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Thread: Arhopala norda?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
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    Default Arhopala norda?

    I was looking through my photo archive and saw this Arhopala taken in 2018 in Singapore Botanical Gardens. It was identified as A. major then, but with the recently acquired knowledge that A. norda has a white tornal spot on the cilia in the HW, I am wondering whether this is A. norda instead.

    Arhopala_ufo.jpg
    Horace

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Malaysia
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    This is one of those enigma in Singapore that have never been solved.

    In the past there were examples with various trace of tornal white cilia.
    eg.
    https://www.butterflycircle.com/chec...20Tan%20CP.jpg
    https://www.butterflycircle.com/chec...-2---Tan-C.jpg
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...lt_Khew_01.jpg
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...onathan_01.jpg
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...en_wing_01.gif
    They were also examples in which the tornal white spot is quite distinct eg.
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.co..._female_01.jpg
    https://blogger.googleusercontent.co..._female_01.jpg

    Also present are examples without the white tornal spot.
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/budak/52368565445
    https://wanderingbutterflyeffect.wor...1c48c6860d.jpg

    The only way to find out if there are two species is to catch a male with a defined white spot.
    Squeezing the abdomen will cause the valvae (claspers) to open out.
    A smartphone picture of the inside of one of the valva, zoomed for comparison.
    https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4f/81900001.html
    https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4f/81920010.html



    TL Seow: Cheers.
    Last edited by Psyche; 02-Nov-2024 at 02:27 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Western Singapore
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    4,358

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Psyche View Post
    This is one of those enigma in Singapore that have never been solved.
    '
    '
    '

    The only way to find out if there are two species is to catch a male with a defined white spot.
    Squeezing the abdom,en will cause the valves to open out.
    A smartphone picture of the inside of one of the valve, zoomed for comparison.
    https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4f/81900001.html
    https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4f/81920010.html

    TL Seow: Cheers.
    Many thanks, Dr Seow for the detailed explanation.
    From CP4, the difference in the male valva is about being unilobate (A. norda) or bilobate (A. major). The links at yutaka.it-n.jp show the difference clearly.
    Definitely more work is needed in order to solve this SG mystery.
    Horace

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