PDA

View Full Version : Puddling butterflies, Sabah


budak
23-Sep-2009, 01:14 PM
hello!

i found this group of butts by an oxbow lake near Kinabatangan River, Sabah, puddling at a patch of white stain (bird poo?). Common species?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/budak/3945829523/

<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500" height="375" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=7c76375127&photo_id=3945829523"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=7c76375127&photo_id=3945829523" height="375" width="500"></embed></object>
Commander
23-Sep-2009, 01:23 PM
Looks like Forest Whites. Good video documentation. You should see some of the puddling "waves" of butts on riverbanks in Malaysia where an animal had pee'd on.
benetay
23-Sep-2009, 01:51 PM
Nicely captured! Looks like they can't resist the 'food'

Cheers!
Painted Jezebel
24-Sep-2009, 09:07 AM
Is this the local subspecies of our peninsular Forest White, or a separate, closely related species? The hindwing is quite different, with the black line and heavy basal colouring.
Commander
24-Sep-2009, 09:19 AM
Les, anything on that other side of Malaysia is game for a different subspecies. The flora and fauna of Borneo, which is deemed an "island", can be quite different from those in Peninsula Malaysia, though the main species are similar.

The Bornean Black Veined Tiger (Danaus melanippus) is completely black and white! No orange markings at all!
Painted Jezebel
25-Sep-2009, 08:59 AM
Les, anything on that other side of Malaysia is game for a different subspecies. The flora and fauna of Borneo, which is deemed an "island", can be quite different from those in Peninsula Malaysia, though the main species are similar.

The Bornean Black Veined Tiger (Danaus melanippus) is completely black and white! No orange markings at all!

Thanks SK. However, I already knew that. I obviously did not frame my question correctly. My question was meant to find out what subspecies it was (if it was just a ssp of our Forest White), or what species it was (if it was a closely related separate species).
atronox
27-Sep-2009, 02:38 AM
Lol, they were irritated by the ants, while the little common hedge blue didn't budge.:)
budak
28-Sep-2009, 12:29 AM
Thanks for the IDs!!

One more butt that came to puddle:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3495/3958418503_cc54aa5ef1_o.jpg
Commander
28-Sep-2009, 09:22 AM
That's a relative of our local Chestnut Angle.

This one's called the Banded Angle (Odontoptilum pygela). Since it's from East Malaysia, I'll stop at the species level, cos there are quite a few subspecies that are different from West Malaysia/Singapore subspecies.
budak
28-Sep-2009, 10:14 AM
ok, thanks Khew!

one more from Sabah. There were also tree nymphs floating around everywhere but they didn't like having their picture taken.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2623/3960303129_4fc4292107_o.jpg
Commander
28-Sep-2009, 10:20 AM
East Malaysia has a larger number of Morphinae species than over this side of the South China Sea. This one looks quite similar to a Thaumantis noureddin that Ellen shot earlier (http://www.butterflycircle.com/forums/showpost.php?p=80480&postcount=1) at Bako National Park.