Blue Jay's butterflies Dec 2011/2012

[Blue Jay]

Here is a belated reply, Brian.

Your Potanthus is a tricky one.
Of the 3 subapical (just below the apex or tip) spots the one near the margin is rather short.
However, the veins are more or less darkened and I would leave it as the Lesser Dart.(P. omaha)
Do you have an underside shot of this ?

Post 34 is the Chocolate Demon.

TL Seow

Uncle Seow, I have no underside shots. Not only that, I am also very bad at IDing darts/dartlets through uppersides. I will check the shot with the omaha uppersides in my computer later in the afternoon.

[Psyche]

In that case we'll leave it as omaha unless proven otherwise later.

TL Seow

[Blue Jay]

07 Jan 2011
Like what Uncle Sunny said, january is supposed to be part of the wet season. However, instead of rain, Singapore had more than a week's drought starting from extreme late december and strong winds. The weather was also fair and hot(about 32C). So I finally managed a trip to USR.

USR

#1 Starry Bob

#2 Coconut Skipper (jump at the flash)

#3 Chestnut Bob

#4 Starry Bob

#5 Same species (Jump at the flash)

#6 M. perseoides

#7 M. perseus

#8 Arhopala major


Cheers

[Psyche]

UFO 1 is a Starry Bob with more spots. You can see other examples in the checklist.
UFO 2 is the Coconut Skipper. Note the 5 spots & their shape.

The A. amphimuta is more likely to be A. major.

Normally you are right in it being amphimuta, if you see the middle of the 3 spots in the upper part of the hindwing is large, as here. (In A. major it is usually small.) But the 2 species do overlap in the size of this spot.

To confirm look for the following.
The spot above the green mark is an L (or a J if you are looking the other side). In amphimuta this spot is a V.
Above this spot the band is broken into two parts (each of 2 spots). In amphimuta this band is usually amost intact.

A. major is probably the commonest Oakblue in Singapore.

TL Seow

[Blue Jay]

UFO 1 is a Starry Bob with more spots. You can see other examples in the checklist.
UFO 2 is the Coconut Skipper. Note the 5 spots & their shape.

The A. amphimuta is more likely to be A. major.

Normally you are right in it being amphimuta, if you see the middle of the 3 spots in the upper part of the hindwing is large, as here. (In A. major it is usually small.) But the 2 species do overlap in the size of this spot.

To confirm look for the following.
The spot above the green mark is an L (or a J if you are looking the other side). In amphimuta this spot is a V.
Above this spot the band is broken into two parts (each of 2 spots). In amphimuta this band is usually amost intact

A. major is probably the commonest Oakblue in Singapore.

TL Seow

Many thanks, Uncle Seow

[Blue Jay]

21 Jan 2012
Today's weather was great(at least morning and early afternoon), and quite a number of butterflies were out. I even got a chance to shoot a tame five bar swordtail on my first sighting!

DFNP Spa

#1 Fivebar Swordtail(male)

#2 Potanthus ganda

#3 Common Bluebottle(male)

#4 Common Mormon(male)

#5 Magpie Crow(male)

#6 Party Time!


Continued...

[Blue Jay]

#7 Elbowed Pierrot

#8 Common Hedge Blue

#9 Staring at the sky


Cheers

[Blue Jay]

28 Jan 2012

Belukar Trail, DFNP

Horace, why not you go and check out the area of land around the spa and belukar trail? There seems to be a colony of Potanthus ganda there. I just shot another two and saw many more(?) which I did not shoot.

Caltoris cormasa



Potanthus trachala



Palm Dart

Chestnut Bob


Cheers

[Psyche]

Post 48.

1. Caltoris cormasa. Very worn; one lower cell spot; hint of rusty redbrown colour on the underside.

2 should be P. confucius. Degree of overlap between the subapical & the postdiscal spots do not mirror the upperside in Potanthus; note tiny bridges connect the spots.
( Correction : Both are P. trachala )
Strongly concave margins of subapical spots ;outer margin of spot in space 3 (just below the 2 in space 4 & 5) a deeply cut V.
Underside hindwing dark markings more spot-like than in ganda.

3 is Telicota augias ; veins not darkened;deep orange; wide overlap between spot 3 & 4.

4 is Iambrix salsala. Very worn ; typical spot ; long pointed palpi. (shared with Idmon.)

TL Seow

[horace2264]

28 Jan 2012

Belukar Trail, DFNP

Horace, why not you go and check out the area of land around the spa and belukar trail? There seems to be a colony of Potanthus ganda there. I just shot another two and saw many more(?) which I cant be bothered to shoot

Cheers

Interesting finds, Brian.
Actually I was there yesterday for an hour or so. Still no luck with the Potanthus spp. there. I will be back to monitor the site for sure.