Short visit a Thale Ban NP (Satun)

[Angiud]

Thale Ban National Park, in Satun province, extreme South-East part of Thailand, just on the border with the Malaysian state of Perlis, is a very interesting butterfly location, but I was unlucky with timing and season, so I just check it out for 3 hours. But I got a rare species, although only a record shot :cry:


I'll definitely go back there with more time and in a better season!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1587/25333474951_d8f0c197ef_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/EACFuT)
The Purple Tit - Hypolycaena merguia skopane (https://flic.kr/p/EACFuT) - Although there is a record from Trang, not far from here, of the burmese ssp. merguia merguia...

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1454/24795699554_7494ee3acf_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DM7rBh)
Arhopala cf. amphimuta (https://flic.kr/p/DM7rBh) - Not sure.... :embrass:

[atronox]

Hi, Antonio,

The Hypolycaena is H. amabilis lisba; the black tornal spot is not edged with orange and the area below it is not silvery. Also merguia has a more acute forewing and more orange suffusion. Beautiful shot nonetheless.

The Arhopala is either A. labuana or wildeyana. They are easy to distinguish from dorsals but based on this ventral alone I would say that this is closer to wildeyana since the marginal row of spots on the hindwing is more triangular or dentate. If so then this would be the first record of the species from Thailand(!)

[Angiud]

Wow, Aaron, thanks.

I was thinking to the amabilis at the beginning, but somebody correct me toward merguia. It's a good news! Much rarer species!!

[Angiud]

What about this, from a friend?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=957433534339547&set=pb.100002187270199.-2207520000.1456896990.&type=3&theater

[Psyche]

The Arhopala is likely to be A. labuana as this has a prominent tooth at vein 2; in wildeyana the tooth is barely seen.

Post 4. H. amabilis.

TL Seow:Cheers.

[atronox]

The Arhopala is likely to be A. labuana as this has a prominent tooth at vein 2; in wildeyana the tooth is barely seen.

Post 4. H. amabilis.

TL Seow:Cheers.

Thanks, Dr Seow.

[Angiud]

Thanks Dr. Seow and Aaron :)

[Angiud]

An update from a common friend, Inayoshi Yutaka, thru a clear pictogram:

http://i64.tinypic.com/2qmnu36.jpg

So mine should be merguia, and that one from my good Betong friend Khun Satawan, should be amabilis.

Good find both of us, dunno which one rarer :bsmile:

[atronox]

Does that really count to make it merguia? I see it as within the variation of amabilis especially since merguia looks quite different (http://nlliew66butterflies.blogspot.sg/2014/06/hypolycaena-phemis-druce.html). Here you can clearly see the orange and silvery scales at the tornal area. The black markings above the round black tornal spot and the configuration of the post-discal streak are very different from amabilis.

[Angiud]

You have a point. But without a better picture and more individuals not easy to separate the two species IMHO

[Psyche]

Does that really count to make it merguia? I see it as within the variation of amabilis especially since merguia looks quite different (http://nlliew66butterflies.blogspot.sg/2014/06/hypolycaena-phemis-druce.html). Here you can clearly see the orange and silvery scales at the tornal area. The black markings above the round black tornal spot and the configuration of the post-discal streak are very different from amabilis.

This at first appears confusing, but I agree with Aaron here.
The forms of both species pertain to the subspecies in Malaya.

In H. merguia the following points may be noted.
1. FW is more heavily orange shaded to the postdiscal band.
2. The marginal spot in space 5 is always partially orange (black in amabilis).
3. The submarginal spot in space 3 is shaped like a broad arrowhead. ( a short bar in amabilis.)
4. The HW postdiscal streaks are broader & separated vs narrower & longer & tend to merge in space 1b in amabilis..
5. As stated in C&P4 the orange vein 2 & the silver scalings in space 1b.

Another example of H. merguia from Malaya.
http://m7.i.pbase.com/g9/25/686825/2/159777957.AE4cL2Y7.jpg

TL Seow: Cheers.