ID need Verification and Help

[Saffron]

Dear Dr. Seow sir. Here are some doubtful butterflies for ID from NE India. I have thried to ID some of them. Please have a look.


1. Arhopala atrax?

27116


2. Rapala suffusa?

27117


3. Parnara guttata or ganga?

27118


4. Neptis nashona?

27119


5. Borbo sp.?

27120


6. Celastrina lavendularis?

27121


7. Caltoris sp.

27122


8. Caltoris sp.

27123 27124


9. Female of which Athyma?

27125


10. Neptis magadha?

27126





Atanu Bora (Saffron)
Cheers:cheers:

[Psyche]

1. Arhopala atrax is right.

This brlongs to the alea subgroup of the cleander group.
FW band not dislocated at vein 4, HW band completelt dislocated at vein 2 (near the 'V' spot)
The spots of the bands have rounded margins.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2018/829_29004-736-5aed3bd83f6e2-1.jpg

A. alax is similar but the spots forming the bands have straight margins.
https://www.thaibutterflies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Arhopala-alax-1.jpg

[Psyche]

2. Female Rapala dieneces.

The FW band is fairly straight.
The HW orange crown is deeper & contrasted from the ground colour.

Female R. dieneces Singapore.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/14002829059_93d92f210a_c.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2891/33486173603_638ecd103c_c.jpg

Female R. suffusa.
FW band curved towards costa.
FW orange crown yellow merging with ground colour.
Singapore.
http://a4.pbase.com/g9/25/686825/2/156641755.sRe8z1wO.jpg
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/3474959465_126294c2e6.jpg

This should be female R. suffusa.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2017/106_19981-925-59c13c4de4781-1.jpg

Female R. tara.
HW band strongly dislocated.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2018/287_27154-927-5ab338828ef58-1.jpg
[/I]

[Psyche]

3. Probably Parnara guttata.


Both P. ganga & guttata lacks a spot 6 which is usually present in P. apostata.

P. apostata UpF blackish ,no cellspot UnH with a spot 6.
P. Malaysia.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XGMVndBIWMc/VNgK6fPe3yI/AAAAAAAAT8U/IK6RdtMpvjE/s1600/DSC_0332.JPG
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R1LW7DbcOyk/VNgK7w0RwAI/AAAAAAAAT8g/B1MxF3sWNBY/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG


P. ganga UpF may have a lower cellspot.
InH no spot 6, spots tend to be yellowish , less straight.
http://butterfliesvietnam.blogspot.com/2015/08/135-parnara-ganga-continental-swift.html
http://www.flutters.org/home/photogallery/plog-content/images/butterfliesbrnbspnbspnbsphesperiidae-the-skippers-br/subfamily-hesperiinae--brnbspnbspnbsp-genus-parnara--swift-/parnara-ganga-up-malabar-hills-02sep11_blaisepereira.jpg

P. guttata.
UpF 1-2 cellspot.
UnH spots white in a straight line.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2019/523_17054-56-58a8121f48ec0-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/94_58108-260-5ec39c2124673-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2019/523_17060-58-58a816138d73c-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/1a_7/302195347db90205e8.jpg

[Psyche]

4. Neptis nashona.
FW cellbar & cellend spot jopined into a single band. FW with 3 postdiscal spots.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/3019/Neptis-nashona

[Psyche]

5. Borbo bevani.

The antennal club is more gradual than in Parnara which have it thicker.

Borbo cinnara have FW spots irregualr & lunulate while in B. bevani the spots are rounded.UpF spot 1b absent or faint.

Normally the two are difficult to separate based on the undersides but it appears that in B. bevani HW spot 6 is the largest. Correction: not always so.

