Which Four-line Blues?

[Painted Jezebel]

This is, hopefully, the last of my Lycaenid 'undecideds' (unless something new crops up during the quiet season). Once sorted, I will be able to complete the individual Lycaenidae pages for my website being as sure as possible I have everything right.

I have these as Nacaduba pavana, but they do not seem the same.

The only Four-lines I have recorded are N. angusta (not shown), N. pavana and N. pendlebury (again not shown).

[Silverstreak]

Les,

#1 & #3 are Nacaduba pactolus odon (Large Four-Line BLue) (http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist%20V2/CI/index.php/start-page/startpage/showbutterfly/191)

:cheers:

[Psyche]

Les,

#1 & #3 are Nacaduba pactolus odon (Large Four-Line BLue) (http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist%20V2/CI/index.php/start-page/startpage/showbutterfly/191)

:cheers:

That leaves No. 2.

N. pavana & russelli can be discounted because the dark lines in their postdiscal bands are prominenty dark. In any case they are quite different looking.

Of the others, three with the postdiscal straight and no hint of any dislocation near the upper end are angusta, pactolus and solta.

This can only be N. solta female.
( N. solta is also the only in which the band is very straight.)

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Thanks, Sunny & Seow. Please allow me a while to look at these, primarily because N. solta has not been recorded from Thailand before, as far as I can see! It is too dark here now for me to look at my references!

[Psyche]

Thanks, Sunny & Seow. Please allow me a while to look at these, primarily because N. solta has not been recorded from Thailand before, as far as I can see! It is too dark here now for me to look at my references!

This certainly raise a problem.
From what had been discussed, the following can be eliminated.
N. pavana, russelli, angusta, pactolus.

Also the following.
N. hermus.(HIndwing postdiscal band close to submarginal spots in space 4 & 5, although the female shown in C&P4 is not; orange ring brownish.)
N. subperussia lysa. (Hindwing post discal band close to & almost touching submarginal spots in space 4 & 5.)
N. sanaya. ( Forewing postdiscal band distinctly dislocated at upper end.)

This leaves two possibilities, the females of N. solta or pendleburyi.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Sorry, one more. I found this hiding in a Nymphalid file!!! Not sure how it got there. However, since I have been woefully inept in identifying the species of this Genus, I thought I had better get your thoughts first.

[Psyche]

It is N. pactolus.
Thick fuzzy yellowish striae. Hindwing submarginal spot in space 6 large squarish and high-set against the spot in space 5.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Silverstreak]

Les,

Here is a visual that I came up with for initial ID of the species awhile back, comparing to the 3 N. pactolus you have at the bottom.

The unique acute angle formed by the adjacent stria on the fore and hind wings of N. pactolus are circled and arrowed.

How I wish the earlier authors had these tools to aid them in describing the unique markings of the keys!;P


http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/Bin/SNAG_Program-0008-SNAG_Program-.jpg


:cheers:

[Psyche]

No. 2 is the female of N. pendleburyi.

Found a pic of a male N. pendleburyi.
Notice the forewing postdiscal band is almost straight in this individual. ( Very similar to N. solta.)
The male have the marginal and submarginal spots rather flat. The sex difference is akin to N. beroe.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4624687812_2ba53fcd7c.jpg

The clincher is that in pic 2 the blue-grey upper colouration of the female of N. pendleburyi can be seen. ( The female N. solta have a bright blue upperside.)

N. hermus, subperusia & pendleburyi are extant in Singapore, but strangely I have not come across any image of these.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Thanks, Seow, I am now very, very confused. With the exception of the easily identified N. angusta, I have probably every photo incorrectly identified!:cry:

My previous quite large N. pavana file is now empty! My N. pactolus file was previously empty, now is the largest! My N. pendlebury file has, probably, lost all its previous inhabitants, to be replaced by a single photo.:mad2:

The shot I have below is one one that I had very confidently identified as the female of N. pendleburyi. Ek-Amnuay pictures a female, (not listed as one of the errata,so I believed it) identical to this photo. Now I have to wonder if it is N. pactolus?

[Psyche]

This is typical N. pactolus female.
The white lines/striae are broad & blurry.
As Sunny stated there is a tendency for the striae to converge.
The submarginal spots on the hindwing are rather flat except for that in space 6 which is large, squarish & sits high making a steep drop to the rest.

For confirmation whether the images in Pisuth are correctly identified look in the the Yutaka site for the records from Thailand. Those incorrectly IDed in Ek-amnuay are noted under the correct species.

TL Seow:cheers:

PS. According to the Yutaka website N. pendleburyi is also unrecorded from Thailand.

[Psyche]

Since both N. pendleburyi & solta are not recorded in Thailand it is much less lightly to be them.

The main problem is individual variation play havoc in getting the ID right from just a pic.

The ID of N. hermus is based on 2 features.
1 The hindwing postdiscal band in space 4 & 5 is very close almost touching the submarginal spots.
2 The eyespot is ringed with brownish orange. ( As in N. pactolus.)

In reality 1 is quite variable. C&P4 pl. 37/9 female does not have the band close to the submarginal spots in space 4 & 5. (The same problematic variation have N. sanaya with the band & spots close when they 're not supposed to.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/federickho/2593833177/ )

The eyespot ring is definitely dull orangey compared to the male N. pendleburyi here.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4624687812_2ba53fcd7c.jpg

The marginal/submarginal spots are also large & black as in the female N. hermus.

In the end this should be female N. hermus.

[Painted Jezebel]

Thanks for all this work. Ek-Amnuay states that N. pendleburyi was first recorded from Thailand in Ranong on 21.1.1989, a female. His book only shows a female, which, I suspect is that specimen. This must, I think, be a misidentification, though it is not listed in the errata, which is also what Yutaka used to amend his records on his website. I have come across these amendments on his site many times for various species.

I await to see if E-A retains this species in his second edition.

My whole Nacaduba (4-line) series was a complete & utter shambles!!!!:cry:

[Psyche]

I thought I'll include 2 correct images of H. hermus for comparison, but they are males.

Note poorly coloured orange ring in both.

The 1st here have the postdiscal band & the submarginal spots on the hindwing in space 4 & 5 very close.
http://www.boldsystems.org/views/taxbrowser.php?taxid=279884

The 2nd have the band & spots farther apart.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23819233@N08/5248385259/

TL Seow:cheers: