UFO in CCA

Shot this UFO butt which resembled a Common/Dark Posy at first sight.
At first I thought damages to its hindwings had caused the dark appearance, but a closer examination on camera LCD showed that this was not the case.

The butt remained on high perches throughout and very alert to any closer approach. In the end all I managed are distant shots affected by handshake and wing-induced blurs.
The two pics are cropped from the originals, and showed both left and right sides of the wings.

Any idea of its species ID?

Horace

:what:

Wah Piang ! Looks like a new species!

Very unique fore and hind wing markings, nothing resemble it in the checklist!


Likely to be Drupadia ...


:cheers:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Silverstreak

:what:

Wah Piang ! Looks like a new species!

Very unique fore and hind wing markings, nothing resemble it in the checklist!


Likely to be Drupadia ...


:cheers:

---

Right now, I do not have access to C&P4. Can this species be found in your copy of C&P4?

Horace

Horace,

Thumbing thru CP cannot find any to match those marking on the fore wing and that dark patch on the hind wing!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by horace2264

Right now, I do not have access to C&P4. Can this species be found in your copy of C&P4?

Horace

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Silverstreak

Horace,

Thumbing thru CP cannot find any to match that dark patch on the hidn wing!

---

Thanks, Sunny for checking C&P4. Looks like we have to look at other sources for its ID.


Horace

You've shot what is most likely an aberration of a Dark Posy. Though it occurs in nature, aberrations are relatively rare, where in the process of metamorphosis, something goes wrong and the butterfly turns out looking quite different from its usual appearance.

Some years ago, Steven Neo captured an aberrant Peacock Royal on Tekong Island. It had both of us :hmmm: what the heck it was, and were excited about discovering a new species. When I sent the picture to Col John Eliot, he identified it as an aberrant individual.

Now, if only one of us will one day be able to shoot a gynandromorph in Singapore!

I have never seen this before at CCA. Well captured, Horace.:cheers:
Quite a pristine specimen and my first impression is that the shape of the wings looks a bit different also.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Peacock Royal

I have never seen this before at CCA. Well captured, Horace.:cheers:
Quite a pristine specimen and my first impression is that the shape of the wings looks a bit different also.

---

Thanks, Federick. As Khew pointed out, this could be an aberrant Dark Posy.

Horace

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Commander

You've shot what is most likely an aberration of a Dark Posy. Though it occurs in nature, aberrations are relatively rare, where in the process of metamorphosis, something goes wrong and the butterfly turns out looking quite different from its usual appearance.

---

I agree that there is a very good chance this specimen is an aberration of a Dark Posy. Both Sunny and me have sighted Dark Posy at this particular location.

Horace

One of the clues, according to the late Col Eliot, of an aberration, is that they are quite often asymmetrical. Your specimen displays such an attribute.

Fortunately you managed to shoot both the left and right sides. Note that in the majority of normal butts, the left and right sides of the wings are generally "mirror-imaged". In your specimen, the white patches on the hindwings are obviously different on the two sides.

Human form of gynandromorph should be no problem!!:bsmile:


Here is a rare symmetrical gynandromorph
http://www.insectcompany.com/odditie...0apacheana.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Silverstreak

Human form of gynandromorph should be no problem!!:bsmile:

---

So when we going up to Koh Samui to bug Leslie? We can drop by Pattaya and shoot some human gynandromorphs along the way... :)

No need to make the extra trip, they are common, if local, here on the island!

They are not a forest/rural species (I have not seen any in my area!) and tend to prefer built-up habitats. They are crepuscular in habit and are regularly seen around bright lights. They are a very social species, and when you find one, you tend to see more. Careful study needs to be done on their identity as many people have made serious mistakes with the identification of this species, and lived to regret their error. I am not aware of there being any successful breeding of this species in captivity. They are much prized by photographers visiting the island , though only the less worn specimens.

With regards to the magnificent find today:thumbsup: , I agree that it most likely is a Drupadia sp. aberration. May I suggest you contact the BMNH by email, with the photos as attachments, to see if they have any records in their extensive collection. Mind you, if you find any more, we may well have a Drupadia horacei.

Les:cheers:
244

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Painted Jezebel

With regards to the magnificent find today:thumbsup: , I agree that it most likely is a Drupadia sp. aberration. May I suggest you contact the BMNH by email, with the photos as attachments, to see if they have any records in their extensive collection. Mind you, if you find any more, we may well have a Drupadia horacei.

Les:cheers:
244

---

Les,
Thanks for the suggestion to contact BMNH and the species name :bsmile:.
Let's see whether BMNH will entertain my email request.

Horace

I forgot to ask in my previous post, where is the photo of Stephen Neo's Peacock Royal aberration? It needs to be retained for record purposes, as does Horace's Drupadia, when we have a definitive ID.

Les
244

Add one shot showing more of the forewing upperside.

The upperside pattern matches that given in C&P4 plate 45 fig 37 for a male Dark Posy.

Horace

Our friend was still high up there today.

Horace

We need Khew there with the 15 footer!!:bsmile:

Of course... with big sign announcing Official Butterfly Research in Progress!:bsmile:

What if there are more than one with almost identical markings???

There are some hard to discern "differences" in the left side of the first one captured and today's...... or am I imagining things !;P

Maybe we have a whole batch of aberrations of the bunch of Dark Posys there due to DNA mutation caused by dumping of radioactive waste at CCA. :bsmile:

The very slight differences may be just a bit of wear and tear.

Les
244