Sulawesi Hesperiidae

[Painted Jezebel]

There are a lot of very similar photos to be shown here, so, to avoid confusion, I have started a seperate thread for the Hesperidae, hardly any have I been able to ID with any certainty!.

Firstly, from Bogani Nani NP:

1) A familiar one, I think, Polytremis lubricans lubricans?
2&3) No idea!
4) One of the more unusual species we came across, a species of deep forest.
5&6) No apicalus. A Taractrocera sp?
7) Same as for 5&6. No upperside available, sorry!

[Painted Jezebel]

Part 2: Tangkoko Nature Reserve and our accomodation garden.

There may be some duplicates, is so, I apologise in advance! Only one species was I able to get both underside and, a very bad, an upperside.

The first is the only one I can positively identify - Coladenia kehelatha

[Painted Jezebel]

Part 3 (last) - Minahsa Highlands.

That is the lot of my pesky Hesperids!:gbounce:

[Glorious Begum]

Quite same to me for these 3

http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558372.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558369.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558373.jpg

Again Quite same to me for these 3

http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558374.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558375.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558378.jpg

Upper & under sides

http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558370.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558371.jpg

[Glorious Begum]

Not sure

http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558377.jpg

[Painted Jezebel]

Now you know why I decided to start a second thread, and not mess up the main one!!

[Psyche]

The 2 distinctive Buraras are:
Burara iluska iluska. &
Burara gomata radiosa.

Is Taractrocera archias recorded from Sulawesi?
If not, then all the Taractrocera are T. nigrolimbata.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

The 2 distinctive Buraras are:
Burara iluska iluska. &
Burara gomata radiosa.

Is Taractrocera archias recorded from Sulawesi?
If not, then all the Taractrocera are T. nigrolimbata.

TL Seow:cheers:

Thanks for the Burara sp. I had looked at B. gomata but discounted it due to the hindwing lacking the clear white stripe as in the Peninsular ssp.

There are three Taractrocera spp. on Sulawesi, T. archias, T. luzonensis and T. nigrolimbata.

Only 180+ photos left to ID!!!!

[Psyche]

Post 1.

1. I think P. lubricans is correct as there is only one spp. there.
The hindwing spots are prominent.

2 & 3. Pelopidas mathias/agna. I am inclined to think it is agna because of yellower shade, but I may be wrong.

4. Unknown.

5 & 6. Taractrocera archias male.Correction T. luzonensis dongala(only Taractrocera north, T. archias not found in Sulawesi.)
7. female.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Psyche]

Post 2

2. ? Erionota hiraca sakita. Not sure about E. tribus.

3. ? Hasora leucospila.
4. H. badra[/I].Correction H. quadripunctata(H.badra only in the south.)

5&6 likely Potanthus pava. Underside that of Potanthus; upperside band continuous.Correction: P. fettingi variant. (P.pava-central Sulawesi)
7. B. iluska.

8. P. omaha. Note darkened hindwing veins.Correction. P. fettingi variant; P. omaha only in S. Sulawesi.

9. Likely[I] P. pava.Correction: P. fettingi.
10. sameCorrection; T. luzonensis dongala; only Taractrocera north.

11. P. omaha.( Correction probably P.fettingi :spot 5 much smaller than spot 4, joined to spot 6; hindwing veins darkened ruling out P. haeterus.) P. omaha only in south.

12.probably Telicota ohara.Hindwing more heavily shaded.(T. ternatensis also with heavily shaded hindwing.)
Correction: P. ternatensis. ; forewing spots too broad & too much overlap for T. ohara.
(apiculus of T. ternatensis is described as white, so this probably confirmed the ID. Also T. ohara only in south.)

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Thanks for the Burara sp. I had looked at B. gomata but discounted it due to the hindwing lacking the clear white stripe as in the Peninsular ssp.

There are three Taractrocera spp. on Sulawesi, T. archias, T. luzonensis and T. nigrolimbata.

Only 180+ photos left to ID!!!!

