What is this skipper?

[Painted Jezebel]

Can anyone shed any light on this little xxxxxxx! I first thought it was either Astictopterus jama or Psolus fuligo, both of which I have already found here. However, on checking this specimen against my existing ones, it has become clear it is something different. As you will see from the photo, there is a pale marginal line on both underside wings, something, none of my specimens have. Nor does any pic in Pinratana, Ek-Amnuay or C&P4 show this.

The upperside is plain dark brown, without any markings whatsoever. HELP!

I also attach an improved photo of the underside of the male Elymias nesaea lioneli, which I do not think is found down your way.

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[Glorious Begum]

sorry to say, the later is quite common in Malaysia. :cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Yes, but not Singapore! Interestingly, C&P4 says "Of the remaining Malayan species of Elymnias (including E. nesaea), few are likely to fall to the collector for all are rare or confined to heavy forest....."

[Commander]

I guess Col Eliot didn't change some of the original text in C&P4.

But you're right in saying that E. nesaea does not occur in Singapore. The only other Elymnias that has been spotted, besides hypermnestra, is E. penanga. But even that species has not been seen in the past 10 years already. It was last spotted on our offshore island of Pulau Ubin and photographed as well.

However, I noticed that quite a few of the butterfly parks in Malaysia seems to have been successful in breeding it, and it's a relatively regular feature in some of the parks.

Some of the species in C&P4 which were described as 'rare or very rare' are now no longer so. A classic example is the Palm Bob (Suastus gremius gremius). Based on C&P4, we would not have had a whisker of a chance of seeing a specimen down here in Singapore. But that is definitely not so, where the species is almost a 'dime a dozen' down here (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating it a bit). I've even bred a few from my Yellow Cane Palm in my garden!

Can't help with the skipper though. Sure looks like either one of what you've already mentioned.

[Painted Jezebel]

Thanks for the info re the E. nesaea, SK. As it is found here anywhere there is secondary undergrowth (and in my garden), I had assumed it was one of the 'rare' ones in Malaysia. Obviously, wrong!:embrass:

I had been hoping that there may have been something in the Q Museum to help with the skipper. If nothing comes from here, I'll have to put it away to ask a mutual acquaintance in the future.:thinking: Incedentally, it is not a one-off, as I saw two others today with the same underside markings.

Things are beginning to take off here, though the lycaenids are still noticable by their absence with only a few exceptions.

[Painted Jezebel]

Another shot of this Skipper. Note that the tips of the Antennae are White. Does this give any clue to someone?