Blue Jay's butterflies Dec 2011/2012

[Blue Jay]

18 Mar 2012
Thanks Jon and Uncle Loke.

I have 3 shots to share from today. Please pardon the poor quality of the shots.

This Spotted Black Crow individual looks rather odd, like a cross between blue and black spotted crow. But it looks worn as well.

1.The colour is not as dark as it is supposed to be.
2.There are very few spots on the hindwing.
3.The spots on the forewing are very round(for some of them).

Uncle Seow, do you have any suggestions/opinions?

Spotted Black Crow(female)

Common Caerulean

Blue Glassy Tiger(female)


Cheers

[Psyche]

Most crow species tend to be variable in amount of white spots, Brian.

For example the Blue Spotted Crow(E. midamus) in Malaysia is supposed to be blue-shot and with no spot on the upperside forewing, but I have seen some with varying number of white spots on the forewing apex, and I don't remember seeing any with a blue sheen.
I think the name is odd and inappropiate.

TL Seow

[Blue Jay]

Most crow species tend to be variable in amount of white spots, Brian.

For example the Blue Spotted Crow(E. midamus) in Malaysia is supposed to be blue-shot and with no spot on the upperside forewing, but I have seen some with varying number of white spots on the forewing apex, and I don't remember seeing any with a blue sheen.
I think the name is odd and inappropiate.

TL Seow

Thanks Uncle Seow! Actually, I have encountered only 7 wild crows so far.

[Psyche]

Thanks Uncle Seow! Actually, I have encountered only 7 wild crows so far.

Well done Brian. I think you nailed all the Crows on the checklist except for the Malayan Crow.
Still there may be others to be found.
Euploea algea has become relatively common in KL in open areas & wastelands and could turned up in Singapore.
This is rather like a Striped Black Crow except the forewing is blue-black and the hindwing stripes are spotty.

TL Seow

[Silverstreak]

Brian,

You are doing very well with your dad's big gun!! Keep it up!

Default your camera to AV mode, ISO 500 and around F/8 , leave it in auto focus, So that you can concentrate on getting level and parallel to subject and composition.


Cheers!

[Blue Jay]

Well done Brian. I think you nailed all the Crows on the checklist except for the Malayan Crow.
Still there may be others to be found.
Euploea algea has become relatively common in KL in open areas & wastelands and could turned up in Singapore.
This is rather like a Striped Black Crow except the forewing is blue-black and the hindwing stripes are spotty.

TL Seow

Uncle Seow, I was referring to crow individuals

Brian,

You are doing very well with your dad's big gun!! Keep it up!

Default your camera to AV mode, ISO 500 and around F/8 , leave it in auto focus, So that you can concentrate on getting level and parallel to subject and
composition.


Cheers!

Thanks Uncle Sunny for the encouragement and feedback!

[Blue Jay]

24 Mar 2012

Yamfly

Malayan Sunbeam


This skipper looks very strange, as the hindwing spots are blue, rather straightly aligned and inconspicious.

Small Branded Swift(?)

Small Branded Swift(male)

Common Line Blue


Cheers

[Psyche]

An interesting pair of skippers, Brian. Both are worn males.

The 1st have a rather dark body, but from the background & the sand there is probably too much grey in the picture.
The spotting looks OK. In Parnara the spots are in a straight line usually but are close together.
Here is a worn male Small Branded Swift by uncle Federick.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7...BS-Skipper.jpg
So it should be this species.

The 2nd appeared to be larger and browner.
Compare the undersides of both wings to uncle Federick's picture.
Possibly you have another species the Little Branded Swift (Pelopidas agna) which is not so dark, here.

TL Seow

[Blue Jay]

An interesting pair of skippers, Brian. Both are worn males.

The 1st have a rather dark body, but from the background & the sand there is probably too much grey in the picture.
The spotting looks OK. In Parnara the spots are in a straight line usually but are close together.
Here is a worn male Small Branded Swift by uncle Federick.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7...BS-Skipper.jpg
So it should be this species.

The 2nd appeared to be larger and browner.
Compare the undersides of both wings to uncle Federick's picture.
Possibly you have another species the Little Branded Swift (Pelopidas agna) which is not so dark, here.

TL Seow

Uncle Seow, I have taken a look at the Small Branded Swift shots in my computer and I found that they all have light brown or golden-brown base colour while the second pic has a dark brown one. It seems like there is a possibility of a new species.

I have a few branded swift upperside shots from the same location on the same day, but I'm not very sure which individual did I shoot.

[Psyche]

Uncle Seow, I have taken a look at the Small Branded Swift shots in my computer and I found that they all have light brown or golden-brown base colour while the second pic has a dark brown one. It seems like there is a possibility of a new species.

I have a few branded swift upperside shots from the same location on the same day, but I'm not very sure which individual did I shoot.

I have been trying to figure out which is P mathias & which is P. agna from pics taken before. Unfortunately photos create a lot of false colour tones due to different lighting conditions.
In P. mathias the ochreous colour is tinged with grey, not so with P. agna.

I think this is a pair of mating P. agna. The male on the right have no grey tinge. Some dark areas in the female is due to scale-loss.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yzw2AzY2du...skippersx2.jpg

This should be a male P. mathias. Note hindwing with greyish tone.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lDfVXMCBuu...-skipper-1.jpg

These two are females P. mathias Note greyish shading to hindwing.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7...2-SB-Swift.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...hee%20Ming.jpg

This one is probably the female P. agna.
Note it is similar to the female of the mating pair.
The hindwing is largely clear. The dark forewing is due to scale-loss.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7...0589+Swift.jpg

So keep a lookout for these colour difference the next time you are shooting Branded Swifts.

TL Seow