Doi Pha Hom Pok, Doi Lang, March 2016

Dry, many wildfires, very low activity, the main 3 road-crossing streams (great butterfly locations) are now covered by a wonderful concrete road :cry:

On the top of both mountains Teinopalpus imperialis still flies. The extremely dry weather is taking a heavy toll on animals and plants.

First, one (two?) dubious Rapala, I guess nissa ranta. But they look a bit different.



https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1491/...f92d5ea0_c.jpg
Rapala sp.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1703/...4e2b9ef1_c.jpg
Rapala sp.


Finally I found what I guess is the Indian Purple Sapphire

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1595/...23ab14a5_c.jpg
The Indian Purple Sapphire - Heliophorus indicus

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1596/...4bc06128_c.jpg
The Indian Purple Sapphire - Heliophorus indicus

The Rapalas are terribly difficult to ID>
However, there is a strong suggestion that 1. is R. rectivitta , & 2 is R. nissa ranta.
A slight perspective distortion in pix 2.

Description of the taxa rectivitta & ranta.
http://archive.org/stream/proceeding...e/140/mode/1up
http://archive.org/stream/proceeding...e/140/mode/1up

Under the description for taxon ranta is a comparison with taxon rectivitta.

Thus.
Taxon ranta; underside lighter , ochreous tint, termen more rounded ;dark line gently curved.
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/R...aMFUpUnAC1.jpg
http://wingscales.com/Lycaenidae/Rapala-nissa-ranta

Taxon rectivitta: underside darker; termen straighter ; dark line prominent ,straight.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4/83960001.html

Surprsingly Yutaka does not show his examples of R. nissa ranta.

Heliophorus indicus looks right.
Some images are in error here beow.
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/...phorus-indicus

TL Seow: Cheers.

Thanks Dr. Show. I was guessing too that one could be rectivitta. Same location Les Day found it a couple of years ago. Yes. The second pic has been taken not in a straightforward position.

I used Kimura (Kimura and others - The Butterflies of Thailand Vol.2) to ID the Heliophorus

Attachment 23890

Here is the description of taxon ranta with comparison to taxon rectivitta , inadvertantly left out in post 2.
http://archive.org/stream/s6annalsma...e/409/mode/1up

TL Seow : Cheers.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7285/...2fe847c8_c.jpg
Arhopala sp. - A. khamti? - Confirmed Arhopala khamti

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/...79e8650e_c.jpg
The Black-spotted Labyrinth - Neope muirheadi bhima

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7768/...51bcc25d_c.jpg
The Yellow-disc Oakblue - Arhopala singla

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7758/...89858071_c.jpg
The Tailed Judy - Abisara neophron chelina

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/...f535f93f_c.jpg
The Red Lacewing ♂ - Cethosia biblis biblis

Post 6.
Arhopala khamti is right.This is very similar to A. oenea.
A. khamti has a metallic blue/green patch in space 1b while A. oenea does not.
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/#!/...rhopala-khamti
http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/#!/...Arhopala-oenea

You have another khamti/oenea shot which I mixed up sometimes back.

TL Seow : Cheers.

Thanks!!!


This one:


https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5689/...2bb0fc39_c.jpg
The Doherty’s Dull Oakblue - Arhopala khamti corrected Arhopala oenea

Post 8.

Yes this is the one.
It does not have the metallic green/blue patch in space 1b, & so it is A. oenea.

TL Seow: Cheers.

Thank you. So I can add a new one to my actual 778 Thai species list :bsmile:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7777/...aa552cbe_c.jpg
The Striped Punch - Dodona adonira adonira

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7684/...c8c9a905_c.jpg
The Studded Sergeant - Athyma asura asura

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7515/...64bcb9be_c.jpg
The Variable Sailor - Neptis zaida inayoshii

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7597/...92c36e94_c.jpg
The Variable Sailor - Neptis zaida inayoshii

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/...51c4192c_c.jpg
The Chestnut Tiger - Parantica sita sita

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7749/...8738ea37_c.jpg
The Chestnut Tiger - Parantica sita sita