Recent Skipper Shots

An oopsie here.:embrass:
This is a Telicota. Note the short dark 3rd segment of the palpi.
It is a worn T. augias.
( Probably time to stop late night ID session. )

TL Seow:cheers:

Too busy to do a thorough check on the ids. So I just ID them from my impressions.
1. Caltoris cormasa
2 and 3. Same specimen. The hindwing veins don't seem to be darken - so I rule out P. omaha. But which Potanthus is this ?

Seow, need to trouble you again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peacock Royal

Too busy to do a thorough check on the ids. So I just ID them from my impressions.
1. Caltoris cormasa
2 and 3. Same specimen. The hindwing veins don't seem to be darken - so I rule out P. omaha. But which Potanthus is this ?

Seow, need to trouble you again.

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No problem, Fed. I get to see variations of Potanthus.
Looks like you have a winner here.
This has to be Potanthus juno. just wish there is an upperside for confirmation.

Note the hindwing have a discrete spot in space 6 connecting the upperend of the band to the larger spot in space 7.
Previously I thought this is found only in trachala/confucius/pava together with black spottings.
This is not the case though these 3 have a rather irregular spot in space 6.
Here is Khew's pic of one with a similar spot in post 3.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/forum...ad.php?t=11665
I believed this is merely P. ganda .Post 1 should be P. confucius.

In addition your Dart have the uppermost(in space 8) of the 3 subapical spots
reduced to less than a 1/3 of the other 2. It is almost certain that on the upperside this spot will be obsolete or absent.
Here is juno for comparison.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/p...0_USM.jpg?o=39

Correction. This should be Potanthus ganda. When the spot in space 8 is reduced, it is from the inner side , and not from the outer side, as seen in the link.This individual have an aberration of the spot.
TL Seow:cheers:

Thanks Seow

Here is another skipper shot which I took at the same location as the above P. ganda

I think this is Great Swift (Pelopidas assamensis)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peacock Royal

Thanks Seow

Here is another skipper shot which I took at the same location as the above P. ganda

I think this is Great Swift (Pelopidas assamensis)

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Looks like it from the colour & spotting, but of all things the antennal tips are hiddened.

TL Seow:cheers:

After going through Antonio's Dart here
http://www.butterflycircle.com/forum...ad.php?t=11969
I realised that your female Telicota post 39 pic 5 is T. linna.

The distinction is in the female T. augias the veins are darkened, and in the female T. linna they are not.

TL Seow:cheers:

Following the discussion in Sunny's thread the Parnara ganga in post 34 should be P. bada.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/forum...d=1#post107693

TL Seow:cheers:

Thanks Seow.

This was shot in Pulau Ubin last Saturday.
Only one shot taken, which Telicota is this ?

I think you have a new species, a male Telicota ohara jix.
Notice the more prominent black spots and the dark shadings on both wings.

An example of T. besta (yellower underside than the orangey augias.)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7...r_filtered.jpg

The examples of T. ohara from HK & Taiwan are darker with darkened veins, but otherwise have similar darkenings.
http://animalsattaiwan.blogspot.com/...1_archive.html

However C&P4 shows the male underside of our local form without the darkened veins.
This matches well with C&P4 plate 59/56.

TL Seow:cheers:

Here is to complicate matters.

Although it does not resembles the Taiwanese/HK subspecies of T. ohara that closely, it seems to match T. bambusae from Taiwan.
http://sjl.csie.chu.edu.tw/butterfly...opic.php?t=666
http://gaga.biodiv.tw/new23/s4-23.htm

T. bambusae is a common species from India to southern China, in secondary growth areas. Its hostplants include rice, sugarcane, bamboo & maize.

A single male was recorded from Singapore in the 19th century but this was thought to be errorneous.

TL Seow:cheers:

Thanks Seow.
I found a series of T. bambusae at http://www.vel.cc/in.asp?i=43
Yes, my shot does look like T. bambusae.
If I remember correctly, it is smaller than most of the Telicota species I have seen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peacock Royal

Thanks Seow.
I found a series of T. bambusae at http://www.vel.cc/in.asp?i=43
Yes, my shot does look like T. bambusae.
If I remember correctly, it is smaller than most of the Telicota species I have seen.

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The very first pic(male) in your link can not be T. bambusae. It is something else.
The mating pair shows how both sexes should look.
(Correction: The 1st should be T. bambusae, and the rest T. ohara.)
TL Seow:cheers:

After checking several website it seems there is a great deal of confusion on what is T. bambusas and what is T. ohara.
The common name for both, Dark Palm Dart may be responsible.

This Taiwan museum website shows several examples of T. bambusae.
The male brand can be seen covering most of the black space.(ie it is broad & not thin as in T. ohara.)
Note underside have no prominent dark spots or shading.
http://digimuse.nmns.edu.tw/DigiMuse...min=z&Field=i0

This Indian website also shows a similar T. bambusae.
http://www.flutters.org/home/photoga...picture&id=486

In C&P4 T. bambusae is not stated to have fuscous (dark) shading.

This Taiwan website labelled T. bambusae is correctly T. ohara.
In pic 1 upperside the male brand can be seen to be very narrow which is diagnostic of T.ohara. Note the underside black spots & dark shading.
The amount of black shading is variable.

Thus the new butterfly is correctly Telicota ohara jix.
HKLS have a pic of T. ohara but the resolution is rather poor for comparison.

Update : The name bambusae now falls as a synonym of ancilla, ie the Indian subspecies becomes T. ancilla bambusae , & the Taiwanese race T. ancilla horisha.
TL Seow:cheers:
2nd Update.
Yutaka website retains T. bambusae bambusae & T. bambusae horisha as the valid names, and this is likely to be correct.
T. ancilla 1869 have precedence but was recorded from Queensland, while T. bambusae 1878 was recorded from India.
In the past they were thought to be conspecific, but given the enormous gulf between the Asiatic population and Australia this would be extremely extraordinary.
3rd Update.
This female from Pulau Ubin should be T. ohara. It matches Fleming's H220.
Note dark shading on hindwing & a darker patch on the forewing.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/t...z-640.jpg?o=55

This skipper was at Lornie Trail.
I am not sure, I think it is a Caltoris ? species

Normally with one tiny upper cell spot & one large lower cell it should be C. cormasa, but the underside hindwing should have some darker purplish shading.

C. bromus can also have the upper cell spot tiny, eg. C&P4 plate 60/29.
The underside colour indicates it should be C. bromus female.

TL Seow:cheers:

Thanks Seow
Hong Kong Lepidopterists' Society has a webpage and some photos on this species here.

Shot at Bukit Brown today.

1. Likely to be Polytremis lubricans lubricans (Contiguous Swift) - no underside shot
2 and 3 same skipper - Not sure but it looks like a Potanthus

The first should be the Contiguous Swift. There is a bit of connection between the 2 cell spots which is often seen in this species.

The 2nd is yet another Potanthus juno with the typical 2 subapical spots.

TL Seow:cheers:

Thanks Seow

This was shot on the last day of 2011 at Seletar Wasteland.
The actuall colour is very much darker - I guess this is Astictopterus jama jama (Forest Hopper)

Yes. It is.

TL Seow:cheers: