Koh Phangan 2012

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Painted Jezebel

Sorry, Antonio, but I slept on this one and am now having certain doubts.

The upperside markings appear inbetween the two species, showing certain aspects of both. There is certainly a larger orange patch on the hindwing than I would normally expect on C. bulis, but the forewing markings are closer to C. bulis.

---

These 2 species can be difficult even with upperside.
This post 79 male should be C. bulis.

The forewing have a smaller orange patch as in bulis.
The ID key states to note the orange in space 7 which is not visible.
Space 6 (just below the left forewing) has a longer orange patch than usual.
(Addendum: Below the right forewing part of hindwing space 7 can be seen & the basal half is black.)

The hindwing cell have just a sliver of orange at the cellend, & the base is mostly dark.
This one matched the 1994 Than To, Yala male in Yutaka's website.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc3/84030001.html

It would be interesting to see the underside of this male.

The post 75 underside is C. santana. The long palpi 3rd segments indicate it is a female & its markings are orange.
Here is a male C. santana. Note its shorter palpi.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7...n+Sunbeam).jpg

TL Seow:cheers:

Ok, what I can do is to go again in the same location, tomorrow if the weather will allow, and get more pictures of the small population always stay around the ford of the creek.

Storm coming.... :sweat:

Les had shown me 2 valid examples of male C. bulis from Samui.

The underside is practically identical to that of C. santana, without an inner dark line on the hindwing (one with a faint dislocated one).
The only difference I can see is that the forewing line/band is more zigzag or sawtoothed especially at the top, instead of scalloped.

This also raise the question of the presence of C. bulis in Singapore.
While it is true no 'white' female had been seen, it is also true that no female of C. santana has been shot before, indicating the rarity of this sex.
This is unlike C. saronis where the female had been shot many times.

TL Seow:cheers:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psyche

While it is true no 'white' female had been seen, it is also true that no female of C. santana has been shot before, indicating the rarity of this sex.
This is unlike C. saronis where the female had been shot many times.

TL Seow:cheers:

---

On Samui, the female C. bulis is not that rare, I have seen her at least a dozen times, though it is much less common than the male.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psyche

This also raise the question of the presence of C. bulis in Singapore.
While it is true no 'white' female had been seen, it is also true that no female of C. santana has been shot before, indicating the rarity of this sex.
This is unlike C. saronis where the female had been shot many times.

---

I guess this is where Horace can come in and help. The only way to gather more data is to breed and keep specimens of C. santana for reference, esp the females, so that we have more evidence of how the females look like. Horace has a shot of the female that he bred earlier on our blog article here

I have this as a very old and faded male C. bulis. However, I am now wondering whether this could be the female C. santana. (Taken with my old box brownie back in 2007)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Commander

I guess this is where Horace can come in and help. The only way to gather more data is to breed and keep specimens of C. santana for reference, esp the females, so that we have more evidence of how the females look like. Horace has a shot of the female that he bred earlier on our blog article here

---

Thanks Khew. I forgot about this female.
Intriquingly its forewing band is sawtoothed at the upper end & the band continues interrupted to the hindwing tornus.

Horace, do you have an upper of this female you bred?

TL Seow:cheers:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Painted Jezebel

I have this as a very old and faded male C. bulis. However, I am now wondering whether this could be the female C. santana. (Taken with my old box brownie back in 2007)

---

Interesting, you have a male Curetis.
The forewing resembles C. bulis, but the hindwing does not.
The hindwing's orange cover almost the whole wing.
Below the left forewing the exposed part of space 7 is black (ended by the arching vein 7 arising from the radius (upperarm) of the cell & forming the upper border of space 6.)

I am fairly certain it is C. sperthis.
The upperside of C. sperthis is variable resembling bulis or santana, but space 7 is wholly blackened.(Correction: Key states only costa (upper margin) is black though whole of space 7 may be blackened.
The underside have black dots & the forewing band is less slanted to the termen.

