Sabah, March-April 2019

[Banded Yeoman]

Before I get into this travelogue, I must mention a very important detail: this is my first trip overseas for butterflies! For 10 years, I've been waiting patiently for my chance to do this. When discussion about having the trip began, I knew that this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.

From 30 March to 4 April, Uncle Khew, Mei Yee and I made a trip to Sabah, Borneo, following Lemon's highly successful expedition there which yielded many highland endemics. Many thanks to him, for he provided much of the information needed to carry out the trip. We stayed at the Mahua Rainforest Paradise, a lodge connected to the Mahua waterfall. The 2h+ car ride from Kota Kinabalu Airport was comfortable (no dirt paths - just road), albeit rather winding at times.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7847/40633929603_ed31e6e44b_b.jpg

The lodge itself was peaceful and quiet. The 3 of us were the only guests staying there. We almost had the whole place to ourselves, apart from the staff, daytime visitors and 3 friendly dogs that greeted us (and every other vehicle) each time we drove in.*
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This puddle in the carpark was great for attracting thirsty butterflies:
https://live.staticflickr.com/7897/40633927163_1f9c675f82_b.jpg


*There was no food at the lodge. Every evening, we drove 13km out to the nearby town for dinner and to shop for the next day's breakfast and lunch - which were mainly buns.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7874/40633926883_a358ede28e_b.jpg


Before the trip, we called the lodge staff to check in on the weather. It was raining and cloudy even a week before we went. Luckily, we our trip was timed perfectly in a clear spell. We had sunny mornings, though it often got cloudy in the afternoon past 3pm. Incredibly, the next day after we had left Tambunan, it was reportedly raining there once more.

[Banded Yeoman]

Moving on to the butterflies: Dr Seow, Aaron, your expertise will be much appreciated for IDs and correcting subspecies...

We didn't need to go anywhere outside of the waterfall area to shoot. The car park at the lodge provided a good puddling ground, while the stream that ran along the back of the lodge (and up towards the waterfall) had many species patrolling it or going about their daily activities in the trees. Around the lodge, Metallic Caeruleans (Jamides alecto) were numerous, always fluttering around the ornamental gingers. There was a short and well maintained trail that led from the lodge to the waterfall. Many species were shot along the trail, as well at the waterfall itself.

This being my first trip overseas to find butterflies, nearly all the species we saw were new to me. I felt like a child, getting excited over every new species that fluttered my way. One species that I've always longed to see (this phrase may be repeated quite often) was this:

The Green Dragontail (Lamproptera meges meges)
https://live.staticflickr.com/7860/40582203563_7173c578e5_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7881/46824620474_0641bb54ac_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7809/32607121197_bf7202f1cb_b.jpg


They're truly a peculiar species in all aspects, from their stretched proportions to their buzzing, dragonfly-like flight.
The gorgeous Yellow Glassy Tiger (Parantica aspasia shelfordi) was often seen fluttering around the lodge and in the rainforest trail. Very common but very beautiful.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7845/40576676713_8033171b53_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7904/46627229055_e9ace5ea3e_b.jpg


Another common sight there which is awfully rare back in Singapore was the Silver Royal (Ancema blanka blanka). Again, this is the first time I'm seeing this shimmering species. On the first day, about 4 different individuals were sighted.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7801/40633738433_e62f1f72dc_b.jpg


These Banded Puffins (Appias pandione whiteheadi) were dirt common. They frustratingly resembled one of our target species, Graphium stratiotes, in flight. Skittish as any Appias species, they were a challenge to shoot. It was interesting to watch how the bright white butterflies disappear upon landing on the ground to puddle.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7899/46682763105_b023278870_b.jpg


These were also quite numerous, but I have no idea what they are. Some Appias sp.?
ID correction: The Plain Puffin (Appias indra aemilia)
https://live.staticflickr.com/7805/40633853263_9727cbc9b5_b.jpg

[atronox]

This certainly looks very promising! If you guys wanna have another go at this location in June then i'm definitely down for it haha!!

[Banded Yeoman]

Aaron you bet I haven't even gotten into the really good stuff yet.;P

But I have to say, before you get your hopes TOO high, we shot nothing on the level of Poritia plateni or Stibochiona schoenbergi. :bsmile::bsmile:

[Psyche]

Post 2 last shot.

Appias indra aemilia.

http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist/showbutterfly/321

TL Seow: Cheers.

