ID requests

[LJK1410]

Thank you Dr Seow

[LJK1410]

Hi Dr Seow,

Here are a few Rapala shot by Jess at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The post discal bands seem to be a lot darker and more prominent than usual and the orange crown seems to be more of a thin ring, also seen at a mangrove, could it be Rapala cowani?

1.
photo1660103389.jpeg

2.
photo1660103389 (1).jpeg
photo1660103389 (3).jpeg
photo1660103389 (2).jpeg

*All photos taken by Jess Loh

[Psyche]

Post 10.

They are all females of Rapala dieneces. Correction: Rapala cowani females.
2 is more readily identiafiable.
The postdiscal band is orange brown.
The UpF have a copper-brown patch.
Typical females.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...ash_Nelson.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...20-%20Chng.jpg

1 is taken without a flash & appeared greyer & darker.
Note diffusion of orange into space 3 & 4 is common in R. dieneces.

Another species to look out for is R. scintilla.
This closely resembles R. manea but is grey tinged on the underside.
Male have only the HW upperside blue-shot. In R manea it is both; Females are identical.
It is possible some of the grey R. manea is R. scintilla.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...derside_03.jpg
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4i/84070001.html


Typical R. manea 2 males, 2 females.
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...lt_male_03.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...lt_male_01.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...20-%20Khew.jpg
http://www.butterflycircle.com/check...-Simon-Sng.jpg


R. cowani is grey with the postdiscal band dark grey.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...et_1939_PT.jpg
Riau Island.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...peg?1578494354



TL Seow: Cheers.

[atronox]

The Rapala are female Rapala cowani- the greyish ventral ground colour (from all angles and under different lighting conditions- the orange scales around the tornal black spot contrast strongly with the ground colour; in dieneces and relatives this contrast is weaker because of the ground colour which is already ochreous), visible dark scaling proximal to the post-medians, heavier submarginal markings and cupreous patches on the dorsal side all check out.

[LJK1410]

Hi Dr Seow, I would agree more with Aaron at least for the second individual, the ground colour seems too greyish from that of the regular pale brown of female R. dieneces we typically see. In C&P5 it mentions in the key ID feature for R. cowani females "uppersides always with a cupreous discal patch on the forewing and sometimes with a cupreous subtornal patch on the hindwing", which closely resembles that in the pictures. Could you have another look at it again?

[Psyche]

Hi Dr Seow, I would agree more with Aaron at least for the second individual, the ground colour seems too greyish from that of the regular pale brown of female R. dieneces we typically see. In C&P5 it mentions in the key ID feature for R. cowani females "uppersides always with a cupreous discal patch on the forewing and sometimes with a cupreous subtornal patch on the hindwing", which closely resembles that in the pictures. Could you have another look at it again?

Yes. I would concede Aaron is correct.

Both are female Rapala cowani females.


My confusion stem from the fact that all four live shots of Rapala cowani I have seen, one from Johor, P. Malaysia, two from Pulau Ubin & the fourth from Riau are distinctly grey as in the Riau example.
But this looks obviously different from the typical female Rapala dieneces.
I may add the FW margin is crenate ie scalloped more strongly in the female this species.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[LJK1410]

Thank you for all the inputs Dr Seow and Aaron! Hopefully there would be more individuals of this elusive species seen in the near future

[Psyche]

This is one of the female from Pulau Ubin.
https://static.inaturalist.org/photo...468/large.jpeg

I was emailed another similar grey female from Chek Jawa , Pulau Ubin years ago but did not keep the image.

It would be good to check out the male.


TL Seow: Cheers.