B. cinnara.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/BorboCinnara/BorboCinnara_KSaji_ad956.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/BorboCinnara/BorboCinnara_KSaji_ad957.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/304_33777-519-5b9dc9b96766f-1.jpg

B. bevani.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/260_11844-37-572468b6d8a87-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/260_11844-37-572468b6d8a87-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/304_57199-274-5eb66cb62f5e2-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/304_57199-274-5eb66cb62f5e2-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/97_15203-368-582402804558a-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/97_15203-368-582402804558a-3.jpg

[Psyche]

6. Udara dilecta.
A submarginal series of spots/lunules is present.
HW postdiscal spot 7 is not darker than the rest.
Markings are as for this species. UpF apex suggest an injury mark.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/UdaraDilecta/UdaraDilecta_KrushnameghKunte_aa664.jpg

Note Celastrina HW spot 7 is usually darker than the rest.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/87_1955-634-547f2164a70e4-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/CelastrinaLavendularis/CelastrinaLavendularis_MilindBhakare_aq900.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2019/93_40855-792-5cdca20d11a9a-2.jpg

[Psyche]

7 & 8 are probably the same species.

Caltoris species are extremely difficult to ID.

The FW have two cellspot .

C. brunnea is purple brown bebeath.
C. cahira is dark chocolate UnH.
C. tenuis have greenish hair.
C. sirius have UpF spot 1b.

C. cormasa looks similar but the upper cellspot is absent or tiny.
https://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/2014/11/life-history-of-full-stop-swift.html?m=1
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ET0KyvY9PPY/VJQs4PFCZ0I/AAAAAAAASlc/WgbpuPWOIF8/s1600/DSC_0341.JPG


This leaves two possibilities ,C. bromus & confusa.
I have no idea how C. confusa should look in the field.

Colouration in C, bromus is often confusing in the web.
Underside dark brown overlay with ochreous scales.
FW two cellspot.
Female may have UnH spots 2 & 3.
Examples from Taiwan.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KkVBzHs8d5c/TvAeyxu-HzI/AAAAAAAAAO4/bPP5zzU7W9w/s1600/IMG_3600-1.jpg
https://data.taieol.tw/files/eoldata/imagecache/species_slideshow_img/images/252/h34-2-1.jpg

Verdict: Probably Caltoris bromus.

[Psyche]

9 Female of Athyma cama.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2016/135_15138-493-5820c7c642c7b-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/1a_7/a-29034.jpg



10. Phaedyma columella. male dsf.
The arrangement of the two spots on the lower FW margin (dorsum) a tiny one on top a large one is characteristic.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim1/720470010.html


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Saffron]

Thank you so much Seow sir for the valuable inputs. The keys you have mentioned to differentiate Celastrina and Udara will be very useful in my future expeditions.

At first glance, I consider 10. to be Phaedyma columella, but thought it would be better to have your review on it.

Rapala suffusa and Rapala dieneces always seems difficult. But i hope from next time i will be able to id them using the above mentioned keys.

Thank you once again.


Atanu Bora (Saffron)
Cheers:cheers:

[Psyche]

There are a number of shots of Caltoris taken in NE India & are worth reviewing.

Caltoris bromus: FW 2 cellspots; usually UnF spot 1b in both sexes. UpF male ocasional spot 1b.
Female sometimes have UnH spots 2, & 3.

C. confusa :darker & smaller usually with reduced markings especially absence of upper cellspot & spot 3.
UnF without a spot 1b.

C. cahira: FW 2 cellspots. UnH dark chocolate


2 large cellspots; Un. uniformly brown.
Should be C. bromus male.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/1611_69137-970-5f6cc52fd48f3-1.jpg

2 FW cellspots; Left UnF shows a spot 1b (faint)
C. bromus male.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2021/1611_65198-769-5f4f5e290e3d3-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2021/1611_65198-769-5f4f5e290e3d3-1.jpg

Both females & likely to be the same species.
Probably C. bromus females. Correction; These two females are unlikely to be C. bromus.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/1514_60624-393-5eee5e6d92cc6-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/1514_59671-739-5edba86340d5c-1.jpg


Typical C. cahira male with UnH dark chocolate.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/1611_58606-944-5ec9e60bdb11a-1.jpg


Typical C. cormasa with overall reddish tone. Male. FW spots tend to be yellowish. Add. note: A comparison with C. plebeia seem almost identical, but C plebeia never have 3 subapical spots (seen here) & Unh is darker purplebrown.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/1514_60642-471-5eee6326e9677-1.jpg


TL Seow: Cheers.