[Commander]

Great shots, Jonathan! Glad you enjoyed the trip!

Dr Seow, are you aware of a Symbrenthia that is black and white? We encountered one at Mahua and I could not find any sources to show that there is a white form of this species. Do you have any info on such a form? I will post it later. Unfortunately, it was quite tattered.

[Psyche]

The female of the taxon javanus is black & white.

In several sites this has been labelled as Symbrenthia lilaea javanus.
http://motyli.wz.cz/nymphal/symbrenthia.htm
https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/17204024

In C&P4, Eliot states S. lilaea only extend to Neomalaya (ie Sumatra ,Malaya & Borneo) excluding Java.
This means the species in Java is S. hippoclus.
This is also stated in Funet.
http://ftp.funet.fi/index/Tree_of_life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/nymphalinae/symbrenthia/
The range of S. h. javanus include Java ,Bali & Borneo.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Commander]

Thanks Dr Seow. So this the black and white one is a female Symbrenthia lilaea javanus

In this attached photo, is this Athyma nefte nivifera?
25691

[atronox]

It should be Athyma selenophora amhara

[Commander]

Oops. Thanks Aaron. I was looking out for the similar twice-broken cell streak which the ssp amharina doesnt have. :sweat:

[Banded Yeoman]

Athyma selenophora males were quite numerous in the waterfall trail. Each time an Athyma appeared, it would turn out to be this species, except for ONE occasion... Which I'll post in the future (only a record shot). We didn't see any females though, which look very unique if I'm not mistaken.

[atronox]

Oops. Thanks Aaron. I was looking out for the similar twice-broken cell streak which the ssp amharina doesnt have. :sweat:

Np! The strange thing about selenophora is that the cell streak varies widely in the different sspp.

[atronox]

Athyma selenophora males were quite numerous in the waterfall trail. Each time an Athyma appeared, it would turn out to be this species,except for ONE occasion... Which I'll post in the future (only a record shot). We didn't see any females though, which look very unique if I'm not mistaken.

I'm gonna call it and say that it's Athyma cama :bsmile:

[Banded Yeoman]

I'm gonna call it and say that it's Athyma cama :bsmile:

Hmmm.. It was gigantic...

[Psyche]

It should be Athyma selenophora amhara

Concur it is A. selenophora amhara.

In A. selenophora the FW band have 4 main spots. A. cama have 3 main spots in the band & no cell streak.

A. selenophora amhara. last row 1st image.
A. cama ambra ; 1st row, third image.
https://archive.org/stream/diegrossschmette09seit#page/124/mode/1up

Another image of A. selenopnora amhara.fig 2.
https://archive.org/stream/proceedingsofgen73zool#page/n424/mode/1up


The Symbrenthia is Symbrenthia hippoclus javanus
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/lepindex/detail/?taxonno=157820&page_no=1&page_size=30&snoc=symbrenthia&search_type=starts
Also in funet.
http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/nymphalinae/symbrenthia/

It was first placed as a ssp of S. lilaea , but this has been revised.
The website quoting S. lilaea javanus have referred to old IDs.

TL Seow ; Cheers.

[atronox]

Hmmm.. It was gigantic...

Well that can only be one other species...

[Banded Yeoman]

Well that can only be one other species...
Yepp.


Concur it is A. selenophora amhara.
Thanks Dr Seow for the confirmation and references!

Getting back to the travelogue: Our shooting started much earlier than I what I'm used to in Singapore, around 8.30 a.m. At this time, the Polyommatini (Hedge Blues) were already out in full force, puddling at the car park and along the stream. It's quite a lovely sight to have them fluttering up and down the stream, like little pieces of blue confetti. I'll post my images of the ones I shot at a later date, since I haven't gotten round to processing my shots yet. I suspect the ones I shot... are all the same species.

Here are more common ones that we encountered numerous times over the trip. The subfamily Cyrestinae is only represented by the charming but annoyingly skittish The Little Maplet (Chersonesia peraka peraka) in Singapore. I was thrilled to see the other Mapwing species for the first time. This was the first one I encountered:

The Straight Line Mapwing (Cyrestis nivea nivalis)
https://live.staticflickr.com/7815/47552678462_aed99255a8_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7902/33728465848_45634b36c2_b.jpg


Not long after, another species appeared: the gorgeous Common Mapwing (Cyrestis maenalis seminigra). This Bornean subspecies has especially heavy black markings. I was so excited to shoot it that I amassed about 200 shots of it. The next day, it became clear that this was one of the MOST common butterflies in the area.
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Along the short rainforest trail which led to the waterfall, several species of Nymphalidae managed to appear every single day. One species which I was eager to find - and then completely overdosed with was the Black Prince (Rohana parisatis borneana). There was one instance where I found at least 10 of them feeding on a tiled bench at the waterfall! Watching them as very intriguing. It was like staring into small, busily flapping voids. I also found out that they are FRUSTRATINGLY skittish. I refused to chase after any individual, and only shot them if they landed right in front of me.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32699426997_21c89e0a80_b.jpg

As Uncle Khew posted earlier, The Staff Sergeant (Athyma selenophora amhara) was also a very common species, seen on all days. In typical Athyma fashion, they too were skittish and I only nailed my shots on our third day of shooting.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32699426747_911e663afc_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47641912041_9f85567657_b.jpg

[Banded Yeoman]

Aaron, here's my pathetic record shot of this crazy species, seen once, in a flash, and not encountered again:

The Great Sergeant (Athyma larymna elisa)
https://live.staticflickr.com/7818/46880035464_dd7b1cbd36_b.jpg


These beautiful Himalayan Jesters (Symbrenthia hypselis balunda) were also often seen flying rapidly up and down the trail. This individual was photographed at the toilet towards the end of the trail. I really adore the intricate underside of this species.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7835/47604225541_b23f605c4e_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7900/33721353908_0dfcf854c0_b.jpg


Another species that got me excited was the uniquely shaped Club Beak (Libythea myrrha borneensis). My excitement quickly wore down when I found out how easily spooked my movement they were, always taking off into a jerky, gliding flight when I committed to shooting one. Luckily, this one landed in just the right spot for me to snap it with minimal movement.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46728435605_46e0b4bbee_b.jpg


And here's a candid shot, taken by Mei Yee, of us shooting the Jester outside the toilet. It was puddling on... toilet water.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40683330483_8124fb26cc_h.jpg

[atronox]

What??! That is hardly pathetic at all!! I would love to see this sp. in the field someday. Apparently this ssp. is quite a lot larger than the other sspp.

Nice diversity of butterflies there

[Banded Yeoman]

What??! That is hardly pathetic at all!! I would love to see this sp. in the field someday. Apparently this ssp. is quite a lot larger than the other sspp.

Nice diversity of butterflies there

Aaron, the size difference is apparent enough for me to instantly suspect this species despite never having seen one before. Lemon confirmed it for me when I shared the photo with him that day.

By the way Aaron, we encountered several individuals of Kallima at the back of the lodge and in the waterfall area. I've been looking around on the web and I've found that Kallima buxtoni, commonly known as the Bornean Leafwing, occurs there. Is this an updated taxa? I read somewhere that it has been updated or kallima limborgii buxtoni. I have a photo which I will post later on once I've dug it out. Hopefully you have some insights on this matter.

Anyway, it's time for a short commercial break.

These cheerful Impatiens were planted around the entrance of the lodge. We also saw plenty of them dotting the sides of the road along the forest slopes on the drive in. Lemon mentioned that the beautiful and endemic Bornean Birdwing (Troides andromache andromache) made its lofty rounds around the place every day when he went in January. Unfortunately for us, this species wasn't flying during our stay. You bet I was hoping for one to swoop down from the sky to feed on the Impatiens. One species did come down to the flowers though, the Wanderer (Pareronia valeria lutescens). I didn't manage to get a good shot. Uncle Khew has a much better picture.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7848/47604225861_7ac4c2706c_b.jpg


BOH tea and primary rainforest: the only way to start the day.
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The sunlight pouring through our accommodation early in the morning.
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Uncle Khew surveying the busy carpark for butterflies to shoot. This was on our first day of shooting, a Sunday, when the waterfall drew many visitors. See that puddle in the middle? Quite a number of species were taken there when they descended for a drink in the scorching weather.
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Shoot! (Image courtesy of Uncle Khew)
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Image courtesy of Mei Yee:
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Take a break.
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Beyond this bridge was a good place to find interesting species. Heliophorus kiana, Euripus nyctelius borneensis were amongst the better finds.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/40689359203_7709fdbfff_b.jpg

If you look closely at the picture, there is a gate in the distance and a fence bordering the forest edge. Along that fence and up the narrow slope (beyond what's shown here) was where I got my most important shot of the trip. It's not a particularly rare species there, but one that simply hasn't been photographed much before.

