Penthema darlisa merguia - A rare encounter in the thai Peninsula mountains

A very uncommon species, Whose geographic area is limited to the mountain range of the Thai Peninsula, with few sporadic records in Ranong mountains and now in Nakhon Si Thammarat Khao Luang area.

Is the largest Satyrinae , a massive butterfly for our standards and see it fly is a real spectacle.

I first found Penthema darlisa merguia in Khao Luang mountain a couple of years ago at about 1000 mt, flying along the forest edge and puddling or sunbathing during the sunny days.



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The Yellow Kaiser - Penthema darlisa merguia

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The Yellow Kaiser - Penthema darlisa merguia



Some researcher is assuming that this could be a self standing species and not a simple ssp. of Penthema darlisa,
that counts in Thailand of 3 more ssp. For this reason a specimen has been caught in order to proceed at the DNA
sequencing to understand its correct taxonomy.


THE OTHER SUBSPECIES

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The Black Kaiser - Penthema darlisa mimetica - Central and East Thailand


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The Blue Kaiser - Penthema darlisa melema - North Thailand


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The Western Kaiser - Penthema darlisa darlisa - West Thailand - Photo by Toshiyuki Aoyama