives it a totally different appearance.

H. homolea has a FW cellspot
H. homolea from S India.
https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halpe#...rahmagiri2.jpg


TL Seow: Cheers.

[DaveChiangMai]

Many thanks for those details. Very interesting and informative.

[DaveChiangMai]

I also just found this interesting thread from 2005 for an identical individual on Doi Suthep, also identified as H. filda.

http://www.butterflycircle.com/showt...Thailand/page2