Is this a Miletus symethus

[JitLeangFoo]

Are the FW postdiscal spot5 and 6 alined enough to make this a M.symethus
IMG-20220515-WA0027.jpg

[Psyche]

You do have an interesting one here.

Male ( smooth round HW margin; short labial palps; longer abdominal end) with uniform ground colour & FW postdiscal spots 5 & 6 in line.


Four species of Miletus were recorded in Singapore & it is possible all four are still extant.


Miletus biggsii.
Fw postdiscal spot 6 shifted outwards at least by half the upper margin of spot 5.
More or less uniform ,without distinct shading.
Upperside white band smaller with outer margin indented.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc2/80260001.html
https://calbutterfliesworld.blogspot...brownwing.html
Male right.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/digimania2009/3845385600
Male.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...llen%20Tan.JPG
Female.
https://static.inaturalist.org/photo.../original.jpeg




The other three species have the FW postdiscal spots 5 & 6 in line.


Miletus gopara.
Upperside white band larger, outer margin regular.
Underside almost uniform.
Female strongly tailed at vein 4.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc2/80250001.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miletu...raMUpUnAC1.jpg
Female P.Malaysia.
http://v3.boldsystems.org/pics/BOPMB...1341158498.JPG
http://nlliew66butterflies.blogspot....niceville.html


Miletus gaesa.
Underside uniform with deeper brown shading in the marginal third.
Upperside largely unmarked.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc2/80213001.html
Probable female Singapore.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...llen%20Tan.JPG


Miletus symethus.
Upperside with white patch in basal half.
Underside apices of both wings strongly shaded white , at rest they aligned.
HW postdiscal spots more strongly edged in black.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc2/80270010.html
Males.
https://nss.org.sg/butterfly/photohi...s_symethus.jpg
https://static.inaturalist.org/photo...982/large.jpeg
Females.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...nius---Sim.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...562-copy-4.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...hee%20Beng.jpg



It is either the male M. gopara or gaesa.

It looks closer to male M. gopara but there are no supportive pix of the distinctive female found.

However, in flight M.gopara have a prominent white band while M. gaesa is plain brown.



TL Seow: Cheers.

PS . Most likely the male Miletus gaesa.

[JitLeangFoo]

Thank you Dr Seow.

The upper side has a broad white patch as can be seen in this blur photo just as it took off from its perch.
P5150079.jpg

There was another individual ( a female?)
P5150068.jpg

I found a caterpillar which looks slightly different from the M.biggsii which I have raised before.
P5150091.jpg

[Psyche]

Post 3.

The white band seem a bit small for M. gopara.
The female is undoubtedly M. biggsii.

The Mwlitus species are far more difficult than I expected.

In M. biggsii the FW postdiscal spot 6 is shifted out quite distinctly from spot 5, but there are variation & there may be examples where it is in line or almost so.

M. biggsii, image 3 upperside, images 9 & 10 underside.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/82286683

Female ,Dairy Farm.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...171/large.jpeg

Female P.Ubin FW spot 6 almost in line with spot 5.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...6092/large.jpg


Male ,Bishan, Spots 5& 6 in line.
No upperside. Status uncertain.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...669/large.jpeg



I am afraid without a proper upperside shot it seem impossible to confirm if both M. gopara & gaesa still exist.
The female M. gopara with its distinctive 'tail' is still identifiable from the underside, but no such image is found.


TL Seow : Cheers.

[Psyche]

In comparing the larva of this with that of M. biggsii there is some differences.

M. biggsii from BC checklist.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check..._L4_8mm_01.jpg


In M. biggsii larva there is a black squarish patch in segment 5 which would be the 2nd abdominal segment.


In your larva the black area extend from segment 5 to 6 (abdominal segment 2 & 3.)


This suggest your butterfly is not M. biggsii, assuming the larva & the adult are the same.



TL Seow: Cheers.

[JitLeangFoo]

Yes. I notice that my larva has greenish inside between segment - something I did not notice in my previous M.biggsii larva.

[Psyche]

Good luck if you can rear the larva to adulthood.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[JitLeangFoo]

The imago is a M.biggsii.
BIggsBrownwing 202206010039.jpg

[Psyche]

Agreed. It is a typical male M. biggsii.



TL Seow; Cheers.