August 2012 Fraser's Hill

[MinuteMaid]

Here is another Tawny Rajah ( Charaxes bernardus crepax ) taken at same location as Chng's in Feb 2011

Sunny, this rajah is colored so differently! it looks like the one khew shot and posted. the steely grey with the green tinge. have not seen this color before.

are they variants? i like this color!

[teotp]

In Malayan Nature Journal vol 58 Oct. 2006.
Eliot's explanation is that there are no intermediates, given some altitudinal overlap is inevitable, and there are no other known subspecies of I. pyrene in which the male is white.
Taxon alticola is endemic to peninsular Malaysia.

TL Seow

In: Malayan Nature Journal volume 59, page 6 (para 4), 2006 or volume 58?
I missed something from my collection of MNJ?

Teo T P

[Psyche]

Lemon's shot is an eyeopener. It shows the hindwing white spots can be identical in both species. However, I do noticed some of the blue & black dots to the outside of the white spots are a bit elongate as in Ch'ng's shot.

The forewing white band is also seen in C. bernardus, but is useful as most bernardus do not have it.

I have seen a fair number of the males of C. bernardus & they are all steely greyish brown, quite an unusual colour.

I am quite confident Lemon's individual is another example of C. harmodius martinus.
TL Seow

[Psyche]

In: Malayan Nature Journal volume 59, page 6 (para 4), 2006 or volume 58?
I missed something from my collection of MNJ?

Teo T P

Oops. it is volume 59.

TL Seow

[Psyche]

These two species can get very confusing.
Here is Fderick's shot of C bernardus from Panti.
It appears brown although you can still see grey shading & tint over both wings.The broad black border of the upperside confirmed it is C. bernardus.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0EK80AsaR7...Rajah%2529.jpg

TL Seow
PS. other examples of malayan C. bernardus crepax by LC.
http://i.pbase.com/o6/25/686825/1/86...rduscrepax.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/o6/25/686825/1/82...crepaxcopy.jpg

[Psyche]

Chng, Lemon,
Do you guys have other shots of your Rajahs that show a bit of the upperside, ie a bit of the costal (forward) margin or the the tornus (lower angle) of the forewing.

Les' Charaxes series have certainly bring forth some doubts.

TL Seow

[MinuteMaid]

Dr Seow,

unfortunately no. thought all of them were tawny rajah with the steely grey/greenish ones being color variants.

[The Plane]

Dr Seow, unfortunately I do not have any upperside shot too

[Commander]

Here are two sequence shots just as the Tawny Rajah that I was shooting took off. Doesn't help much I suppose.

[Psyche]

Thanks anyway guys, but I don't mean an obvious upper shot.
Have a look at Sunny's shot of C. bernardus.
The opposite wings can just be seen ; the forewing tornal margin is black proving it is bernardus.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/forum...4&d=1345297823

Yutaka's series show all forms of C. bernardus in mainland southern Thailand have the steely grey tint.
This appeared as a purplish-grey wash in the images (too much red).
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/cha/60180020.html

There are no record of 2 forms of C. bernardus, but since these two resembles the forms of C. bernardus in Ko Samui, it would be great to confirm the ID beyond doubt.

TL Seow