Some Sighting Records of Skippers (Year 2013)

[Peacock Royal]

Please confirm the ids.
1. Telicota besta bina ?
2 and 3. Another Telicota besta bina ?
4. Potanthus omaha omaha ?
5. Tapena thwaitesi bornea (The Dark Flat)

[Psyche]

1. A pristine male with the hindwing veins not darkened,
There is a lot of dark edgings to the spot.
Telicota augias can be excluded beacause its hindwing band is very poorly contrasted & forewing overlap of spot 3 & 4 wide.

It is either T. linna or T. ohara.
At the moment I am getting confused with these two, as the amount of dark edgings is variable.
To compound the matter I noticed the T. ohara elsewhere tend to have the veins darkened.

Update: A recheck indicate this should be Telicota ohara male.

2 & 3. This appeared to be correctly T, besta bina.
The hindwing veins are lightly darkened; forewing spots 4 & 5 are a little like T. colon, but the overlap between spots 4 & 5 are too wide.
Note T. colon & T. besta are closely related.
Correction The distortion of spot 4 & 5 is overiding & this is T. colon.

4. This individual have a lot of dark shadings due to wear.
There is strong dark edgings to the forewing spots & the hindwing veins appeared to be not darkened.
It is probably P. ganda.
(Correction This actually typical P. trachala male ;note hardly any overlap of forewing groups of spots & dark notchings.

TL Seow:cheers: & Happy New Year.

[Peacock Royal]

Thanks Dr Seow for your ids and comments. Appreciate your hard work, I think everyone will slowly see the defining characteristics of some species.
1. I guess this is a female Baoris sp - it is very dark and the colour of this shot has been lightened up by the flashlight.
2. Tagiades gana gana - but the absence of the FW sub-apical three white spots troubles me.
3. A female Telicota augias augias ?

[Psyche]

1. Male Quedara monteithi. Very dark colour ; FW without spot; palpi 2nd segment bulging.

2. Tagiades gana male . 3 subapical spots can be seen on the right side (left FW).

3 Cephrenes acalle male. The black band at the abdominal end is seen in males of Cephrenes, Telicota & large Potanthus P. serina & trachala.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Peacock Royal]

Many thanks Dr Seow.
1 and 2. The Yellow Palm Dart (Cephrenes trichopepla)
3 and 4. Same specimen - I guess it is a Pelopidas species - a bit worn for a definite id ?
5. White Spotted Palmer (Eetion elia)3

[Psyche]

Post 5.

1 & 2. Male Telicota colon.
This one of those example in which spots 4 & 5 are not so obviously distorted, but still with deeply concave margins.
The staggering of the spots (ie. each further out than the one below it) is also not so apparent.
Note upperside shows the prolonged vein-stripes.

3 & 4. Male Caltoris malaya. There is no upper cellspot & it is obviously not cormasa or philippina.
I supposed 3 has the correct colouration.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Peacock Royal]

Two relatively rare skippers patronising one of the "canteens"
These "canteens" really attracted all kinds of "customers"
1. Eetion elia (White Spot Palmer)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/federickho/Mandai%20and%20Ulu%20Sembawang%20PCN/HFH4276WhiteSpotPalmer_zps5931f47b.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/federickho/media/Mandai%20and%20Ulu%20Sembawang%20PCN/HFH4276WhiteSpotPalmer_zps5931f47b.jpg.html)
2. Halpe ormenes vilasina (Dark Banded Ace)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/federickho/Mandai%20and%20Ulu%20Sembawang%20PCN/HFH4323HalpeormenesvilasinaDarkBandedAce_zps6bc82a 8d.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/federickho/media/Mandai%20and%20Ulu%20Sembawang%20PCN/HFH4323HalpeormenesvilasinaDarkBandedAce_zps6bc82a 8d.jpg.html)

[Peacock Royal]

Two skippers shot recently.
1(a) and (b) : Caltoris cormasa ??
2. Potanthus sp - not likely to be P. omaha omaha

[Psyche]

Two skippers shot recently.
1(a) and (b) : Caltoris cormasa ??
2. Potanthus sp - not likely to be P. omaha omaha

1a & b Most likely C. cormasa. 2 cellspots upper very small; worn, general appearance is that of cormasa.

3. Most likely P. ganda . Similar to omaha but veins barely darkened.

TL Seow:Cheers.

[Peacock Royal]

Thanks Dr Seow and I need more help !