Seow, I'm so, so, very sorry, too many species have muddled my brain. T. archias is not found on Sulawesi, I should have said T. ardonia!:embrass:

[bluefin]

I Simply Love theese Awls> :)

1. Bibasis iluska iluska

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7270825830_327d1c4bf5_c.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8148/7270827382_f94270fe2f_c.jpg


2. Hasora quadripunctata

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7270831198_23ac168842_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7099/7270823862_98d4c10287_c.jpg



Hasora leucospila

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7270831898_977cfbce0a_c.jpg

[Psyche]

Seow, I'm so, so, very sorry, too many species have muddled my brain. T. archias is not found on Sulawesi, I should have said T. ardonia!:embrass:

No problem, Les.
Teo sent me a copy of the Vane-wright-De Jong article.
(It was available on the net before, but seem to have been removed.)

Surprisingly B. iluska is placed as Bibasis iluska with B. sena. Some authorities also considered gomata to be in Bibasis.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Psyche]

Post 3.
Now it gets easier with so few species & restricted ranges.

1. T. luzonensis
2. B. gomata.
3. P. fettingi
4 & 5. Pelopidas mathias. Note upperside brand.(spots are absent here on forewing.)
6 & 7 Telicota ternatensis.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Psyche]

Post 4.

1, 2,& 3 . Can't get a bead on this one yet.

4 & 5. Polytremis lubricans.

6. Pelopidas agna/mathias. ?

7 & 8 T. luzonensis.

Post 5.
Telicota ternatensis.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Psyche]

Post 12

1 &2. Bibasis iluska iluska.
fig 10 & 11 (Topmost & top right )
http://www.archive.org/stream/illustrationsofn05hewi#page/n183/mode/1up
Continental race as B. mahintha.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TothrixMahintha_747_3.jpg

3 & 4. Hasora quadripunctata.
C&P4's key is imprecise, as the spot is often less than 1/2 the width of the hindwing cell.
However, it is quadrate (squarish) thus quadripunctata = squarish spot).
Also H. badra is found only in the south.

5. H. leucospila is correct.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Psyche]

With so few genera in the Sulawesian Hesperiinae, it is a matter of elimination to get to the ID of the unknown skipper with the white band.

The only candidate standing is Acerbas latefascia. (Only Acerbas found in north Sulawesi.)
The name latefascia means wide band which doesn't seem quite right.
No image available for comparison.

TL Seow:cheers:

[bluefin]

Post 12

1 &2. Bibasis iluska iluska.
fig 10 & 11 (Topmost & top right )
http://www.archive.org/stream/illustrationsofn05hewi#page/n183/mode/1up
Continental race as B. mahintha.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TothrixMahintha_747_3.jpg

3 & 4. Hasora quadripunctata.
C&P4's key is imprecise, as the spot is often less than 1/2 the width of the hindwing cell.
However, it is quadrate (squarish) thus quadripunctata = squarish spot).
Also H. badra is found only in the south.

5. H. leucospila is correct.

TL Seow:cheers:

Thanks Seow for the assistance. :)

Initially I do have doubts that 3 & 4 is H. badra.

:cheers:

[moloch]

Nice shots, guys. It is nice to see such a variety of skippers.

Regards,

[Psyche]

Finally got the ID of the white-banded skipper, Lotongus calathus taprobanus.

The VW-dJ article upperside shows an indication of a band on the underside.
It was only necessary to check it out.
http://homepage2.nifty.com/se-asianbutterfly/lotonguseng.html

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Finally got the ID of the white-banded skipper, Lotongus calathus taprobanus.

The VW-dJ article upperside shows an indication of a band on the underside.
It was only necessary to check it out.
http://homepage2.nifty.com/se-asianbutterfly/lotonguseng.html

TL Seow:cheers:


I'm sorry, but I do have to question this one. No doubt the species is the the same but its identification, to me, is in question.

Attached is the nominate form of L. calathus, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat Province, in Thailand. No similarities at all, neither the hindwing nor the forewing with those hyaline spots on the Sulawesi specimen.

[Psyche]

[QUOTE=Painted Jezebel;113494]I'm sorry, but I do have to question this one. No doubt the species is the the same but its identification, to me, is in question.
QUOTE]

This took me by surprise because it is so different from the continental forms.
I had dismissed it earlier, but with so few Hesperiinines in Sulawesi I have to take another look.
VW-dJ's plate 2 fig 8 shows the upperside L. c. taprobanus.
It has a full range of hyaline spots on the forewing, and the hindwing shows traces of the mid- band on the underside.

