Banana Skipper??

[stingrey]

Hi all,

Captured this Banana Skipper at AMK last Sunday. Hope the ID is right.
This fella is hiding under the shades of trees and hardly reached by sunlight so not managed to have a clean Green b/g.

http://caleb.photonski.com/large/stingrey/106456-large-DSC_1136-after.jpg
S180, f16, 1/8 sec on AP, OB 0 comp, slight PS and Uncropped.

Comments are most welcome.

rgds,
Rey

[Commander]

One of those lookalikes, but quite possibly the Banana Skipper. There are 2 other species that can look quite close - Erionota torus and Erionota hiraca apicalis. All of them have the same habit of zipping around at quite high speeds and then lurking around in the shady spots.

[stingrey]

SK,

Ya, its quite difficult to Id. In fact I ask my wife and son to help me look carefully from your guides.
Wondering why this fella is not scared of Flash. I known some skippers that leaps very fast when Flash was used.

rgds,
Rey

[Commander]

SK,

Ya, its quite difficult to Id. In fact I ask my wife and son to help me look carefully from your guides.

My website only shows the Banana Skipper itself. The shot shows a specimen that I bred from one of those rolled up banana leaves which I took from one of the Mandai trails.

You'll need the book "Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula" by Corbet & Pendlebury Edition 4 (which we refer to as C&P4) to see details of the other species and read about them. You can get the book at the SBG Bookshop.

[Commander]

Wondering why this fella is not scared of Flash. I known some skippers that leaps very fast when Flash was used.

One of those unexplainable things. Quite a number of skippers tend to be more affected by flash than any of the species in the other families.

My own theory (which may not be right), is that the larger eyes of the skippers are more affected by the flash's light than the smaller eyes (relative to the size of the butt) of the other species in the other families.

[stingrey]

I have some Butts collections on my Gallery (http://www.photonski.com/stingrey/Butterflies) but not very sure about the positive ID. I always refer to your website only.
Think I have to consider buying that book if the price is not that high.

rgds,
Rey

[Commander]

Took a quick look at your gallery. Some nice shots there. :thumbsup:

Here are the ID errors that I've spotted.

The two shots ID'ed as Chocolate Royal is a Copper Flash (Rapala pheretima sequeira). The poor butt probably didn't hatch properly, and its wings appear to be crunched up.

The shot ID'ed as Malay Baron is actually a female Horsfield's Baron.

We don't have Satyrs here, so that shot is one of the Mycalesis species, which we refer to as the Bush Browns.

We also don't have an Eastern Pygmy Blue here. The markings of what you shot is a bit strange though. Is that a locally shot species? :thinking:

[Peacock Royal]

Hi Rey
Saw your many high standard macro shots on CS and NPS, very impressive. Good having you here to learn from your shots.
Khew, do you think the "Orange Emigrant" shot on Page 2 last shot (http://www.photonski.com/stingrey/Butterflies/2) should be Phalanta phalantha phalantha (Leopard) ?

[Commander]

Federick, you're right. Missed that one...

[stingrey]

Thank you Guys for the ID corrections.
I will do some corrections later to avoid confusions to others.

Yes the Eastern Pygmy Blue was captured near my Bt Gk neighbourhood. Think I used some website to ID them.
What you think is the appropriate ID?

rgds,
Rey

[Common Mime]

Yes the Eastern Pygmy Blue was captured near my Bt Gk neighbourhood. Think I used some website to ID them.
What you think is the appropriate ID?


Bt Gombak? :thinking:

Anyway Rey, also check this (http://www.b-pals.com/butts/check_list.php?cl_mst_id=2&ac=v) out. Also by BPals but maintain by other fellow member, Soon Chye (a.k.a Sky Blue). There are some updates on the species that you can get. Also there are more photos to view on the particular species contributed by the fellow BPals. :thumbsup:

Your photos are very nicele taken :thumbsup:

[Commander]

Yes the Eastern Pygmy Blue was captured near my Bt Gk neighbourhood. Think I used some website to ID them.
What you think is the appropriate ID?

Then it's most likely a Lesser Grass Blue. The markings seem to be a bit elongated than normal, but I'd put that to an aberrant specimen.

[Common Mime]

The marking on this specimen is very obvious and darker. Doesnt look like the normal LGB I seen indeed.

Interesting.

Once again, well done for your butt photos. Very nice! :thumbsup:

[Commander]

The marking on this specimen is very obvious and darker. Doesnt look like the normal LGB I seen indeed.

That's your next cat farming target... the fresh specimens are quite dark with the markings distinct. They are known to feed on the young buds of the Lantana flowers.

[Common Mime]

I tot PGB is feeding on the young buds of the Lantana flowers while the LGB is feeding on the Pea alike plants? :thinking:

[Commander]

I tot PGB is feeding on the young buds of the Lantana flowers while the LGB is feeding on the Pea alike plants? :thinking:

Also seen at least twice, the female LGB in an egg-laying posture on Lantana as well, though I have not really bred them on it. The recorded host plant for LGB is Desmodium heterophyllum (Greater Clover-leaved Desmodium) though...

Note that the flowers of Lantana is also the host plant for Rapala manea chozeba (Slate Flash).

When I was checking with the NParks horticulturist, Lantana is not an endemic plant of Singapore, hence some of these species which were long known to exist here must have adapted and switched to Lantana as an alternative host plant, from whatever their host plant originally was. :hmmm:

[stingrey]

What is the appropriate name of the Eastern Pygmy Blue that I took? :hmmm:
Wow, to spot them takes a lot of time, to capture them also need a lot of time and to find their name also took a lot of time. :cry:

rgds,
Rey

[Commander]

It's a Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis lampa).

No such butt as an Eastern Pygmy Blue in Singapore or Malaysia that I know of. You must've got the name off some US site earlier?

[bell]

Yup, found Eastern Pygmy Blue in a North America bfly handbook (borrowed from CP earlier). The EPB is found in these places: Coastal Alabama, Georgia and Florida. It actually looks quite different from our LGB. The spots which are much larger on the hindwing are blue and balck; and it has white striations across the wings (not black spots).

Here's a link to EPB: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/al/229.htm

[Commander]

Thanks for the research, Bell. :-)

[stingrey]

Thank you very much Guys.
Sorry to cause you trouble in finding the ID.

rgds,
Rey

[Commander]

No problem, Rey. We help where we can... :-)

[stingrey]

I no Paiseh ha....
Can join you Guys one day hunting for Butts?

rgds,
Rey

[Commander]

Always welcome! :cheers: Register your interest with our 'most active member', CM.