Arhopala Collection for ID

[Psyche]

Well LC, lucky you. This seems to be one of the Arhopala that you can ID by carefully comparing the underside.

Using the key 1, 7, 8, 95, 153, 154,155, will only eliminate 2/3 of the species leaving another 30 odd spps to sift through. However the underside is quite distinctive in many ways.

The spots are deep-coloured and contrasted with the ground colour strongly by striae which tends to be silvery.

Forewing : No costal spots in space 10 or 11. ; postdiscal spot 9 distinctly paler than 4, 5, & 6.

Hindwing :Dorsal (inner margin ) 1/3 strongly darkened. ; Postdiscal band partially dislocated at vein 2 ( by tracing the tail upwards ). ; postdiscal spot 6 wide & overlaps the cellend bar.; the tornal green patch & black spots are also an exact match.

Thus, this is A. corinda corestes female.

TL Seow

[Glorious Begum]

Thanks Seow for confirmation and highlighted all the keys.

Well LC, lucky you. This seems to be one of the Arhopala that you can ID by carefully comparing the underside.

Using the key 1, 7, 8, 95, 153, 154,155, will only eliminate 2/3 of the species leaving another 30 odd spps to sift through. However the underside is quite distinctive in many ways.

The spots are deep-coloured and contrasted with the ground colour strongly by striae which tends to be silvery.

Forewing : No costal spots in space 10 or 11. ; postdiscal spot 9 distinctly paler than 4, 5, & 6.

Hindwing :Dorsal (inner margin ) 1/3 strongly darkened. ; Postdiscal band partially dislocated at vein 2 ( by tracing the tail upwards ). ; postdiscal spot 6 wide & overlaps the cellend bar.; the tornal green patch & black spots are also an exact match.

Thus, this is A. corinda corestes female.

TL Seow

[Yano]

The weather beeing not friendly, I am forced to stay at home, so finally trying to identify the Arhopala photos (not so many) I've taken this year in Singapore.

Dear Seow, will you help ID the attached? The upperside was purple (not green).

Yano

[Psyche]

You have shot Arhopala delta which I don't think was taken before.

The key lines to follow in C&P4(Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula) if you have the book are Line 1, 7, 8, 9, 23, 45, 55, 59, 60, 62.

It had been rrcorded in Singapore though.

TL Seow

[Yano]

Dear Seow,
Thank you so much for the ID.
Only this morning I noticed it did not look like any of the Singapore Arhopala photos and was waiting for your reply. I just checked the "Fleming" and notice there is an "S" mark under Arhopala delta indicating it was recorded in Singapore. I'm so excited to record it again!!
I think I will buy the C&P4 as a Christmas present to myself.
Yano

[Psyche]

I think I will buy the C&P4 as a Christmas present to myself.
Yano

A jolly good idea.

I did a check as I recalled an A. delta somewhere.
Federick did shot this back in Nov. 2007., last pic.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/forum...ead.php?t=6046

A. delta (key line 62) & A. allata(key line 61) are closely similar, and if you were to compare your shot with Flemng L179(allata) and L188(delta) it would appeared to be allata especially with all the smaller spots and the faded appearance.
However, the forewing magin is rounded and in Federick's pic the postdiscal band is clearly dislocated at the lowest visible point (at vein 4).

TL Seow

[Painted Jezebel]

It seems I would have got the last one (A. delta) correct, (that is what I got to when using the keys, but did not feel confident enough to say so). That makes a change!

Attached is one specimen that is giving me trouble.

It has the spot in 11, which suggests a member of the Alitaeus group. However, there are two things that worry me.
1)The forewing postdiscal band is much, much wider than any specimen from this group that I have seen before.
2) Forewing postdiscal spot 4 is not as far shifted distad from 5 & 6, as normal.