ID help request

[Saffron]

Dear Dr. Seow sir,

I am posting the following butterfly seeking ID help.

A rather confusing group Choaspes, with so many similar looking species around.

1.

27103


2.

27104


3.

27105


4. Which Charaxes? Charaxes aristogiton or Charaxes bernardus?

27106


5. Unusual Charaxes arja?

27107


6. Is it Ypthima newara? I am not sure whether the upper belongs to the same individual or not??

27108 27109



Thank you in advance.

Cheers:cheers:

[Psyche]

1 is undoubtedly C. benjaminii japonica.

2 is probably C. furcatus.

3. is C. benjaminii japonica. Zoomed in, the black area in space 1b can be seen to be small.


C. bejaminii.

In ssp benjaminii the black area in space 1b is small & obvius ifdnoticeable.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/153_6069-850-554318fe78b49-2.jpg

Ssp japonica have the black area in space 1b larger but still some distance from the margin.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/ChoaspesBenjaminii/ChoaspesBenjaminii_MilindBhakare_am792.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/ChoaspesBenjaminii/Choaspesbenjaminii_HemantOgale_ak909.jpg

C. furcatus have the black area in space 1b large reaching near margin, the head spot large & turn or angled in.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/1a_7/av115.jpg
https://wingscales.com/media/2400/3055-1-06b00.jpg

C. xanthopogon.
Similar to furcatus, the black area in space 1b large ,the head spot large straight.
The orange area between head spot & the basal black bar is narrow, no wider than the head spot itself.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/95_57124-980-5eb534ae88f3e-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/95_57123-163-5eb5337578f0c-2.jpg
http://www.thaibutterflies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Choaspes-xanthopogon.jpg
https://v3.boldsystems.org/pics/HSPEC/1153-UN%2B1264341296.JPG
Taiwan examples.
https://g.udn.com.tw/upfiles/B_ME/meatball2/PSN_PHOTO/136/f_18376136_1.jpg
https://previews.123rf.com/images/chienmuhou/chienmuhou1707/chienmuhou170700069/82247957-butterfly-from-the-taiwan-choaspes-xanthopogon-chrysopterus-hsu-brown-winged-green-butterfly.jpg

C. stigmatus Tail longer & head spot small.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/1a_10/3008753440194405bf.jpg
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Choaspes-stigmatus.jpg

[Psyche]

4. Charaxes bernardus hierax.

IN C. bernardus the FW discal band ,yellow in some forms , its inner border angled in close to the cellend bar in space 4 & 5.
The discal band's inner border is marked by yellow highlights.
In addition the HW postdiscal dark band is more broad & fuzzy .
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2018/118_30961-546-5b37a4cbbeab0-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2018/425_28297-731-5ad2c46137f60-1.jpg

In C. aristogiton the same band is brown & its inner border in space 4 & 5 is well separated from the cellend bar.
The HW postdiscal black band is straighter & neater.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/CharaxesAristogiton/CharaxesAristogiton_af923_AjayGaikwad.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2018/622_28097-235-5accf21918129-1.jpg

[Psyche]

5. C arja
The band varies widely in width.


6. Ypthima newara. Evans' description.
UnF submarginal fascia even ie of uniform width.
UnH apical spot much larger than the rest. UnH apical spot = UnF spot.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/YpthimaNewara/YpthimaNewara_RohanLovalekar_aj717.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2016/435_13640-359-57d516d606b1e-1.jpg

Ypthima nareda; UnF submarginal fascia widening at tornus.
UnH apical spot not much larger than the rest. UnH apical spot smaller than UnF spot.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2019/93_40980-239-5cdeef357a81c-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2018/87_34107-941-5ba3aeb56c0b7-1.jpg


There seem a lot of intermediates between the two species.

TL Seow: Cheers.

[Saffron]

Thank you so much sir for the help in identification. I have photographed one Scobura that I ided tentatively as Scobura cephala. However the spots on the HW are much bigger than usual. So thought of sharing this with you as well.

7. Scobura cf cephala?

27110


8. Arhopala athada?

27111


9. Rapala manea??

27112


10. Please help with the identification of this Charaxes as well. Is there any possibility for C. psaphon??

27113 27114




Cheers:cheers:

[Psyche]

7. This is standard Scobura cephala.
The spots can large in wsf.
UnH spot 1b large (Note Evans call the space space 1c)
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91670001.html

Wsf of S. isota can be confusingly similar, but spot 1b if present small & if so there is also a spot 6.
See image male from Tak.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/hes/91680001.html

[Psyche]

8 is fairly typical A. athada aphya in India.
Large so the bands are well separated.
FW with a partial dislocation of the postdiscal band at vein 4.
HW with a complete dislocation of the postdiscal band at vein 2 ( 'V' spot is in space 1b)
HW spot 6 more or less touch both spot 5 & the cellend bar.
Dull purplish wash.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/137_6270-617-554dcb665a59f-1.jpg


9 is correct as male Rapala manea.

Bands fairly straight generally narrow & only white-edged on the outside.
Unh , the part of the band in space 1b (where the speckled pattern, is a straight slant usually.
Male & female.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/171_3798-55-54d7b5e671366-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2014/143_1335-694-546a00e73e5bd-1.jpg

R. iarbus is similar always paler & greyer.
FW cilia orange.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2016/315_11029-83-56c0bb872774c-1.jpg

R. varuna is similar but the bands broad, double white-sided, almost touching the cellend bar on the HW.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/94_3373-343-54c346e56d48d-1.jpg

[Psyche]

10. Charaxes bernardus hierax.male.

In the form with the white band there are a couple of separated white spots at the costa.
The same two spots can be seen on the underside.
Also on the HW the outer postdiscal band is strongly marked out in black in C. psaphon.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/CharaxesBernardus/03CharaxesBernardus_HemantOgale_ag934.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/224_2731-679-549d2411ec5ec-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/CharaxesPsaphon/03CharaxesPsaphon_RohanLovalekar_ag669.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/CharaxesPsaphon/CharaxesPsaphon_SagarSarang_aq100.jpg

It would appear in C. psaphon only the female is white-banded.


The separation of the two species in completely brown forms look to be extremely difficult.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Saffron]

Thank you so much once again Dr. Seow sir for putting so much of information in a single page. I am glad to be a part of this forum. I am ending my post with this Lethe sp. Is it an extreme dry season form of Lethe mekara? The wings are almost unmarked :-(

11.

27115

Take care!!

Cheers:cheers:

[Psyche]

11. Yes it is Lethe mekara. Worn. Possibly dsf.

Of the two lines/bands, the outer, postdiscal line is strongly angled at vein 4.
The inner discal line is strongly white shaded on its outer margin.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2018/236_27003-670-5ab0bd01044d8-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/1046/Lethe-mekara


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Saffron]

The DSF made a lot of confusion. Thank you so much once again.


Atanu Bora (Saffron)
:cheers: