Pelopidas is extra hard to ID in India.
(Actually everything is extra hard. )
It is necessary to get the species correct in the first place.
Pelopidas mathias;.Male FW brand cut in the lower third by a line thru the two cellspots.Spot 2 usually quadrate, but may be rectangular.
Female , a line thru the cellspots moves closer to the spot in space 1b. Underside with an uneven ground colour; marginal & HW discal areas with pale shadings. strong in DSF.
HW spots may be dark-rimmed in especially in DSF.
Pelopidas agna.
Male Male: A line thru the two cellspots just tip the end of the brand or miss it.
Female: A line thru the cellspots moves away from the spot in space 1b.
Male spot 2 typically linear but may be broader & more rectangular (becoming similar to mathias male). Underside ground colour more even & uniform brown, may be greenish, without obvious pale shadings in the marginal zones. UnH spots not dark-ringed.
Male Taiwan: A line from the cellspots just tip the brand. https://knowledge.taibif.tw/sites/de...y/00015163.jpg
Evans states of ssp masta.
Darker; UnH usually only the double spots in space 4-5 conspicuous, the rest replaced by dark marks; UpH usually with a double spot in space 4-5.
1. Pelopidas agna.
The line drawn from the cellspots miss the brand. The underside is quite uniform brown, no spot reduction & no dark rim.
The brand looks white but this is unreliable.
2. P. agna. The subapical spots well out of line; uniform underside without pale shading.
3. P. agna.
4. P. agna ;Subapicals out of line ;uniform underside without pale shading.
5. P. mathias ;Line from cellspots cut into lower part of brand ;& uneven underside.
6. & 7 typical P. assamensis.
8 & 9. P. conjuncta ; FW spots yellow; HW spots white in an arc; subapical spots out of line.
Thank you so much for the valuable information with useful links for each keys. The group skippers fascinates me alot.These keys will really help me in my future expedition...
Thank you so much....
Cheers
Id help for Pelopidas sp.
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