#1. I guess it may be the Contiguous Swift (Polytremis lubricans lubricans)
#2 and #3 : Shot at the same spot as #1. The upperside markings rule out P. lubricans ?
#4 and #5. Same specimen - can it be Baoris farri farri ?
#6. Malayan Snow Flat (Tagiades calligana)

I have not seen and shot skippers as frequent as before since late August, I wonder why ?

[Psyche]

Post 10.

2 & 3.
Possibly you have Pseudoborbo bevani.
The underside is that of Borbo.
Note on the upperside there is no spot in space 1b. Borbo cinnara always have a spot 1b in both sexes on the upperside.

As stated in the text of Borbo cinnara, P. bevani has the spot in space 1b absent or faint on the upperside.
The upperside also have a neater appearance, ie the spots are less irregular.

Typical Borbo cinnara. Note spot in space 1b, & irregular crescebtic spots 2 & 3.
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/BorboCinnara/BorboCinnara_KSaji_ad956.jpg

P. bevani from India. Note on the upperside the spot in space 1b is absent or poor. Neater spots.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21780&d=1381062949
http://www.flutters.org/home/photogallery/?level=picture&id=618

4 & 5.
Since the underside is rather dark & most of the spots are missing it is probably B. oceia.
B. farri seems to have a lighter brown underside & usually fully spotted.
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/BaorisFarri/43BaorisFarri_KSaji_ad696.jpg

TL Seow:cheers:
PS. No. 2 & 3 is virtually certain to be Pseudoborbo bevani. A widespread species of open land.

It is not a Parnara which have blunt-end short antennae.
It is not Polytremis which have distinct cellspot & a different HW underside colour.
It is not a Pelopidas the male which has a brand & the female a spot 1b. Also HW without a cellspot.
It is not Borbo cinnara, its closest relative as stated above.
It is not any other genera such as Isma.

PS2. The two in similar postures.
Suspect Pseudoborbo bevani.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21780&d=1381062949
Typical Borbo cinnara.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Rice_Swift_(Borbo_cinnara)._At_Yavatmal,_Maharasht ra..jpg

[Psyche]

The upperside FW is very similar to Parnara so I thought it wise to discount it thoroughly.

Parnara have somewhat short antennae but this is obvious only in P. bada. The club, however, is very thick.
The HW has a series of spots,(Usually four) more or less in line.

P. bada. is recognisable by its stubby white-shafted antennae. The HW spots may be somewhat obscured.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/African_Straight_Swift_(Parnara_bada)_in_Hyderabad ,_AP_W_IMG_0079.jpg

P. apostata is rather dark ; always without cell-spot.
http://m0.i.pbase.com/u20/vulien/upload/32995240.HesperiidaeParnaraapostata.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o8bcahGFR8g/SGUG6NURNyI/AAAAAAAAH9s/O_wc2gI3AI4/s512/B_Parnara%252520apostata.jpg

P. ganga is paler & usually have a small cell-spot (absent here).
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6797308306_0d1b24c923_z.jpg
http://img.blog.163.com/photo/xychJrea51VzQTwm8CoGdQ==/5422896901308526568.jpg

TL Seow::cheers:

[Peacock Royal]

Shot these two different Potanthus skippers (ids ?) in Ubin at different locations on different days.
#1 and #2 (same individual at Butterfly Hill)
#3 and #4 (a different individual at Chek Jawa).

[Psyche]

Post 13.

1 & 2 Potabthus ganda male variant.
Underside HW veins not darkened.
FW with spot 5 smaller than spot 4.
outer margin of spot 3 notched.

In P. serina male , the disparity in size ofspots 4 & 5 distinct; sharper FW; HW cilia not chequered; outer margin of spot 3 straight..
http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist/mugshots/Potanthus%20serina/Potanthus-serina-KSK.jpg

In P. juno. male subapical spot 8 is obsolete or reduced. (Note full-sized spot 8.)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eLxO6Cqrl-k/Tv3BPqqdcTI/AAAAAAAAFIw/5qD_fJxEnpw/s400/DSC3668%2BSkipper%2B%2540%2BBukit%2BBrown.jpg

3 & 4. Typical Potanthus ganda male.
HW veins above & below clearly not darkened; upperside FW as in P. omaha.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Peacock Royal]

Thank you very much Dr Seow.
These are the last few shots for the year 2013.
1. Telicota colon stinga ??
2 and 3 : Polytremis lubricans lubricans ?
4. Common Redeye (Matapa aria) - shot without flash.
5. Baoris farri farri as Ided by Dr Seow (same individual as Cher Hern's shot) - But the size of it troubles me. Is there a large Baoris species ?

[Psyche]

Post 15.

All correct.

TL Seow:Cheers.