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Post by Ed on Feb 13, 2017 11:12:07 GMT
Your first "Delias" is Belenois java; the second is Delias hyparete. I see that my first "Delias" is not really a Delias。 Is the genus Belenois as common anywhere else? I dont seem to recall seeing any Belenois in any of the other countries I've traveled to, maybe because it was there during the wrong time? Ed
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Post by Paul K on Feb 13, 2017 12:43:28 GMT
Your first "Delias" is Belenois java; the second is Delias hyparete. I see that my first "Delias" is not really a Delias。 Is the genus Belenois as common anywhere else? I dont seem to recall seeing any Belenois in any of the other countries I've traveled to, maybe because it was there during the wrong time? Ed Many Belenois sp. are inhabit continent of Africa, not so many in Southeast Asia . Paul
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Post by Ed on Feb 13, 2017 13:27:52 GMT
I see that my first "Delias" is not really a Delias。 Is the genus Belenois as common anywhere else? I dont seem to recall seeing any Belenois in any of the other countries I've traveled to, maybe because it was there during the wrong time? Ed Many Belenois sp. are inhabit continent of Africa, not so many in Southeast Asia . Paul Do you know if there are any in China or near by? seems like they mainly inhabit south west asia, but I assume if they are found in Indonesia they can also be found in China?
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Post by Paul K on Feb 13, 2017 14:50:37 GMT
Many Belenois sp. are inhabit continent of Africa, not so many in Southeast Asia . Paul Do you know if there are any in China or near by? seems like they mainly inhabit south west asia, but I assume if they are found in Indonesia they can also be found in China? There are no species in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. I don't know about China but I think there are none also. Paul
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Post by deliasfanatic on Feb 13, 2017 14:50:50 GMT
No, Java would be the closest it gets to the Asian mainland. It's found over a large area, extending out to many Pacific islands such as Fiji and Vanuatu.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Feb 13, 2017 15:03:02 GMT
"It seems as I may just have been unlucky in finding females! I know many Citrus plantations near me, is there any recommended methods in narrowing down the plants most likely to contain larva? or would that be too time consuming? maybe using a sleeve or enclosure to allow the females to lay would be best! any recommendations or feedback on the above?"
Chances are that Citrus plantations will be heavily treated with pesticides, so you may well not find any larvae there at all. You really need to look for Citrus bushes in peoples' gardens or growing individually. Be aware that females only lay eggs on plants with young growing shoot tips, as small larvae cannot eat fully grown leaves, only the fifth instar larva (which is green, rather than camouflaged as a bird dropping) prefers to eat older leaves. As a result it is probably best to ignore any plants without active growth.
If you find any larvae that are smaller than 5th instar you should remove them by breaking off the leaf they are sitting on, rather than pulling the larva off the leaf/stem. If they are preparing to moult and you remove them from the leaf they will die, because they cannot moult successfully. It is not a problem to pull a 5th instar larva off the leaf it is sitting on, as it will become a pre-pupa before moulting again.
You will find there are 2 common species on Citrus, Papilio polytes and P. demoleus. Smaller larvae are relatively easy to distinguish, as demoleus has spiny tubercles whereas polytes larvae are smooth and more shiny. However it is very difficult to distinguish 5th instar larvae, they look almost identical. The pupae are relatively easy to tell apart as demoleus pupae are much thinner, whereas polytes pupae are distinctly angular when viewed from above. Possibly you may also find P. bianor larvae on Citrus in Chongqing too. Small larvae look rather similar to polytes but the 5th instar is obviously different.
If you have the facilities or the patience then catching a live female and putting her in an enclosure with flowers and Citrus (it must have young shoot tips) or sleeving her on a branch with young shoots will certainly be easier than trying to find larvae in the wild. If you sleeve the female you will need to feed her at least once a day with honey or sugar solution - no food, no eggs!
Adam.
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Post by cabintom on Feb 13, 2017 22:20:06 GMT
The 2nd Lycaenid looks like Leptotes we have in Africa.
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Post by Paul K on Feb 14, 2017 2:35:48 GMT
The 2nd Lycaenid looks like Leptotes we have in Africa. Indeed it is Leptotes plinius, I am not sure what subspecies, nominate occurs in Thailand except peninsular south part where this species doesn't occur either in Thai or Malaysian part. It is also very rare on Borneo and Sumatra. In lowland Thailand it is one of the most common Lycaenidea species and they can be found in hundreds gathering at the streams. I have never found one in the mountains above 700m. It is interesting that there is a gap and again it inhabits Indonesian southern islands. Paul
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