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Oops, again. Sorry, I missed those forewing spots!!:embrass: Still, it is strangely different! I wonder if a review of the three species (+subspecies) of the Genus Lotongus has been done?

[Psyche]

Oops, again. Sorry, I missed those forewing spots!!:embrass: Still, it is strangely different! I wonder if a review of the three species (+subspecies) of the Genus Lotongus has been done?

No review found.
Plotz actually cited the type location of taprobanus as Ceylon.
(Taprobanus is the male gender form of Taprobana, the ancient Greek name of Sri-Lanka.)

This is actually somewhat similar to the northern continental species L. savalus.
http://www.exblog.jp/blog_logo.asp?slt=1&imgsrc=201201/12/50/a0094850_14284312.jpg

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

The three species are all found in Thailand. One distinguishing mark that they all have in common is, on the underside forewing, a band, of varying length depending on the species, which reaches the costa. Our photos do not have that.

I have filed this as the Lotongus, but, I still do not particularly like it!

[Psyche]

I have little doubt about the ID.

Still this may be upgraded to Lotongus taprobanus.
This Lepindex entry is dated June 2005.
http://aplx5.rdg.ac.uk/annual-checklist/2009/show_species_details.php?record_id=1006276&showlsid=urn:lsid:catalogueoflife.org:taxon:d7588b 56-29c1-102b-9a4a-00304854f820:ac2009

TL Seow:cheers:
PS. I spoke too soon.
This latest update April 2011 retains taprobanus as a subspecies.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/lepindex/search/detail.dsml?UserID=&UserName=&TaxonNo=184853.0&SCIENTIFIC_NAME_on_card=***taprobanus&listPageURL=list%2edsml%3fSCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5 fcardqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26sort%3dSCIENTIFIC%255 fNAME%255fon%255fcard%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fc ard%3dLotongus%26recLimit%3d30&searchPageURL=index%2edsml%3fsort%3dSCIENTIFIC%255 fNAME%255fon%255fcard%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fc ardqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon% 5fcard%3dLotongus%26recLimit%3d30

[Psyche]

http://www.pbase.com/lcgoh/image/143558369.jpg


This skipper is so radically different from the continental subspecies, that I guessed most readers are unconvinced that it is Lotongus calathus taprobanus.
Admittedly I have a twinge of doubt until I could find proof that it does have a white hindwing band on the underside.

Here is Plotz's original description of the taxon taprobanus in German. Ceylon is a location error.
http://www.archive.org/stream/berlinerentomolo291885berl#page/226/mode/1up
Part of the 2nd last sentence read as
" Die Hinterflugel haben unten einen grossen fast ovalen auswarts gezahuten Weissen Querfleck auf der Mitte."
This roughly translates as " The hindwing has on the underside a large almost ?oval to(wards) ?(unknown) White Patch at the Middle

The 2nd clue is the four(if all are present) forewing spots in space 4,5,6, &,7 form an " L ".
This is unique as it is not seen in the other skippers of Sulawesi. (nor in C&P4.)
This can be compared with upperside image of L. C. toprobanus in Vane-wright, de Jong' article at plate 2 fig 8.
For those in the dark here is the link.
http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/document/46743

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Seow, thank so much. Yes, after reading Plotz's original description everything fits. (My German is not very good, but I understand enough)

So, Lotongus calathus taprobanus it is.

However, I still have a gut feeling that it's status as a ssp. of L. calathus is odd. But I have neither the facilities, the specimens nor, most importantly, the ability to confirm this, so I must go with current thinking.

[bluefin]

one from me.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7219/7301247420_b4b9d05928_c.jpg

[Psyche]

Post 29

Notocrypta feisthamelii celebensis.

With only 2 spp. it becomes easier to eliminate one.( N. paralysos yaya is similar to our local race varians here,with a notch at inside & outside the of band.)
There is a costal sreak extending the band here.
(Local race of feisthamelii here usually have some subapical spots.)

The male is at the bottom.

TL Seow:cheers: