Can anyone help with the ID of this skipper?

[Painted Jezebel]

Found yesterday, I originally though that this was Suastus everyx. However, there are some major irregularities when compared to all the various photos I have seen of that species.

Firstly, far too many spots on the hindwing. Secondly there appear to be faint subapical markings on the forewing.

I have a few contenders, but none seem to match perfectly :
Zographetus doxus (too dark hindwing)
Salanoemia sala (possibly the closest match, but again, the hindwing seems too dark in the pictures seen)
Suastus minutus flemingi (same problems as for S. everyx)

[Commander]

There's no scale to the picture unfortunately, but I assume that it must be a small fella, for you to rule out S. gremius? There are probably more subspecies of these variable buggers in your territory, so more searches are definitely required.

In an earlier discussion, we also highlighted the variations in the number of black hindwing spots in Suastus gremius. Perhaps this is a feature in the genus?

[Painted Jezebel]

Thanks for replying, SK. Yes, it is very much smaller than S. gremius. I have discovered that this is the second time I have seen this (first time was in February 2008). The first one I tentatively ID'd as S. everyx, based on a blurred photo. I am not so sure I was right now!

I had already checked in Pisuth's book, and Pinratana's, and could only find those I mentioned in the original post. All the photos of S. everyx in these tomes show specimens much like that shot by Fed recently. Obviously, what I must do is find another and collect it to see if it has the white tornal area on the upperside hindwing! It may take another 15 months!! I thought I had a specimen already, but not so.

[Commander]

Ha ha... good luck at nailing your next specimen then. The curious thing that we've observed about S everyx is that it appears within a very specific location in the nature reserves, and most, if not all, of us shot it in that place.

So if you go back to the same location regularly, you may get one sitting there for you again!

Good luck! A lepidopterist's work is never done...

[Painted Jezebel]

Resurrecting this thread as I have now reached the S's for the Hesperidae (I have it in a Suastus file!), and I still have no idea! Seen now three times, but still unable to capture it.

Perhaps some of our newer members may recognise it.

[teotp]

Hi Les,

Just for your information: the hindwing markings are same as the male specimen, Suastus minutus aditia Evans, figured in "The Butterflies of Thailand based on Yunosuke Kimura collection volume 1: Hesperiidae, Papilionidae and Pieridae" edited by Y. Kimura, T. Aoki, S. Yamaguchi, Y. Uemura & T. Saito, page 71, 2011. The authors described it is smaller than S. gremius and the white mark in space 2 on upperside forewing is formed with verticle or circle shape. (Note: The subapical markings on the underside of forewing from your photo are not matching the figured specimen).

Teo T P

[Painted Jezebel]

Thank you, Teo. Certainly the ssp. S. m. aditia has better defined markings than ssp. flemingi. This is causing me a bit of a problem. I attach below, a photo of Suastus minutus flemingi (at least it looks like it to me), which is the subspecies found on the peninsular, and is common here, seen many times every year. I have a few specimens, and none of them have the forewing subapical markings.

The rules of sympatry do not allow me to have both subspecies here, or so I understand.

[Psyche]

Here is a perfect match.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monsoon...iesofnortheast
There are only 2 species of Suastus found in India, gremius & minutus.
S. everyx is found only from South Myanmar to Sumatra/Borneo, so this is really S. minutus aditia.
(I have thought this might be S. gremius because it looks big, but gremius always have well-defined spots.)

From the same site the other colour form of S. minutus aditia is also found.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/monsoon...on_jyoti_gogoi
(This looks different but the level of white shading is variable.)

TL Seow
PS. I initially thought it was minutus, then gremius & now it is minutus again.
Not sure what the 2nd is since the upper is chestnut coloured, but it is likely to be S. minutus too. Its so worn even the white hindwing cilia are missing.

[teotp]

Certainly the ssp. S. m. aditia has better defined markings than ssp. flemingi. This is causing me a bit of a problem. I attach below, a photo of Suastus minutus flemingi (at least it looks like it to me), which is the subspecies found on the peninsular, and is common here, seen many times every year. I have a few specimens, and none of them have the forewing subapical markings.

The rules of sympatry do not allow me to have both subspecies here, or so I understand.

Y. Kimura also stated in his book under the heading S. minutus aditia :"Amnuay illustrated the figure in his book in 2006 as one of the subspecies, flemingi, which was caught at Ranong, but illustrated figure seems to be subspecies aditia". The second photo match the figured specimen of S. minutus aditia in Kimura's book.

So it looks like subspecies flemingi may not be there. By the way, where you got this insect? Kimura also posted a distribution map of this subspecies in Thailand in his book.

Teo T P

(Note: Amnuay = Pisuth Ek-Amnuay)

[Painted Jezebel]

Thank you both. The species were all taken on Koh Samui, which is in the southern peninsular, so we would expect species/subspecies found in S Myanmar to be found here, or at least on the mainland, as we are south of the border, Ranong is a border post between Thailand and S. Myanmar. The vast majority of species/subspecies we have here are of Sundalandian origin, only a few species spreading south from the Indo-Chinese, Indo-Burmese faunal areas.

I must admit that I used EkAmnuay's book for ID, and his photo was not included in the 19 page errata he prepared, so I took it as being correct. I also looked at Pinratana (Volume 5), who pictures ssp. aditia, and it looked nothing like mine.