[Banded Yeoman]

Jamides were common around the lodge and forested areas. Many were deep shining blue and often fluttered across the path in the waterfall trail. While very few stopped for photographs, I managed to shoot the following two while they were busy feeding. I have a few more record shots of unidentified species which I'll post later on.

Jamides elpis pseudelpis? Upperside was bright shining blue, paler than most encountered.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46727739975_ef40763113_b.jpg


Jamides zebra zebra? Upperside hindwing markings indicated this is a female, colour is almost white.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7900/47496777232_a59b9bb51f_b.jpg


Along the waterfall trail, these Malayan White Flats (Seseria affinis kirmana) were often seen singly, puddling on the damp ground.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32769966727_290acd437f_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47642049371_707b9a6585_b.jpg


The Banded Angle (Odontoptilum pygela ragupta) was a delight to see. This small and beautifully patterned skipper was very frequently encountered. These two species of flat were a very nice change to the usual Tagiades flats I'm accustomed to back in Singapore.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47660675992_d623e9ee43_b.jpg


Another Hesperiid that was seen several times was the Yellow Banded Awl (Hasora schoenherr chuza), a charming species that appeared early in the morning. We even found them buzzing around our accommodation. I told myself not to waste my time with species that I could easily find back in Singapore - but Hasora are just too cute to resist!
https://live.staticflickr.com/7888/33729584378_720a0e522f_b.jpg


One group of butterflies I have always wanted to see is the red harlequins. I remember on the second day, I saw my first one. Much larger than I expected - and even more vibrant than I could imagine. It was perched on a shrub on the steep forest slope, above my eye-level. I climbed the slope and chased it further and further up, getting only a poor record shot. Over the next few days, they turned out to be very numerous in the area! These shots were taken very near to the entrance of the trail. The first is a male, followed by a female. Aaron, Dr Seow, are they both the Malay Red Harlequin (Paralaxita damajanti lola)?
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47643892761_ba13f20cd2_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47643889191_51b12b96c1_b.jpg

[atronox]

Nice shots of the two caeruleans. J. zebra is quite rare

[Banded Yeoman]

Sailors were a frequent sight but I mostly ignored them to focus on the more showy or unique species. This was shot in the early morning. On the underside, the FW cellbar and cell-end streak are largely conjoined. Which Neptis species is this?
https://live.staticflickr.com/7905/40633852093_e9feabdedc_b.jpg


The Courtesan (Euripus nyctelius borneensis) was only encountered once, along a grassy path. It was attracted by a pile of dog poop. This is a male.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7856/47600144951_3d0ec74604_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7901/40633854143_8d1f947053_b.jpg


Tawny Rajahs (Charaxes bernardus repetitus) were very often seen flying rapidly along the stream in bright sunshine. They were huge and a joy to photograph.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32769967917_938f62e01e_b.jpg

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Only encountered once during the trip: The Graceful Faun (Faunis gracilis).
https://live.staticflickr.com/7909/46682764405_6da905d07a_b.jpg


Mycalesis pitana was a beautiful species (it has glowing orange dorsals) that was numerous around our lodge. Every morning, they would flutter along the stream and bask on low shrubs by the banks. They were often seen flying high amongst the mid canopy for the rest of the day. A very cheerful species!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33836149898_07293764c0_b.jpg

[Banded Yeoman]

Nice shots of the two caeruleans. J. zebra is quite rare

Thanks Aaron! I thought you'd appreciate them. I didn't get the chance to see as many Lycaenidae as I hoped. There are some awesome endemics there. I did, however, find the gorgeous Bornean subspecies of Ticherra acte staudingeri. It was identified from a photo of its SHADOW (that's all I got, along with another awful shot showing unmarked, orange forewings). I'll post that later to get your opinion.
Here are some of the swallowtails sighted:

The Red Helen (Papilio helenus enganius) was very common. These large butterflies came in groups to puddle at the waterfall.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33836123488_fe5b52d6ee_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32769966057_47cd12b247_b.jpg


I quite like the Borneo subspecies of the Lesser Zebra (Graphium macareus macaristus) with its reduced hindwing markings. This species was only seen once - and briefly
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47660333842_5401a6dc33_b.jpg


The Black Rose (Pachliopta antiphus) was seen on the first 2 days. A very simple and beautiful species.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46797133255_10d424dd80_b.jpg

[atronox]

The Neptis should be N. leucoporos cresina.