TL Seow:cheers:
PS. After looking at this for sometimes I think you are right. It is C. bulis male.
Even at its minimum the forewing orange patch of sperthis is like santana, ie larger & closer to the termen.
Wear had caused the black on the hindwing to fade to brown giving the impression that the hindwing is mostly orange.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Psyche

Horace, do you have an upper of this female you bred?

TL Seow:cheers:

---

Unfortunately I didn't manage to shoot the upperside of the female I bred. :-(

Today a long walk (4 hours) up to the top of a hill not so far from the area where I live. (I'm a bit broken...):bsmile:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8312/8...45a4a801_z.jpg
Purple Broken-Band Oakblue

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/8...21a21dc6_z.jpg
Arhopala lurida

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/8...b9572f61_z.jpg
Arhopala sp. Arhopala ariana
It looks to me different from A.lurida

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8039/8...19d070d7_z.jpg
White-stained Oakblue

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8299/8...26d1b2c3_z.jpg
The Grand Imperial

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8443/8...3cfe2280_z.jpg
The Chocolate Royal

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8171/8...debd6ed3_z.jpg
The Orange Lacewing underside

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8038/8...f6419923_z.jpg
The Orange Lacewing upperside

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8438/8...2261affd_z.jpg
The Autumn Leaf

How dare you get another Chocolate Royal!!!!:grin2: Brilliant.

Post 90.

Arhopala ariana. Hindwing spot 7 directly on top of spot 6(not shifted inwards). Forewing spot 4 dislocated.
Forwing costal spots in space 10 & 11.
Base of space 10 (directly above central cellspot) no spot.
Markings well-contrasted. (compared to A. elopura.)

TL Seow:cheers:

Today with Arhopala ariana, Celaenorrhinus asmara asmara (not posted because not so good shot) and Arhopala lurida, is a +3 for KPG.

Les, I can see The Chocolate Royal almost every time I get out (no more than one or two), but it is so skittish and fast flying high on the trees making almost impossible to get a proper shot.

And again thank you Seow for the prompt identification of the Arhopala.

PS: forgive me because is not a butterfly, but today I* got also my first Lantern Bug here in KPG:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/8...3553d75e_z.jpg
Lantern Bug

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8456/8...2ee267c1_z.jpg
A Lantern Bug taking off

Antonio,

Those shots are terrific. You capture colour so well. Are these photos with the Canon 7D or 5Dii? With the Sigma 150mm? The colour and sharpness are certainly better than most of my photos.

The lanterfly was a nice one as well. Nice to see the open wing photo.

Regards,

Antonio: Very nice, crisp, colorful images. Let's hear a bit about the equipment you use and your evaluation of the lens. William

Thanks, David and Williams, for the nice words.

I'm back using the 7D, because with the 5Dii (new) I have focus issues (slow autofocus, weak and imprecise with low light, maybe a problem of back/front focus with my preferred lens).

The lens is always the Sigma 150/2.8 with OS (stabilization), a very good and sharp glass, although very heavy (I cannot think about the weight of the new Sigma 180 OS!)

Very basic post-production with Acdsee Pro (crop, level, de-noise and sharpening)

Ouch!

http://imageshack.us/a/img259/4252/tinsel.jpg

Today another good walk, in the same location:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8303/8...47f5fe68_z.jpg
The Tamil Oakblue

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8169/8...d5b31c9d_z.jpg
Unidentified strange Arhopala

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8456/8...2561fab2_z.jpg
The White-stained Oakblue

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/8...0ff8dbc1_z.jpg
The Common Earl - Female

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8460/8...007878e2_c.jpg
The Grand Imperial

And, dulcis in fundo, a find make me very proud and confirm the sighting of Les in Samui:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8171/8...de64e393_c.jpg
The Giant Imperial - Purlisa gigantea gigantea

The Purlisa!!! Oh Bravo!!!!!!. What altitude were you at, as I have only found it on the hilltops?

Unless I am mistaken, your odd Arhopala is A. alaconia media. I came across this species for the first time, myself, only last Tuesday, and could only take an awful photo, which I could not show on this particular forum.

Thanks, Les, it has been a real emotion to see the Purlisa flying in front of me and lucky enough to get a few shots before it flies away.

