Samui 2012

[Painted Jezebel]

Thank you so much. The explainations for each were very clear. I was able to see what you mean from these. The trouble with C&P4's keys is no. 130 which requires sighting of the upperside before progressing any further.

This location looks highly uninviting, butterfly wise, being a very small area of disturbed secondary woodland surrounded by coconut plantations and a few small houses. Yet here I have found A. agaba, Matapa cresta, Bindahara phocides and now, the ?A. sublustris?!

Memo to self... never discount any location, however unlikely it looks!

[Psyche]

My concern is that spot 6 & 7 have sinuous margins and this is fairly often seen in the cleander subgroup. I have not seen alea members with such spots.
Also the tornal lobe is definitely more prominent.
Here in the checklist the pic by Nelson matches yours in spot 6 & 7.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...wbutterfly/137

The only thing going against athada is that typically in athada. the striae are bright (almost golden) in the dorsal(inner margin) region.

It will be prudent to keep in mind a dwarf A. athada.
The picture will be clearer once more individuals are shot.

TL Seow

[moloch]

Looks like you are coming up with some very good finds, Les. Good luck with the Purlisa gigantea. I hope to see shots of this before too long!

As always, I am awed by the detailed knowledge that you guys have of these difficult to identify butterflies. It is just amazing to me to see how you guys sort out the species.

Regards,

[Painted Jezebel]

It will be prudent to keep in mind a dwarf A. athada.
The picture will be clearer once more individuals are shot.

TL Seow

I am keeping it in mind. That is why I put ?? alongside the A. sublustris in my earlier comment, and why I am not adding it to my website at present. Whichever, it would be a new species for Samui.

[Psyche]

I am keeping it in mind. That is why I put ?? alongside the A. sublustris in my earlier comment, and why I am not adding it to my website at present. Whichever, it would be a new species for Samui.

I am surprised that athada is also unrecorded from KS.
Because the tornal lobe thing can be quite a headache, I am wondering where the size is not known or uncertain there must be a fair bit of mixup between the alea subgroup & especially A. athada.

TL Seow

[Psyche]

After looking at the tornal lobes of A silhetensis (easiest to ID correctly) I have to agree with you the prominence of the lobe is pretty subjective.

Also the ID features I have given for the various alea sg. members are not entirely correct since they are taken out of context from the key.
However, certain features are useful.
1. Barring some individual variations, all alea sg. members have the postdiscal & submarginal band close , almost touching in space 2 on the forewing; on the hindwing in space 3 & 4. The exception is A. aroa.
2. Spot 6 is wider at the top, & narrower at the bottom, most pronounced in A. aroa. The exceptions are ,A. phanda- quadrate, A. normani- almost quadrate, A. aurelia- rounded.

The 3rd complimentary ID feature for the cleander sg. is that the postdiscal & submarginal bands are fairly well separate in space 3 & 4 on the hindwing.
On the forewing this is very clear in space 2, but alas, can only be seen on a set specimen.

On a hunch I checked out the A. athada pics on the checklist, & there are 2 pics by James & Terry which are different from the rest.
1. The postdiscal & submarginal band are very close in space 3 & 4.
2. Spot 6 is wider at top & narrower at bottom, without sinuous margins.
3. The white tips on the tails are longer.

I think they are alea sg members which explains why this group is unrepresented in the Checklist.

TL Seow

[Painted Jezebel]

On checking my alea sg pics, I think I may have an A. athada without realising it, but it is an awful photo!

I am certainly moving towards a small specimen of A. athada for the one I recently posted. The forewing gap you mention seems, to me, too wide for the alea sg.

[Painted Jezebel]

I had to go to immigration today, to get my re-entry permit for my forthcoming trip. I had an hour free whilst they did their mountainous amount of paperwork, so I went back to the agaba,?athada? spot to try for my voucher specimens (failed again). I'm glad it was only an hour, it is soooooo hot here, I do not think I could have lasted much longer!

Whilst I saw the Arhopala athada again, it was deeply entrenched inside vegetation. Things are definitely picking up. I saw 5 Arhopala spp, 3 Rapala spp, Catapaecilma major, Tajuria cippus and several other Theclini.

1) The pick of the hour, Arhopala bazaloides bazaloides (Tamil Oakblue). This is only the second time I have seen it here, the other time being on the other side of the Island, so I was delighted.
2) Rapala iarbus iarbus (female).
3) Prosotas sp. This does not look quite right for the normal P. nora, but I could be wrong.

4)Whilst I was processing the photos at home, I noticed a small butterfly on my outside window. Knowing full well how skittish it would be I approached very slowly, but it only allowed me this highly cropped blurred photo through the window before it flew off. The hindwing band looks much wider than normal, but I am right in saying that it is Horaga syrinx maenala?

[Psyche]

The only match for 3 is a male Ionolyce helicon although this one have rounded wings. None of the Prosotas have striae lining the marginal & submarginal spots except P. aluta. Note multiple-dislocated postdiscal band on the forewing.

4 is correct. Forewing band narrow & upright (broad & bent in H. onyx.)
A useful quick ID cinfirmation is that the marginal brown area on the forewing is wider than that on the hindwing, while in H. onyx it is the other way round.
Strange as it may seems it is very reliable. The only exception I have seen so far is the Philippine ssp of H. syrinx which looks like H. onyx.

TL Seow

[Angiud]

Les, congratulation for the many, new interesting findings!

I hope we'll follow to get more interesting species in our trip to Sulawesi