Tatai, Koh Kong, Cambodia

[Painted Jezebel]

Starting my thread of my recent visit to Gee and Janet at their Eco-Lodge. To warm things up, a few shots of the environment. The insects will follow as I identify the various species I shot, and will be posted on the appropriate forums in due course.

1) The Lodge is only accessable by boat. It is only a short 10-15 minute trip from the road, but you could easily be in another world. It is so peaceful, and is a birders paradise, I lost count of the number of birds I heard, but because of the dense bamboo, very rarely saw.
2 & 3) The view from the lodge over to the river.
4) A view of 'The Lake', which is really only a widening of the River. This is only reachable with a 2 hr trek through the forest.
5 & 6) A further 2 1/2 hr trek brings you to Tatai Waterfall.
7, 8 & 9) The Waterfall can also be reached by boat, and that 1/2hr voyage is very peaceful, showing the vegetation to be bamboo forest on the lower slopes of the the hill, with diptocarp rainforest higher up.

The trek takes you through both habitats, and I have to say that bamboo forest is the hardest vegetation I have ever had to walk through.

[Great Mormon]

Les thanks for sharing these shots and information about the place, cant wait to see the pictures of the fauna.

[Painted Jezebel]

Here is the first batch. These are species you are probably familiar with, but with a make-over (i.e. different subspecies).

1) Moduza procris procris. (much lighter than M. p. milonia.)
2) Terinos terpander intermedia.
3) Discophora timora timora.
4) Hasora taminatus bhavara.
5) Gandaca harina burmana. Can't see any difference from G. h. distanti, personally.
6) Anthene lycaenina lycambes.

[WillFolsom]

Les: Loved the environment shots along with the butterfly shots. Sounds like you had a great vacation! William

[Psyche]

It is surprising that Terinos terpander intermedia is so different from ssp robertsia and so like Terinos clarissa.

Its there a continuous cline where the two white spots of robertsia gradually becomes smaller to be replaced by the salmonpink or orangey colour of intermedia?

I would have thought that intermedia qualifies for full species recognition even if the male genitalias are similar.
Many races have been raised to species status for the most trivial differences. Here the differences would be considered significant.

TL Seow

[Painted Jezebel]

Its there a continuous cline where the two white spots of robertsia gradually becomes smaller to be replaced by the salmonpink or orangey colour of intermedia?

I would have thought that intermedia qualifies for full species recognition even if the male genitalias are similar.
Many races have been raised to species status for the most trivial differences. Here the differences would be considered significant.

TL Seow

I'm afraid I do not have enough experience with this species to comment on the progression to/from the two subspecies. It is one of those species I would have expected to find here, but have not. Indeed, I have not seen it on mainland Thailand yet, but that is probably because I have not visited the right places!

I can not see that there has been any proposal yet to upgrade either ssp. to sp. level. Which one is closer to T. terpander terpander? (Too lazy to look, myself! )

[Painted Jezebel]

Part 2 - Species less often encountered by members.

1) Chliaria othona othona.
2) Iton semamora semamora.
3) Tanaecia lepidea cognata. Very skittish, and, despite being common, this is the best shot I managed.
4) Una usta usta.
5) Ypthima savara savara. (I think!)
6) Mycalesis mnasicles perna. Stays deep in the undergrowth, making decent shots v. difficult.

[Painted Jezebel]

This is the last lot. These are either ones I can not ID, or ones for which I need confirmation of my provisional identifications.

1&2) Arhopala1. Normally I am asking for the butt to open wide. This one would not close, to allow me a shot of the underside. I did see the underside, and it was very pale. I suspect that this may be Arhopala nicevillei, but I can not be sure.
3) Arhopala2.
4) Arhopala3
5) Rapala dieneces?
6) Jamides celeno celeno?
7) Nacaduba pavana vajuva?
8) Nacaduba berenice aphya?

I do know that Gee managed shots of 2 very exciting species (at least to me), and hopefully he will post them here shortly. Dragonflies and 'odds and sods' will be posted on the appropriate forums when I have managed to get IDs.

The weather was not very kind to me, so I did not see as much as I had hoped, but I will go back again, hopefully when it is not going to rain.

Much thanks to Gee & Janet for their hospitality, all their wonderful smiling staff and particularly Sunny, despite her disturbing all the insects on the trek before I could shoot them, Jimmy, Houdini and Psar.

[moloch]

Excellent, Les. Thanks for putting this together. The habitat looks very interesting and you are obviously finding many interesting butterflies. It is always nice to see photos from exotic locations like that. I hope that their eco-lodge does well.

[MrGee]

Here are the two "very exciting" species, to which Les refers.

1) Chamunda chamunda
2) Euthalia djata aiamica

It was great having you here Les. Looking forward to your next visit.