Un-id Lycaenid, Sarawak

[MinuteMaid]

could they be local in distribution? or appear only in certain hours of the day etc?

my brother said he saw two of these, but were quite difficult to shoot as it was skittish and flew up into the trees after a few shots.

[Psyche]

could they be local in distribution? or appear only in certain hours of the day etc?

my brother said he saw two of these, but were quite difficult to shoot as it was skittish and flew up into the trees after a few shots.

I think your brother was lucky enough to chance on a courting couple that had descended from the canopy.

Many rare species are only unexpectedly encountered.
I remembered an instance long ago although it was not a rare species.
I was walking along the trail of a small stream valley, one side of which was steep & covered with bracken-like Resam fern (Dicranopteris linearis).
It was past 6pm. & getting dark when looking up I realised half a dozen small butterflies had appeared & takened stations on the ferns.
From there they rush out at great speed to dogfight before returning to their perches.
From their half-cocked open wing stances, I realised they were Riodinids, specifically Zemeros (Punchinello) species, with their pointed forewings.
I could not make out the colour to determine their IDs, and they were still active even as darkness sets in.

TL Seow

[MinuteMaid]

I think your brother was lucky enough to chance on a courting couple that had descended from the canopy.

Many rare species are only unexpectedly encountered.
I remembered an instance long ago although it was not a rare species.
I was walking along the trail of a small stream valley, one side of which was steep & covered with bracken-like Resam fern (Dicranopteris linearis).
It was past 6pm. & getting dark when looking up I realised half a dozen small butterflies had appeared & takened stations on the ferns.
From there they rush out at great speed to dogfight before returning to their perches.
From their half-cocked open wing stances, I realised they were Riodinids, specifically Zemeros (Punchinello) species, with their pointed forewings.
I could not make out the colour to determine their IDs, and they were still active even as darkness sets in.

TL Seow

interesting story!

i can only imagine that many lycaenids dwell on top of trees. finding the right time when they descend is not easy.

[MinuteMaid]

Here's a few pics of it. unfortunately none at good parallels as it was supposedly very uncooperative.

Dr. Seow, this was shot at Bako national park at the cliff vegetation habitat where nepenthes gracilis and rafflesiana run wild. I have been there before and Bako is quite interesting, with a combination of cliff, forest and swampy habitats. there are no tall trees and main vegetation at this part, and are mainly shrubs, nepenthes and tall grasses growing in clay soil.

[Angiud]

It's wonderful! I leave the final ID to the many experts.

[MinuteMaid]

It's wonderful! I leave the final ID to the many experts.

it is beautiful, and i wished i could have seen it in person!

i have no idea the exact ID, but have tentatively labelled it as per Aaron's initial ID.

here are two more species that my brother found at the same habitat. i believe it is the club silverline, although this appears to have more ferruginous coloration than black, as well as a dark posy feeding on smilax with a lycaenid caterpillar next to it. i do not know the local races or sub species there.

[atronox]

Aaron, does the underside of the Bornean ssp. in the book have a postdiscal band on the forewing?

Fleming shows an underside (from Great Karimon Is.) in which the forewing does not have a postdiscal band.

TL Seow

Yes, D' Abrera figures one that has a prominent post-discal band.

[atronox]

Silverline could be Spindasis vixinga

[atronox]

Sry, it is not vixinga, just the local ssp of syama

[Psyche]

i have no idea the exact ID, but have tentatively labelled it as per Aaron's initial ID.

Aaron is right. It is Hypochrysops coelisparsus kerri, the only Hypochrysops in Sundaland.

TL Seow