Wednesday, October 4, 2006 - Butterflies of Wallacea 2006

I managed to spare a little time to photograph a small number of butterflies in Halmahera and West Papua in September/October 2006 (some of which have so far proved impossible to identify even with the kind help of the Museum of the Netherlands):

The spectacular Taenaris catops, a member of Oriental/Australasian Amathusiidae family on Batanta Island, West Papua (photo by Robert Vanyi)

 Mycalesis sp., Batanta Island, West Papua

Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus, Kali Batu Putih, Halmahera - a widely distributed world butterfly

Hypolycaena phorbas, female, Batanta Island, West Papua

Skipper Hesperiidae sp., Batanta Island, West Papua (apparently only identifiable to species by examination of its genitals)

Thanks to Rob de Vos of the Museum of the Netherlands for help with identifying, believe it or not, the Long-tailed Blue!

Mike Watson, Clitheroe