Request for ID

[Silverstreak]

Dr. Seow ,

One of our FB member requesting ID of this skipper taken in Hong Kong in Apr 2008


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a288/SunnyChir/Bin/SNAG_Program-0461_zps013427c8.png (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/SunnyChir/media/Bin/SNAG_Program-0461_zps013427c8.png.html)

[Psyche]

Dr. Seow ,

One of our FB member requesting ID of this skipper taken in Hong Kong in Apr 2008



It should be Potanthus pseudomaesa.

The veins above & below are strongly darkened, much as in our P. omaha.
The outer margins of the FW spots are distinctly concave.(straight in P. omaha.

Three species are very similar in the strongly darkened veins.

Potanthus dara Kollar (= P. maesa Moore.) fig 9 right lower corner. India.
http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedingsofgen65zool#page/n570/mode/1up

Potanthus pseudomaesa Moore (pseudomaesa ie. false maesa ,similar to maesa but is not.) India to southern China.
http://old.hkbutterfly.org/images/Potanthus_pseudomaesa.jpg

Potanthus omaha Edwards (= P. maesoides Butler. maesoides ie. resembles the taxon maesa (=dara.).) SE Asia, Sundaland.


TL Seow:cheers:

[Silverstreak]

Thanks Dr. Seow !

[Psyche]

Thanks Dr. Seow !

A big Oops here.

The fact that there is no spot 7 on the HW above suggest it is likely a Telicota species.
Two similar species in the region.
T. ohara & T. bambusae.

The male brand cannot be made out. No orange spot at base of space 2.
The better defined FW spots suggest T. bambusae.
http://www.flutters.org/home/photogallery/plog-content/images/butterfliesbrnbspnbspnbsphesperiidae-the-skippers-br/subfamily-hesperiinae--brnbspnbspnbsp-genus-cephrenestelicota--palm-dart-/dark-palm-dart__telicota-ancilla_ashish-tiple.jpg
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/TelicotaBambusae/01TelicotaBambusae_KSaji_ad012.jpg

T. ohara from HK . The FW spots are not so well-defined by the black veins; HW spots' lower margins fairly straight.
http://old.hkbutterfly.org/images/Telicota_ohara.jpg

TL Seow:cheers:
PS This is a female which is why the brand cannot be seen.
The FW cell -bar is not solidly orange as in the male.
The better defined HW spots still suggest it is T. bambusae.
A HK female T. besta for comparison.
http://old.hkbutterfly.org/images/Telicota_besta.jpg

Perhaps some HK member can give some inputs.

[Psyche]

The female Telicota is particularly difficult to ID correctly.

HKLep's website list 4 species.
2 T. colon & T ohara can be discounted.

T. bambusae (formerly as T. ancilla (Australian).Fig. 11 Male & 12 female.
http://www.archive.org/stream/proceedingsofgen782zool#page/686/mode/1up

These look correct for the female T. bambusae .The FW band is rather broad.
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/TelicotaBambusae/TelicotaBambusae_KSaji_ad013.jpg
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/TelicotaBambusae/TelicotaBambusae_AbhaySoman_an515.jpg


Still it is difficult to tell whether this is female T. bambusae or besta.


TL Seow:cheers: