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Zebra Blue


Zebra Blue
Photo Information
Copyright: Ram Thakur (ramthakur) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3027 W: 114 N: 8096] (26185)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-05-04
Categories: Insects
Camera: Nikon D200, Sigma EX 105mm F2.8 DG Macro, 58mm UV
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/200 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Butterflies of Asia [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-05-05 1:29
Viewed: 534
Points: 50
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Friends, there were two of these tiny Zebra Blue butterflies when I was finally able to locate them after the little fluttering movement one of them made when I walked past them unintentionally yesterday morning in the garden.
They are so small you would normally miss them unless they make a quick movement.
One of them was on a leaf and the other on the lawn grass but perched on a small dry leaf. I sat down on the grass and tried taking macro shots, first with my 70-300mm and then with 105mm. All the shots except a couple of them turned lousy.
This one I shot using fill flash. Hope you find it of some interest.
It took me patient research of nearly one hour to be certain about the ID of this little creature which can easily be mistaken for other tiny Blues.
Here is the note from Wikipedia. The technical jargon is a bit heavy but many of you wouldn't mind going through it:

Zebra Blue
Tarucus plinius

The Zebra Blue (Tarucus plinius) is a species of blue butterfly found in India. The butterfly is also called Leptotes plinius.

Description

This form closely resembles Tarucus theophrastus in both sexes on the upperside but the character and disposition of the markings on the underside are completely different. Male Upperside: dark violet with, in certain lights, a rich blue suffusion. Fore wing: no discocellular black spot so conspicuous in T. theophrastus; terminal margin with a narrow edging of fuscous black, widest at the apex, gradually decreasing to the tornus, followed by an inconspicuous anticiliary jet-black line.
Hind wing : costal margin slightly but broadly shaded with fuscous, which is continued as a slender anticiliary black line to the tornus.
Underside: white. Fore wing: with the following brownish-black markings:—an irregular edging along the costa to near the apex from which extends downwards a sub-basal band, broadened across the cell and below it; an irregular band that extends along the discocellulars and below them to interspace 1 where it ends in a point; an upper discal curved band of more even width but dislocated below vein 4, the lower portion of it shifted inwards forms a large quadrate spot in interspace 3, below vein 3 the band is continued downwards by two small inconspicuous spots, beyond this is a very short acutely-pointed comma-shaped mark; a very regular evenly curved complete transverse lunular line, a transverse series of subterminal spots and an anticiliary slender line. Close to the base of the wing extended obliquely upwards and outwards from the dorsum is a triangular mark, the edging of white colour left near the base forms above the apex of this mark an acute angle; between the band that crosses the middle of the cell and the transverse discocellular band is a more or less slender, irregular, similarly-coloured line; and between the discocellular and upper discal bands another much shorter line that extends from the costa downwards but does not reach vein 4, this is slightly clavate anteriorly and posteriorly. Hind wing: mottled with brownish black that leaves only basal, sub-basal, medial and discal transverse lines or bands of the ground-colour; the medial and discal bands, which are highly irregular, enclose here and there small brownish markings, the bands themselves coalescing above a very irregularly shaped brown mark that is placed on the posterior half of the middle of the wing; terminal markings as on the fore wing but the subterminal spots larger, the apical one especially so, the tornal two spots jet-black and each encircled by a glittering slender ring of metallic green scales. Cilia of both fore and hind wings, the antennae, head, thorax and abdomen much as in T. theophrastus.
Female
Upperside very closely resembles that of female T. theophrastus, but the extent of white on the fore wing is greater so that there is a greater area of white to be seen between the brown markings superposed on it, these markings have the appearance of an irregularly formed V on a white background. Hind wing much as in T. theophrastus. Underside: similar to that of its own male but the brown bands less broken, more regular. Cilia, antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male.
Ethiopian region in part. N.W. Himalayas to Kumaon; the plains of Northern India; Central and Western India; Sri Lanka; Assam ; Myanmar; Tenasserim in the low hot valleys of the north; extending to China and in the Malayan Subregion to Java.
The description given above is taken from males and females of wet-season broods. Specimens of the dry-season broods are paler on the upperside with, in the male only anticiliary black lines to the wings. On the underside the markings on the wings will, on careful examination, be found very similar but paler brown and all very much reduced in width so that a greater extent of the white ground-colour is visible.

TFL
maurydv, gracious, cicindela, haraprasan, Heaven, eng55, eqshannon, Juyona, NinaM, rcrick, smitha, anel, gannu, albert has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To smitha: Thanksramthakur 2 05-07 01:44
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Critiques [Translate]

Bellissima composizione macro, ottimi POV e DOF, molto buona la nitidezza e belli i colori, forse eccessiva l'influenza del flash con l'ombra della farfalla abbastanza evidente. Grazie e Complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

Hello Sir,
My compliment for this fine and beautiful macro on the Zebra Blue!
the image is so sharp with such a small butterfly in total sharpness, good colour and superb details in the shot
many thanks for the sharing
my best regards
from NZ, Tony

Hello Ram!
This time I will start from the note: it is really long and informative! Bravo! :) And of course the picture is really nice and insect very beautiful. I especially like its pose (on the edge of leaf!) and natural light and colours! :)
All the best and TFS!
Yours,
Radomir

Hi Mr. Ram,
A lovely capture of this beautiful zebra blue butterfly. Sharp details and excellent composition. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Sincerely
HP

Hello Ram,

Very good presentation of this small blue. Excellent POV, DOF and sharpness. Very nice light and colours.
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 474 W: 3 N: 474] (1475)
  • [2008-05-05 4:36]

Hi Ram,
Beautiful capture of this butterfly.DOF and details are perfect.Thanks for posting!