I got the GPS with me and I was not over 130 mt sl, the 2 small mountain around the site are 380 and 520 meters.

:cheers: :cheers:

Thanks very much for the altitude info, very interesting. It is an absolute stunner, isn't it.

You have had a very, very good last few days! (I've updated the 'Islands List' I'm keeping)

Yes, I found a nice location, extensive and still a bit wild, and the weather sunny, with a few showers the last days help the finds.

Today too a +1 for KPG, probably the best

:cheers:

A bird-view of the hunting area, from the top of the 400 mt hill/mount.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/8...e2a36e79_z.jpg
A view from the top of Khao Ta Luang

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Painted Jezebel

The Purlisa!!! Oh Bravo!!!!!!. What altitude were you at, as I have only found it on the hilltops?

Unless I am mistaken, your odd Arhopala is A. alaconia media. I came across this species for the first time, myself, only last Tuesday, and could only take an awful photo, which I could not show on this particular forum.

---

That certainly is A. alaconia with the odd anvil-shaped spot 6 & 7.
Great find on this and the Purlisa, Antonio.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

TL Seow:cheers:

Thank you, Seow, for the ID and the nice words about the Purlisa. I'm very happy!

And with the Arhopala alaconia today is a +2

:cheers: :cheers:

The purlisa is magnificent!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

It looks gigantic! Must have been a most thrilling experience.
Congrats!:cheers:

Thank you for the compliments!

You know what?

Tomorrow I'll be back there :bsmile: :bsmile:

4 Km uphill to go... but it worth the effort!

Oh wow the Purlisa...must've been spectacular.:grin2:

Thank you, Aaron, I was yesterday again there, but without any luck ( I cannot pretend to find every time something new or rare....

The forum is a bit sleepy, so I post the only two remarkable species I've found:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/8...cf369678_z.jpg
The Hoary Palmer

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/8...aa4e7a36_z.jpg
The Centaur Oakblue

But after tomorrow Les will come to visit me and I hope to bring him to this location and to find a lot of good species (for sure the Grand Imperial, so common there)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/8...ce53cd2c_c.jpg
The Grand Imperial

May be we should visit Koh Phangan one day :)

This area seems like a good spot for hilltopping lycaenids.:)

Also, could the common earl be a Euthalia sp.?

Purlisa may still be extant in Singapore, quietly hilltopping in Bukit Timah.

TL Seow:cheers:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by psyche

purlisa may still be extant in singapore, quietly hilltopping in bukit timah.

Tl seow:cheers:

---

Like. :)

Another visit in the same location, because of the wonderful sunny morning, but not so lucky about butterflies. Just another sighting of the magnificent Purlisa, with another (bad) picture.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/8...22ec1dee_z.jpg
The Giant Imperial

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/8...4f337e3f_z.jpg
The Common Brownie

Today a different location, but nothing new or rare :cry:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8176/8...c5862ef2_z.jpg
The Common Five-Ring

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8...9f79451e_z.jpg
The Club Silverline

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8310/8...1e7b68db_z.jpg
The Common Bush Hopper

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/8...248e6f90_z.jpg
The Pygmy Grass Blue

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8322/8...cabd5447_z.jpg
The Bright Sunbeam

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8037/8...9ce9c42d_z.jpg
The Bright Sunbeam

Forgot one...

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8174/8...c7e464bc_z.jpg
Nacaduba sp.

Nacaduba pavana?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Angiud

Forgot one...

Nacaduba pavana?

---

Yes, it is N. pavana.

TL Seow:cheers:

Thank you, Doctor Seow.

It's a +1 for KPG.

:cheers:

Back in Phangan, here is not the best season for butterflies:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8...ec179b0d_z.jpg
The Grand Imperial

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8201/8...10eecd3f_z.jpg
The Malayan Bushbrown

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8346/8...b4033b10_z.jpg
The Common Tit

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8...43c3ff82_z.jpg
Curetis sp. upperside bulis?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8062/8...4eccd3d1_z.jpg
The Common Imperial - ขาวหางริ้ว

The Malayan Bushbrown again. Nice! I am still looking for it next door.