You might have two different Charaxes spp. but i'll let Dr Seow confirm that :)

[Psyche]

The Neptis should be N. leucoporos cresina.

You might have two different Charaxes spp. but i'll let Dr Seow confirm that :)

It looks to be one species.
No match for C. harmodius or borneensis.
Also none for surrounding species ie. C. bupalus, bajula & plateni, Palawan , C. amycus,Philippines.; C affinis ,C. nitebis, & C. mars ,Sulawesi.

TL Seow: Cheers.

[Banded Yeoman]

The Neptis should be N. leucoporos cresina
Argh! I was all the way in Borneo and I ended up shooting one of the most common forest butterflies in Singapore. Its even the same subspecies. Bummer. :mad2:

[Banded Yeoman]

It looks to be one species.
No match for C. harmodius or borneensis.
Also none for surrounding species ie. C. bupalus, bajula & plateni, Palawan , C. amycus, affinis ,Philippines.,C. nitebis, & C. mars ,Sulawesi.

TL Seow: Cheers.

Thanks for the clarification, Dr Seow. I shot several other Charaxes and I highly suspect they are all the same species too.

[Psyche]

Thanks for the clarification, Dr Seow. I shot several other Charaxes and I highly suspect they are all the same species too.

I look through the whole thing a 2nd time and there may be a point in Aaron's suspicion.

At one time C. bernardus was said to range into PNG, but this complex has been divided into several species.

The upperside of C affinis have large FW black discal spots & large HW submarginal spots.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charaxes_affinis#/media/File:AffinisMUpUnAC1.jpg
The underside HW may have a more prominent marginal band.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Charaxes_affinis_affinis%281%29.JPG

The 1st & 2nd pix of the same Charaxes in post 23 (note broken right HW tail) shows the upperside very similar to C. affinis.

Typical C. bernardus have small discal spots & the HW submarginal spots small.
P.Malaysia.
https://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Charaxes%20bernardus%20DF001a%20Taman%20Negara.jpg

Typical C. bernardus Sabah.
https://www.jamiun.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/IMG_1428watermarksmall.jpg

This would suggest there are two forms in Sabah one typical C. bernardus & on resembling C. affinis.

As they are sympatric (occurring in same area) this suggest two species.

However, the Sumatran form labelled as C. bernardus have large FW discal spots & prominent HW submarginal spots( as in C. affinis)
Sumatra ,labelled as C. bernardus.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DT-cqAVeets/T1WOpAt8-nI/AAAAAAAABPI/P6f7qSe8_gQ/s1600/charaxes+bernardus+butterfly+sumatra+indonesia.jpg
http://potokito-myshot.blogspot.com/2012/03/tawny-rajah-butterfly-charaxes.html

Also an Indian C. bernardus with HW marginal band.
http://wildeyesbutterflying.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Tawny-Rajah.jpg

This complicate the whole picture & thus current pix are best left as C. bernardus for the moment.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Banded Yeoman]

Dr Seow, thanks for looking over it. C. bernardus is an extremely variable species. I'll leave them as this one for now.


I'm getting into my most important shots / sightings now. After seeing Lemon's gorgeous photos of the Bornean Sapphire (Heliophorus kiana), I knew I needed to hunt that species down. Unfortunately, they didn't appear as frequently as Lemon had encountered. I only saw a few individuals, all badly tattered besides one female which stayed very high up. They were seen individually along the stream, basking on the low shrubs at the banks. So, the photos I got are nothing like what Lemon achieved - but at least I saw it! ;P It was the only endemic lycaenid I saw. That just means there's a great reason to go back! This is a male.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33844005738_f6f1f56cc6_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32777826547_5c90c4babd_b.jpg

[Banded Yeoman]

The Crocker Range Endemic Swallowtails

The following species were among our main targets and it was incredible to see them. All are confined to the Crocker Range in Borneo (especially the Kinabalu region) and are recorded from mid to high elevations. These are all incredible species and I'm very happy to have seen them! They truly made the trip worth it.


The Kinabalu Swordtail (Graphium stratiotes)
It's one of the most beautiful butterflies I've ever seen. White in flight, they were difficult to separate from the much more common Appias pandione whiteheadi, which had the annoying habit of chasing the Graphium in circles. The one below was the only pristine individual we encountered, taken on our last day of shooting.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7887/33708211718_6a240e8abf_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7923/46675908005_2c74ecf362_b.jpg


The Bornean Mormon (Papilio acheron)
A huge species. They were seen on all days and often came to puddle in groups amongst Red Helens and Kinabalu Bluebottles.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/46927609544_c323a2c087_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7825/47585122161_e04a88f613_b.jpg


The Kinabalu Bluebottle (Graphium procles)
A stunning species where the blue spots gradually turn green towards the forewing apex. These were the most often seen swallowtail. I was stunned to see a party of at least 10 Kinabalu Bluebottle and 5 Bornean Mormon puddling near the waterfall. The group dispersed slightly before I could get a shot. (I'll post this later.)
https://live.staticflickr.com/7859/32622843307_79d9596d08_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7845/46841596074_4c196f47a2_b.jpg

[atronox]

Pretty splendid shots of the endemic swallowtails, Jon! It would be great if anyone shot the female of P. acheron. I've never seen it

[atronox]

I wasn't sure about the Charaxes because bernardus, harmodius and borneensis are sympatric and are all subject to local variation and i haven't seen many photos of the three species from Borneo to make a good comparison.

Would be very surprising if affinis turned up in Borneo

[Banded Yeoman]

Pretty splendid shots of the endemic swallowtails, Jon! It would be great if anyone shot the female of P. acheron. I've never seen it

Thanks Aaron! I worked pretty hard for them. We didn't see any female P. acheron... The impatiens were our only hope at that but still, no luck. There were 2 specimens on ebay. Here's the link:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/papilio-acheron-female-from-sabah-top-rarity

[atronox]

Thanks Aaron! I worked pretty hard for them. We didn't see any female P. acheron... The impatiens were our only hope at that but still, no luck. There were 2 specimens on ebay. Here's the link:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/papilio-acheron-female-from-sabah-top-rarity

Interesting that they're not as dimorphic as P. memnon

[Banded Yeoman]

Interesting that they're not as dimorphic as P. memnon
Maybe they are! These are the only images I can find of the female. There's not much mention of it from the books I've been reading after the trip too.

I'll be continuing with more of my favourite sightings from Sabah. These shots are very special to me.

One of the most memorable encounters was the extraordinary Rajah Brooke's Birdwing trogonoptera brookiana brookiana (Wallace, 1855). This is the nominate subspecies, the same one that was first described by Wallace from the forests of Borneo. Above the stream, they would soar along the clearing in the trees, patrolling the forest and flashing brilliant emerald whenever they danced into the sunlight. It's magical to think that this is likely similar to what Wallace saw all those years ago. On the last day, one landed right at my feet. I can still remember the adrenaline rush of watching it, fiery green and velvet-black, with shivering wings so that the colours changed with every wing-beat: a glittering piece of history.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7868/40648515943_9bc58a8c60_b.jpg


This next species was only encountered once, in the afternoon, on the mossy forest trail. While trying to remove some bees from my frame, it suddenly got frightened and flew off into the treetops. The beautiful Bornean endemic:
The Bornean Sawtooth (Prioneris cornelia)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32679945387_3ae96ba385_b.jpg


As with all the species in this post, this was my first time seeing this iconic forest butterfly. The blue bands on the upperside really stood out against the dark forest. This Bornean subspecies seems a bit duller on the underside, with a whiter forewing band.
The Blue Begum (Prothoe frank borneensis)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/33880742328_995de0f41b_b.jpg


I didn't see as many lycaenids as I wanted - but this was expected - and the cloudy afternoons didn't help. On the first day, though, it was sunny all the way and this gave me a very rare species at 4pm. A small insect descend from the trees opposite the stream. I unfortunately only have a record shot of the underside (it's gorgeous), which confirms the ID.
The White-Craved Posy (Drupadia estella estella)
https://live.staticflickr.com/7813/40576675643_ccef53920a_b.jpg


The last one is another iconic butterfly which I had previously only seen in the zoo. Seeing them fly in the wild was incredible. Uncle Khew mentioned that this Bornean subspecies is particularly large too, adding to the impressivenes. While naturally brown, their wings became beautiful greenish gradients when taken with flash.
The Bornean Oakleaf (Kallima buxtoni) (*from Dr Seow's post, this matches the description of the species, rather than K. inachus)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47643349701_5fc7120da7_b.jpg

[atronox]

I'm not sure if buxtoni is a separate species or a ssp. of one of the others. There seems to be some dispute over this

[Banded Yeoman]

I'm not sure if buxtoni is a separate species or a ssp. of one of the others. There seems to be some dispute over this

Yeah I got quite confused and just decided to leave it as the subspecies.

