190. Badamia exclamationis (The Brown Awl)

Number:190

Family: Hesperiidae
Sub-Family: Coeliadinae

Species: Badamia exclamationis Fabricius, 1775

Common name(s): The Brown Awl, The Narrow-winged Awl

Photography location: Xuan Son N.P. (Phu Tho Prov.)

Only two species make up this genus, one restricted to a number of Pacific islands, the other very  widely distributed, from Pakistan to the Pacific islands and SE Australia.

Badamia exclamationis is readily distinguished from other awls by the elongate fore wing and shape of the hind wing which has a recurve along the margin near the tornus.

UpF dark brown with three pale yellow central spots. UpH with a dark-brown tornal patch and a pale yellow subtornal spot. Underside of both wings grey-brown. The large abdomen is characterized by black and yellow banding.

The range extends from India, China and the Philippines, through Indonesia to mainland New Guinea and adjacent islands, northern and eastern Australia, the Salomon Islands, New Caledonia and Fiji. Badamia exclamationis is known to migrate in vast flights. Locally the species can be so numerous that its food plants (Terminalia) are completely defoliated (Common and Waterhouse, 1981).

This crepuscular Hesperid flies actively early in the morning and late in the evening, whereas it usually pitches under a leaf and is loath to move during the daytime. Hopefully, one day, I will get a better shot.

139. Hasora badra badra (The Common Awl)

Number: 139

Family: Hesperiidae

Sub-Family : Coeliadiinae

Species: Hasora badra badra (Moore, 1857)

Common name(s): The Common Awl

Photography location: Hanoi City

Female Hasora badra resting on the underside of a leaf (Hanoi, April 2015)
In both sexes, HW with a white spot at end-cell and a long subtornal white spot
FW of female with yellowish spots in cell, in spaces 2 and 3, and small subapical spots in spaces 6-8 (FW of male unspotted)

Photos captured with a 400mm lens during a birding stroll (no macro lens in the bag...). I had to step back 4-5 meters, which explain the low image quality...

13. Choaspes benjaminii formosanus (The Indian Awlking)

Number: 13

Family: Hesperiidae
Sub-Family : Coeliadiinae

Species: Choaspes benjaminii formosanus (Fruhstorfer, 1911)

Common name(s): The Indian Awlking

Photography location: Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc Prov.)

According to Monastyrskii & Devyatkin (2016), 5 Choaspes species have been recorded in Vietnam - stigmatus, benjaminii, subcaudatus, furcatus and xanthopogon.

Like other Choaspes species, C. benjaminii is found in primary and advanced secondary forests. It is attracted to flowers and animal and bird droppings. It frequents the shade in the daytime but is found flying in the open during the early and late hours of the day. Not often encountered, even though it is probably not uncommon.

What a cracking little chap !