Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 20, 2013 7:08:28 GMT -8
Sorry folks, I don't have any here 
Today I asked a Thai butterfly collector friend about this elusive butterfly. He said the last one (of 3) he caught himself was about 30 years ago at Huey Gaew Waterfall, near the foot of Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai (altitude less than 500m). Before then it was caught every so often at this locality, but he hasn't heard of any recent sightings.
Recently it was apparently photographed at Thabok, C Laos (altitude 300m), and my friend said that this species was always rare, and found in low altitude forest, not higher than about 1,000m.
It seems the information in Ek-Amnuay [2007], Butterflies of Thailand may be incorrect, at least in the record for Doi Pa Hom Pok, as my friend never heard of it from there, and that is a high altitude locality. He said it is possible that D. agoranis may be in the lower area around Doi Phu Kha (Nan Province), but unlikely up on the mountain itself, as that is 1700+m high.
My friend thinks it is probably very local or extinct in Thailand now, as much of the lowland forest habitat is gone, but it is probably still present in Laos and Burma.
Hopefully this is of interest to all the Delias enthusiasts here.
Adam.
Today I asked a Thai butterfly collector friend about this elusive butterfly. He said the last one (of 3) he caught himself was about 30 years ago at Huey Gaew Waterfall, near the foot of Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai (altitude less than 500m). Before then it was caught every so often at this locality, but he hasn't heard of any recent sightings.
Recently it was apparently photographed at Thabok, C Laos (altitude 300m), and my friend said that this species was always rare, and found in low altitude forest, not higher than about 1,000m.
It seems the information in Ek-Amnuay [2007], Butterflies of Thailand may be incorrect, at least in the record for Doi Pa Hom Pok, as my friend never heard of it from there, and that is a high altitude locality. He said it is possible that D. agoranis may be in the lower area around Doi Phu Kha (Nan Province), but unlikely up on the mountain itself, as that is 1700+m high.
My friend thinks it is probably very local or extinct in Thailand now, as much of the lowland forest habitat is gone, but it is probably still present in Laos and Burma.
Hopefully this is of interest to all the Delias enthusiasts here.
Adam.
