Chestnut Palmfly

Had to do a 50KM round trip today to get more foodplant for one of my cats. Typical of my luck, it was pouring with rain. This is one of the very few times I wish I knew how to drive a car!

Against my better judgement, I brought my camera, and I was in luck. This male Chestnut Palmfly (Elymnias obnubila) was taking advantage of the overcast conditions and was not as shy as usual. Unfortunately (or possibly fortunately), it did not like my flash and took off, providing me with possibly my only chance to get an upperside shot, OOF though it may be.

This species has a very restricted range from the southernmost part of Burma, near the Ranong border, south to about 50KM north of the Malay border, so it is unlikely many of you will have seen this species in the wild. The female of the species is very similar to your Tawny Palmfly (Elymnias panthera) which can only be found in Thailand right on the Malay border.

Hmm... looks like a cross between our Common Palmfly and Tawny Palmfly!