Common Dartlet

[Green Baron]

How do you guys identify Com Dartlet ? Based on the C&P4 keys, I find it hard to tell the genus apart (pg 379), not to mention the species (Pg 380)

Care to share your insight so that we can be more accurate when ID these orange skippers ?

The reason I am asking is because Rosalind would like to have a photo of Com Dartlet for the information counter and I don't think we should give her a photo which we are not 100% sure of the ID.

Khew,
Maybe you can post the upperside and underside of the orange skippers you have ID and we can put them side by side for comparison.


BTW, these are some of the 'Com Darlet' posted in this forum.

Neo



Simon


YL


Khew

[Commander]

Ok. I have a few shots which are positively identified, so I can pass you those.

Frankly speaking, in this series, I think Simon's shots are not of the Common Dartlet.

[Green Baron]

I think Simon's look more like TAQ

[Commander]

No, they both appear to have the apiculus, so definitely not the Taractrocera genus.

[Green Baron]

I think Simon's look more like TAQ

Typed too fast. I thought Neo's first 2 do not look like Com dartlet. #3 looks like TAQ ?

These orange fellas are so confusing .

[Elbowed Pierrot]

sorry to 'butt' in, but aint the common charactertisc of the common dart, the black vertical strip on the hindwings? which no other skippers have?

[Green Baron]

I have posted your the Com Dartlet shots (from here) for comparison.
Simon's are not Com Darlet.

[Commander]

Typed too fast. I thought Neo's first 2 do not look like Com dartlet. #3 looks like TAQ ?

These orange fellas are so confusing .

They do look like Common Dartlets. #3 is also definitely not a Taractrocera. Note the hooked apiculus which is clearly seen in the shot.

Yes, they are definitely confusing. Still examining the many that I have. For the local ones, there is always an element of doubt regarding the Potanthus spp. C&P4 records a number of others besides P. omaha. We haven't even scratched the surface of this genus yet.

We are now only separating the Taractrocera and Oriens genus from Potanthus. Also, don't forget the Telicota. Many field shots do not give an indication of the scale of the butt, so that adds more difficulties in separating this genus from the smaller Potanthus.

And to add to the confusion, I had an email from an Australian collector who notes that he captured a specimen of Cephrenes acalle niasicus (Page 433 of C&P4 says it's found in Singapore). Take a look at the male - Plate 58 Specimen 25. Can't even differentiate it, if we don't put the Telicotas side-by-side with it, what more try to ID one from a field shot!

[Commander]

sorry to 'butt' in, but aint the common charactertisc of the common dart, the black vertical strip on the hindwings? which no other skippers have?

Haven't been reading the ID Key in C&P4, have we?

[Elbowed Pierrot]

Haven't been reading the ID Key in C&P4, have we?

nope