Hi Ram!

You present us a beautiful butterfly picture. According your very interesting and instructive notes, it is very small and certainly not easy to photograph. But you managed it well and put the butterfly very well on stage. Your picture also gives us an impression of how small it is.

Kind regards

Markus

hello sir,
nice to see this capture of zebra blue, this one is really very small, i remember shooting this cute little butterfly which i posted sometime back,
well done,
tfs & regards
pankaj

What an unusual pattern. It is as if the Creator had just a dab of different colours and added a small spot...you know Native Americans..especially Navajos, purposely leave a small off colour hidden in the rugs..to show that they are imperfect in the sight of the Great Father....there is some analogous feeling about this and that....
Bob

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1811 W: 29 N: 5243] (17176)
  • [2008-05-05 8:38]

Hi Ram,
Outstanding shot of this tiny and beautiful Zebra Blue. Lovely colours and markings on its wings and the bright sunlight has given perfect illumination. I like the way it sits on the edge of that leaf. Excellent DOF, POV and composition. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1107 W: 6 N: 3062] (11322)
  • [2008-05-05 8:39]

Hi Ram,what a very intersting specie,perfectly taken,excellent colours and sharpenss..i like a lot the background too,thanks for share,Luciano

Bonsoir Ram
Magnifique...
Je suis heureux de voir ce papillon aussi bien photographié. Car sur mes photos il est toujours flou.
Merci et Bravo
Laurent

Yet another masterpiece, Sir.Very fine details of the subject on display...The BG is very nice and clean as well..(I wish I could get that right)
Cheers!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1883 W: 245 N: 6168] (21966)
  • [2008-05-05 11:06]

What a fantastic shot, Ram!
This little butterfly is beautiful!
Sharp and crisp with lots of detail.
The composition is great!
Nice light and lovely colours.
Very fine macro work my friend!
Well done,

Joe

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2582 W: 170 N: 7867] (24879)
  • [2008-05-05 11:52]

Hello Ram,
This little butterfly is such a beauty and I love the way you've captured it at the tip of the leaf. Great sharpness showing the beautiful wing pattern and fine colours. A very fine composition!
Many thanks and regards, Ulla

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2108 W: 6 N: 2116] (13589)
  • [2008-05-05 12:27]

Hola Ram,
interesante macro,
buena iluminación. colores y pov...
saludos

  • Great 
  • NinaM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 654 W: 0 N: 1623] (5300)
  • [2008-05-05 14:50]

Hello Ram, it is amazing to see such small creatures be so beautiful. I have once read about the beauty of nature, the "free" beauty that you can find even in water so deep that no human eyes will ever see and contemplate it. It is totally "free" in both senses of the word. This butterfly really looks tiny yet it is stunningly beautiful. I love the blue hair on the body, the superb antlers, striped. You managed to catch it with clarity and bright colours at that scale, congratulations!

Francine

  • Great 
  • rcrick Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 648 W: 42 N: 1198] (3860)
  • [2008-05-05 15:17]

Hi Ram,

Just a stunning shot of this little Zebra Blue butterfly, the detail and the clarity is just amazing, beautiful colours, well framed and composed, lovely work my friend.

Cheers Rick :)

  • Great 
  • chiliu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1552 W: 0 N: 1169] (6448)
  • [2008-05-05 23:28]

Hi Ram,
Very nice capture of this beautiful zebra blue butterfly, great composition with nice POV, good light and excellent detail.
Chi

Hello Ram,
Not one fake eye, but two..!
Interesting defencive pattern, good point of view and the subject stands out well on the background...
Pleasant composition, the diagonals add dynamics!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Hello Sir,
This is an excellent capture of the tiny Zebra Blue butterfly.Good focus,
sharpness and details.The POV helps us to see those intricate patterns n its wings very well. good use of fill in flash.
Thanks for the share,
Smitha.

Hi Ram, fantasttic butterfly with splendid design on wings, fine details and excellent sharpness, perfect focus and wonderful colors, very well done, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1241 W: 0 N: 2229] (9388)
  • [2008-05-06 10:27]

hello Ram,
I missed this cute little Zebra Blue. Very nice composition with some space in front of the butterfly and good light on the insect. I guess we have to go to India to see this little beauty.
Best regards
Anne

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 996 W: 4 N: 2570] (11874)
  • [2008-05-06 22:19]

Ram Sir,
I got this alert very late and hence late critique. Whenever I see this butterfly my hands automatically move towards the camera even though I might have done it 100times before. Hope you had the same urge. You always produce a nice one and compose it superb. Ganesh

Hello Ram
Interesting shot of this "micro" Zebra Blue
Well done
Albert

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