[Banded Yeoman]

Finally, my favourite shot from Sabah:

Perhaps the most unique butterfly I've ever seen, it is the only representative of its largely Papuan genus in Borneo. I believe it is the only species to cross Wallace's Line - but I'll need confirmation on that. We saw a number of them across the trip, mostly flying loftily and gracefully, well above eye level, rarely ever stopping to rest. Their ashy wings, slow flight and graphic ocelli made them look slightly ghostly (spooky even?) as they wafted in and out of the forest. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon were the best times to see them. On the second day, I was gifted with an experience I'll never forget. After chasing one up a narrow slope along a fence in my pajamas (it was early in the morning and I was just walking around the lodge when I saw one), I finally got the chance to see one up close. It was feeding on residue on leaves, turning in jerky motions and flapping once each time, just as any other Amathusiini would. Halfway through shooting it, I stepped into a hole in the ground and (AARRRGGGG) scared it off. Here is the shot!

Taenaris horsfieldii occulta
https://live.staticflickr.com/7845/33678513618_78f7e2b88c_b.jpg

[Psyche]

I'm not sure if buxtoni is a separate species or a ssp. of one of the others. There seems to be some dispute over this

In the past the Kallima paralekta complex comprised one species from India to Sundaland.
It is now divided into several species.

Kallima inachus India to Indochina.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/30671010056_3aacb83a95_b.jpg

The others in Sundaland are more problematic.
K. paralekta in Java is distinct, the female with a white band.

K. limborgi P.Thailand, Malaya ( Sumatra & Borneo).
Elliot in C&P4 state the range as S. Burma to Neomalaya (Sumatra, Malaya & Borneo)

The taxon buxtoni's type location is Sumatra so it occur in both Sumatra & Borneo.
Treated as a ssp it is Kallima limborgi buxtoni. It can't be a ssp. of K. inachus.
It is often treated as a separate species K. buxtoni.

K. inachus. Thailand.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/30671010056_3aacb83a95_b.jpg

K. paralekta Java.
https://a4.pbase.com/o6/81/540581/1/41252846.wHtOnEA6.KallimaParalekta41252846.jpg

K. limborgi P.Malaysia.
http://insecta.pro/images/1024/22678.jpg

K. buxtoni Borneo.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/berniedup/14072138057/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bornean_Leaf_Butterfly_(Kallima_buxtoni)_(225 69327609).jpg
https://www.actias.de/attachment/29150-bild1-jpg/


Moore's descriptions of all the taxa.
https://archive.org/stream/transactionsofen1879roya#page/n38/mode/1up


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Psyche]

Although Moore stated his specimen of buxtoni from Buxton came from Sumatra, there may have been a location error since in later literature buxtoni has always been quoted to be from Borneo.
https://archive.org/stream/transactionsofen1879roya#page/n39/mode/1up

Fruhstorfer in 1909 named taxon trebonia from Sumatra as K. buxtoni trebonia.
This seem to have been changed to K. limborgi trebonia & currently as K. paralekta trebonia.
A specimen from Sumatra below.
http://collector-secret.proboards.com/thread/1489/bennetts-butterflies-moths-sumatra


They really should do a DNA analysis to determine if the taxa have evolved far enough to be considered separate species.
Currently the species in Sundaland would be.
K. limborgi mainland P. Malaysia.
K. buxtoni Borneo.
K. paralekta trebonia ..Sumatra.
K. paralekta paralekta ..Java.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Banded Yeoman]

Dr Seow, thanks for the detailed breakdown.

I'll be posting my other sightings for record / identification purposes and other shots that I'm not really proud of for the rest of the thread. Aaron and Dr Seow, your input will be greatly appreciated. BTW, Aaron you mentioned you'd be back in SG in June right?

To kick things off, an awful image of the Drupadia estella's gorgeous underside:
https://live.staticflickr.com/7881/47496776582_6cb028f05f_b.jpg


Here is the back and white Symbrenthia that we encountered in the waterfall trail:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47660329652_6fbdafba50_b.jpg


Is this Idea stolli? These were observed everyday in the shady parts of the forest. This one was seen resting in the deep shade on of the afternoons.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/47660334382_b2f98522e2_b.jpg

[atronox]

That's the strange white Symbrenthia that seems to be unique to the Crocker Range area