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Psyche
30-Aug-2015, 10:20 PM
In the past these two species were very confusing to ID in the field.
Horace's breeding results were initially rather confusing, in trying to match the stated differences in the key.
However, gradually the impotant differences were noted.

The ID clues here are for the underside.

Pelopidas marthias.
Underside ground colour uneven ,even mottled at times with the marginal area paler , grey shading & dark smudges around the spots.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7g/S1sg6OwEETI/AAAAAAAACU0/OatvAsaSIg0/s400/DSC2581-Short-Branded+Swift.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N51UGxm82dE/U5Js1iuXgqI/AAAAAAAAOLI/InhTgSlMpDo/s1600/HFH_2411-Swift.jpg
Female.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist/mugshots/Pelopidas%20mathias%20mathias/Small%20Branded%20Swift%20-%202%20-%20Sum%20Chee%20Ming.jpg

Pelopidas agna.
Underside ground colour evenly colourd ochreous-brown to brown, without dark smudges or shading.
Thus an overall clean look.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hw681ALm5FU/UFXjb_4D9qI/AAAAAAAAGl0/5g2mXz48cNs/s1600/DSC2521+Small+Branded+Swift+.jpg
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3905/14272102397_fda3e31827_c_d.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.butterflycircle.com/showthread.php?14372-Butterfly-Sightings-2014/page6&h=521&w=800&tbnid=CTWQBDgaCUCpaM:&docid=q2tTZukKpE20SM&itg=1&ei=K_3iVePRMsagugSis47IBg&tbm=isch&ved=0CFkQMyhWMFY4ZGoVChMIo5PYnO3QxwIVRpCOCh2imQNp
Female India.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davegball/8417378630/

Obviously P. agna is much rarer of the two.

TL Seow: Cheers.
PS P.agna male Langkawi.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/federickho/Langkawi%207%20-%2011%20Dec%2013/HFH_0297-Pelopidasagnaagna_zps44c4cce9.jpg
nss male.
http://www.nss.org.sg/butterflies_list/show_photo.php?img_id=705

Commander
31-Aug-2015, 10:24 AM
Good discussions here, Seow. Interesting too. Perhaps members can post mating shots whenever they come across any so that we can reinforce this observation further. Here's a shot which Seow identified as a P. agna female. This was shot at USR some time ago.

http://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23679&stc=1

Psyche
31-Aug-2015, 03:50 PM
The colour of P. agna is always browner & that of P. mathias greyer.

Mating pairs of P. mathias.

1. male on the left.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hWvZAxGVVfA/VLKDkNK-jHI/AAAAAAAAf0U/q7sQ8LDBmQ0/s1600/SBS_mating_pair.jpg

2.female on the left.
http://www.natureloveyou.sg/Minibeast-Butterfly/Skipper_Pelopidas%20mathias%20mathias/DSC08212%20(14).JPG

3. female top.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5501877079_bdd015aa58_z.jpg

4.male on the left, Penang.
http://wildpenang.weebly.com/uploads/3/7/5/5/37556453/9741810_orig.jpg


The two pairs below should be correct as P. agna.

1. Female on the left. Note colour of HW is quite evenly brown in both sexes.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GF-0cUcwcOo/VLKJc13fYgI/AAAAAAAAf0k/kuiLF90tzoU/s1600/SBS_mating_pair_Loke.jpg

2. Female on the left. Athough the female appears to have some dark shadings,a zoom in shows it is likely due to some scale loss.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yzw2AzY2du4/SOy_iUyzSlI/AAAAAAAABkk/BYPDprJqCoE/s400/bcd3-skippersx2.jpg

Additional image. Taiwan pair. female-left.
http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8294/7870385954_15564c4777.jpg

TL Seow : Cheers.
PS. Khew's female P. agna may be mistaken for P. conjunctus.(Have upperside confirmation.)
P. conjunctus have large FW spots which are distinctly yellow though they may appeared white with high light intensity.
Two female P. conjunctus.
http://img04.deviantart.net/05ec/i/2011/163/6/9/some_kinda_swift_by_inckurei-d3iowwn.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-11EZ_PyavTA/VOhpUu0dx8I/AAAAAAAANVM/G9U64tKtI5o/s1600/bcd3s-S180-ConjoinedSwift3.jpg

Commander
07-Sep-2015, 12:40 AM
What's your view on this pair, Seow?

http://butterflycircle.org/Pelopidas_spx2.jpg

Psyche
07-Sep-2015, 01:21 AM
They are P. mathias although they appeared quite brownish.

The male on the left is very fresh with uneven colour & grey shading.
FW spot 3 is very large.
In P. agna male the FW spots are reduced in size & often in number as well.

TL Seow : Cheers.