Id request for Telicota

[Psyche]

Post 10.

The Potanthus are extremely difficult as usual .
I will leave them for last.

9 is Cephrenes acalle.
In India can be quite variable. The veins are usually sharply black.
Singapore.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check..._Horace_02.jpg
India.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...26f33b56-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...c9524f9f-1.jpg

13 & 14.
Both are male Telicota ohara.
Male brand very narrow & straight.
UnH band inner margin somewhat straight.
P. Malaysia.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UXgOiYLjR...0/DSC_0008.JPG
Thailand.
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-conte...ta-ohara-1.jpg
Cambodia.
http://butterfliesvietnam.blogspot.c...nded-palm.html

[Psyche]

http://www.butterflycircle.com/attac...1&d=1665589333

11. Should be correct as Potanthus confucius.

The abdominal end is yellow ,although the basal black band is thicker than usual.
The FW band is more or less continuous.Width is variable.

Male ssp diana S. India.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...ohan_an073.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...yam_Thattu.jpg
Male ssp. angustata Taiwan
https://kmweb.coa.gov.tw/files/butte...4_013_99_m.jpg

The ssp. in your area should be dushta which often have wider bands but quite variable.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/92790010.html

The male of P. nesta may have a continuous narrow FW band but the subapical spots are often grouped in a 'V' & the HW upper spot does not project out much.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/92800001.html
https://thaibutterflies.com/Butterfl...tanthus-nesta/

[Psyche]

http://www.butterflycircle.com/attac...2&d=1665589387
http://www.butterflycircle.com/attac...3&d=1665589407

11. Possibly Potanthus mingo male.
Salient points.
The abdominal end is black or heavily black -banded.
The colour is rather yellow.
The ubderside appear to be rather dark shaded mainly.

Potanthus lydia, sp lydia is described as yellower than ssp fraseri which is more tawny.
The underside of P. lydia is not so dark & in a worn specimen would be very light.
The FW band of P. lydia is also mid heavy , ie widest in spots 2 & 3.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...07a03494-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...07a03494-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...f64e3380-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...f64e3380-2.jpg
http://www.samuibutterflies.com/expe...otanthuslydia/

Potanthus mingo is described as yellow.
The FW band is more balanced, & the underside is typicaly more heavily dark shaded with vaque spots.
Smaller FW 12mm vs P. lydia FW 15mm.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f3wB2A2ujB...0/_MG_1531.jpg
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/92810010.html

[Psyche]

http://www.butterflycircle.com/attac...4&d=1665589444

12, Probably male Potanthus palnia.
P. palnia is larger FW 15mm vs P. pseudomaesa at 13mm.

P. pseudomaesa.
FW spots 4 & 5 with minimal overlap, spots 2 & 3 with concave outer margins.
Sri lanka.
https://slbutterflies.lk/storage/app...1492795816.JPG
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/92740010.html


P.palnia.
FW with spot 5 smaller than spot 4.
Spots 2 & 3 with straight margina.
Veins crossing the FW band more distinctly dark.
Underside dark shaded with a greenish tinge.
Cambodia male.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...3513/large.jpg
https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4536...eb33ea48_b.jpg
Kerala male.
https://live.staticflickr.com/5832/3...6e1ae172_b.jpg

[Psyche]

http://www.butterflycircle.com/attac...9&d=1665589666

15. Female with much reduced markings probably Potanthus lydia.

Reduced markings are sometimes seen in P. trachala, lydia & a few other.
The wider spots 2 & 3 & very thin spot in space 1b suggest P. lydia.
In fact a similar individual from Hong Kong had been identified as likely P. lydia.
Hong Kong.
https://old.hkls.org/news/9_2007/P.%20lydia.JPG
https://old.hkls.org/news/9_2007/9_2007.htm



TL Seow: Cheers.

[Ngangom Aomoa]

Thanks a lot Dr. Seow. The last one is rather interesting.

I am also getting slowly acquainted with these darts. Once I use to ignore them, but now they are my prime target during trips. All thanks to you.

Regards
Aomoa

[Psyche]

Potanthus is a fascinating genus but there are so many misidentifications on the web that it becomes extremely challenging.

Evans set himself an enormous task covering the Hesperiids over a vast area.
With reginal differences & seasonal variants, description can become confusing.

As an example of the difficulty even with common species, consider P. trachala & pseudomaesa.

I used to link the website below as an example of P. trachala.
Now looking at it I believe it is P. pseudomaesa.
https://lepidoptera.eu/species/12023


P. trachala is common in SE Asia. abdominal end black-banded.
Singapore male.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yzw2AzY2d...anthusM01a.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yzw2AzY2du...perside_02.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8c/bd/70/8...b0db7b591d.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kvlAhJLLs...la-tytleri.jpg

FW 14/15 mm. FW band very narrow ;spots 2 & 3 quadrate with excavated margins. spot 1b much narrowed in the upper half ;spots 4 & 5 fully detacned.
HW with the upper spot projected out strongly.
Underside heavier dark shading ,edging spots more diffuse.
Female with the FW spots 2 & 3 with straighter margins ;spots 4 & 5widely detached.
India.
https://live.staticflickr.com/2730/4...e57d293d_b.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/potanthus-trachala


Potanthus pseudomaesa. Abdominal end black-banded.
FW band wider ,spots 2 & 3 oblong with excavate margins ,& spot 1b more rectangular.
FW spots 4 & 5 with little overlap with the spots above & below them.
HW with the upper spot strongly projected out as in trachala.
Undrside ground less dark but spots edging the bands sharper.
Sri lanka ,male.
https://slbutterflies.lk/storage/app...1492795816.JPG
India male.
https://farm66.static.flickr.com/655...9926fd9e83.jpg
Female.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...495_236702.jpg

Thailand. ( P. trachala for comparison)http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/92730010.html

Note the male from Lam Dong (supplied by a colleague ) can not be P. pseudomaesa.The FW shape & FW cellbars also indicate it is a female.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/92740010.html

( Similar looking P. pallida; FW spots 4 & 5 often more detached; Spots 1b, 2, & 3 wider; FW cell black hole large in both sexes.
Male on the right.
https://live.staticflickr.com/4007/4...cc85b483_b.jpg
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/92720001.html.)



If you do get some good shots ,we might just be able to clear the confusions of species like P. nesta, mara ,sita & flava.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Ngangom Aomoa]

Indeed a very interesting group. And if we know where and what to look for, it looks possible to id them from photographs.

In view of your last post, I was rechecking my photos and found one confusing one.

This was IDed as P trachala female before, but the spot in space 1b looks quite large. Please ve a look.

16.a
DSC_1017.JPG

16.b
DSC_1018.JPG

regards

[Psyche]

Post 18.

You are right.
This looks like P. trachala because of the detached spots 4 & 5, but spot 1b is wide .
It should be a female P. pseudomaesa.

In Singapore with only 7 species, P. trachala tytleri is hard to be mis-iDed.
Males.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1898/...2e6e499a_b.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...perside_02.jpg
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...3827/large.jpg
Females.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...6560/large.jpg
Female right.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...2671/large.jpg

Compare P. pseudomaesa.
Male.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ngaomoa/52357461936/
Female
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...495_236702.jpg
Female bottom.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...ohan_an082.jpg


P. pallida is very similar & spots 4 & 5 are fully detached.
Spot 1b is broad. The veins crossing the FW band are strongly black.
Sri lanka.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K_9vR_LQ-U...Untitled-1.jpg
Tripura.
https://www.scielo.cl/pdf/rche/v47n1...e-47-01-35.pdf


TL Seow: Cheers.
PS. This example is probably the female Potanthus pallida.
FW spots 1b, 2 & 3 relatively wide with the veins strongly black.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/monsoo...goi/4261887575
Compare female P. trachala; spots 1b ,2 & 3 narrow.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...6560/large.jpg
And female P. pseudomaesa; FW spot 4 less detached, veins not so black.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/si...495_236702.jpg