Ace

Hesperiidae; Hesperiinae; Halpe purpurascens De Jong & Treadaway, 1993. This little butterfly is known by its Common Name "Ace", which it shares with all members of the Genus Halpe. The Halpe spp. in the Philippines are: H. luteisquama, H. mahapara, H. palawea, H. purpurascens, H. sulphurifera and H. toxopea. There is only one ssp., H. dante luzona. Of course, when it comes identification, they all have many similarities and some differences, but there is one common characteristic which helps me to spot them fairly quickly. They all have bright rings on their abdomens (I think one for every segment). If I can't see them in dorsal view, when the wings are closed, I just step to the side and see them in lateral view. If the wings are open, I can usually see them in the dorsal and lateral views. There are some other genera with rings, but they don't seem to stand out so well as those of Halpe spp. So, I have come to recognise the Halpe pretty well.