Id help for Pelopidas sp.

[ButterflyWitch]

Dear Dr. Seow Sir,these all Pelopidas photographed in Tripura, Northeastern India...Your help in identification will be highly appreciated...

Thank u in advance....

1. Pelopidas thrax masta?

26407

26408

26409

2. Pelopidas subochracea?

26410

26411

26412

3. Pelopidas agna?

26413

26414

26415

4. Pelopidas subochracea?

26416

26417

26418

5. Pelopidas mathias?

26419

26420

26421

6. Pelopidas assamensis?

26422

7. Pelopidas assamensis?

26423

8.

26424

9. Pelopidas sinensis?

26425

26426

[Psyche]

Pelopidas is extra hard to ID in India.
(Actually everything is extra hard. )

It is necessary to get the species correct in the first place.

Pelopidas mathias;.Male FW brand cut in the lower third by a line thru the two cellspots.Spot 2 usually quadrate, but may be rectangular.
Female , a line thru the cellspots moves closer to the spot in space 1b.
Underside with an uneven ground colour; marginal & HW discal areas with pale shadings. strong in DSF.
HW spots may be dark-rimmed in especially in DSF.

Male & Female , India,
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/184_19014-759-59703b1885147-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/234_2690-589-549c45811259b-1.jpg

Singapore male showing a line thru cellspot cuting lower third of brand.
Note spot 2 is not always quadrate.
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vqr7KmROfek/VK_uf1hWp7I/AAAAAAAAfwY/N4uLlFOKIUM/s1600/SBS_adult_male_upperside_01.jpg


Singapore female showinga line thru cellspots comes close to spot 1b.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eYsLtkDVM7A/VK_vH20SNVI/AAAAAAAAfxQ/90i1_OxhG2M/s1600/SBS_adult_upperside_02.jpg
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7JuPSD_pjiw/VK_u-_EaVaI/AAAAAAAAfxI/MIhW9LRXrhY/s1600/SBS_adult_underside_02.jpg

[Psyche]

Pelopidas agna.
Male Male: A line thru the two cellspots just tip the end of the brand or miss it.
Female: A line thru the cellspots moves away from the spot in space 1b.
Male spot 2 typically linear but may be broader & more rectangular (becoming similar to mathias male).
Underside ground colour more even & uniform brown, may be greenish, without obvious pale shadings in the marginal zones.
UnH spots not dark-ringed.
Male Taiwan: A line from the cellspots just tip the brand.
https://knowledge.taibif.tw/sites/default/files/imagecache/node-gallery-display/00015163.jpg

Singapore male & female.
https://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist/mugshots/Pelopidas%20agna%20agna/Pelopidas-agna-agna-(Bengal-Swift)-01---Horace-Tan.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zXwSQZiZjw/Vk6snOvQSBI/AAAAAAAAkjc/FLIs7DHMunE/s1600/BengalSwiftF-KSK.jpg
?Taiwan female.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pelopidas_agna_20140621.jpg

Singapore female showing a line thru the cellspots move away from the space 1b spot.
https://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist/mugshots/Pelopidas%20agna%20agna/PA_female_02.jpg

Indian males (Strangely not a single female).
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/102_20367-400-59d4bfc926ac7-5.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/102_20367-400-59d4bfc926ac7-7.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/523_32993-73-5b88a6030f376-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2020/523_32993-73-5b88a6030f376-2.jpg

[Psyche]

Pelopidas thrax.
Male : A line thru the cellspots just miss the brand much as in P. agna.
Male brand more prominent & whiter than mathias or agna.
Underside fairly uniformly brown, without pale marginal shadings.
HW spots distinctly dark-rimmed.
Oman.
https://i1.rgstatic.net/publication/260940212_Observations_on_the_biology_of_Pelopidas _thrax_Hubner_Lepidoptera_Hesperiidae_Hesperiinae_ in_the_Hajar_Mountains_Oman/links/0deec532b1bae30267000000/largepreview.png
Turkey.Male.
http://dogalhayat.org/property/pelopidas-thrax/
Israel.male.
https://israel-nature-site.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Pelopidas-thrax-1.jpg
Females Greece.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/117576577@N03/46260007852
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/IiVuBVbEc1GOx-3sCi-0s8YlzWygYNzrJ-WhzLnmD0HRevBwO6ZYJ611iTRnFNBGm1LUBVaXS1AELCCGKRus OgWDb2amDj7Sa-sU1cVUFnIN


Evans states of ssp masta.
Darker; UnH usually only the double spots in space 4-5 conspicuous, the rest replaced by dark marks; UpH usually with a double spot in space 4-5.

[Psyche]

Pelopidas subochracea.Large.
Male with a brand: A line thru the cellspots just tip the end of it.
Underside with uneven ground colour & pale shadings in the marginal zones as in mathias.
UnH with reduced spots typically spot 2, 3, & 6 sometimes spot 4 as well.Typically spot 6 largest.
Subapical spots mostly in line.(Compare thrax, agna & mathias.)
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasSubochracea/PelopidasSubochracea_KSaji_ae455.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasSubochracea/02PelopidasSubochracea_KrushnameghKunte_ak574.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasSubochracea/04PelopidasSubochracea_KrushnameghKunte_ak557.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/drsaji/2355647044


Pelopidas sinensis. Large. The 3 subapical spots mostly in line.
Male ;A line thru the cellspots tip the brand.
FW spots yellowish , HW spots white , in space 2, 3, 4, 5, (6) in a nearly straight line.
Antennal club with a white area on basal part of club beneath.
http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/Ogata_collection/01Hesperiidae/Pelopidas_sinensis/Pelopidas_sinensis.html
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasSinensis/PelopidasSinensis_KrushnameghKunte_ai527.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasSinensis/PelopidasSinensis_KrushnameghKunte_ai585.jpg


Pelopidas conjuncta ;Large. Male without a brand. The 3 subapical spots strongly out of line.
FW spots yellow , cellspots large separate .HW spots white, arranged in an arc.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2016/118_14975-280-581b734296bc3-4.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2016/118_14975-280-581b734296bc3-3.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasConjuncta/PelopidasConjuncta_KSaji_ac767.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasConjuncta/PelopidasConjuncta_KSaji_ac764.jpg


Pelopidas assamensis. Very large.
All spots white, FW spots large, & cellspots may join.
Antennal with a broad white band.
HW spots may be reduced to spots 4-5.
Subapical mostly in line.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/PelopidasAssamensis/PelopidasAssamensis_TarunKarmakar_ap010.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2015/233_4706-631-55099c5016c6e-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/media_images/2016/135_15191-682-5822cb8d4404e-1.jpg

[Psyche]

1. Pelopidas agna.
The line drawn from the cellspots miss the brand. The underside is quite uniform brown, no spot reduction & no dark rim.
The brand looks white but this is unreliable.

2. P. agna. The subapical spots well out of line; uniform underside without pale shading.

3. P. agna.

4. P. agna ;Subapicals out of line ;uniform underside without pale shading.

5. P. mathias ;Line from cellspots cut into lower part of brand ;& uneven underside.

6. & 7 typical P. assamensis.

8 & 9. P. conjuncta ; FW spots yellow; HW spots white in an arc; subapical spots out of line.


TL Seow:cheers:

[ButterflyWitch]

Thank you so much for the valuable information with useful links for each keys. The group skippers fascinates me alot.These keys will really help me in my future expedition...
Thank you so much....
Cheers