Euploea core graminifera

Euploea core graminifera (Moore, 1883)


♂, Satun, Thailand.		♀ (Intermediate form with f.layardi), Satun, Thailand.

♂, Satun, Thailand.		♀(Intermediate form with f.layardi), Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

♂ genitalia, Satun, Thailand.

Specimens (except typical godartii) from transition zone of ssp.godartii and ssp.graminifera

♂, Surat Thani (Koh Phangan), Thailand.		♀ (f.layardi), Surat Thani (Koh Phangan), Thailand.

♂, Ranong, Thailand.		♀, Ranong, Thailand.

♂, Surat Thani (Koh Tao), Thailand. (photo by P.Kosierb)		♂ (f.layardi), Surat Thani (Koh Phangan), Thailand.

♂ (f.layardi), Surat Thani (Koh Phangan), Thailand.		♂ (f.layardi), Ranong, Thailand.

ON : Crastia graminifera Moore, 1883
OD : Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1883(3):277-278.
TL : Malay Pen. (NHML)

Distribution : P.Thailand (Chumphon and Southward),
Langkawi, W.Malaysia (Kedah).

	● ssp.godartii
	● transition zone of godartii and amymone
	● transition zone of godartii and graminifera
	● ssp.graminifera

Synonym

Euploea distantii wheeleri Talbot, 1940 : Ent. mon. Mag. 76:247. TL. Jalor, Biserat, Siamese Malay States.

Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Euploea core circuita ; Godfrey,1930 : 238. (Chunphon: Paknam Langsuan)
Euploea core wheeleri ; Morishita,1977 : 231 pl.12, figs.♂(Phuket),♀(Phuket). (P)
Euploea core wheeleri ; Pinratana,1977 : 81, figs.D24a♂,♀. (P)
Euploea core graminifera ; Pinratana & Eliot,1992 : 66,73, pl.81, fig.24c♂. (no data)
Euploae core graminifera ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 202, pl.73, figs.D24b♂,♀. (Ranong)
Euploea core godartii ; Les Day,2011-2022 : Samui Butterflies, figs.♂[♀],♂[♀](Un). (Koh Samui) (accessed: 2023.03.12)
Euploae core godartii ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 202. (Phuket) (in part)
Euploae core graminifera ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 200, pl.73, figs.N23b♂,♀. (Ranong)
Euploae orontobates ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 204, pl.74, figs.N25,♂(Nakhion Si Thammarat). (Nakhon Si Thammarat) (in part)
Euploae core graminifera ; Kimura et al.,2016 : 36, figs.♂,♂(Un),♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Ka Chong)
Euploae core graminifera ; Küppers & Janikorn,2017 : 235, figs.Abb.Da-131-132. (Phang Nga) (in part)

Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Ranong : 2♂ 1♀.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Surat Thani (Koh Tao ; Koh Phangan) : 8♂ 2♀ (incl. photo by P.Kosierb).

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Nakhon Si Thammarat : 1♂ 1♀ (incl. photo by THNHM).

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Satun : 4♂ 1♀.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Notes

The butterfly is common in secondary and montane forests at low elevations (Alt. 10 - 150m). Both sexes visit flowers.
The markings of this taxon are rather variable. In general, the androconial brand on the UpF is smaller and more obscure than that of other taxa.
Both ssp.godartii, ssp.graminifera and these intermediate individuals are sympatric in the area of Chumphon and the islands of Surat Thani (Koh Tao, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan). This seems to be the transition zone between ssp.godartii and ssp.graminifera. The individuals with graminifera-like markings in this area have a much larger and more prominent androconial brand on the UpF as in godartii. Although the markings are very similar, this could be different from taxon graminifera. Moreover, the form layardi and its intermediate forms are found throughout the region. The subspecies divisions in the illustrated distribution map are provisional. Further taxonomic and distributional studies,including DNA analysis, are needed.
This species is indistinguishable from several similar species by the UnH markings. The androconial brand on the UnF and the UpF markings must be examined.

Literature

Moore, F.,1883 :
A Monograph of Limnaina and Euploeina, two Groups of Diurnal Lepidoptera belonging to the Subfamily Euploeinae;
with descriptions of new genera and species. Part II. Euploeina.
Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1883(3):253-324, pls.29-32.

Talbot, G.,1940 : Some new Forms of the Genus Euploea Fabr. (Lep., Danaidae)
Ent. mon. Mag. 76:247-248.

Morishita, K.,1977 : The genus Euploea in the Orient (Lepidoptera: Danaidae).
Acta Rhopalocerologica (2):1-60, 35 pls., Fukuoka. (in Japanese)

Eliot, J.N.,1978 : In Corbet & Pendlebury, The Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula, edn. 3.
Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. 578pp, 35 pls.

Eliot, J.N.,1992 : In Corbet & Pendlebury, The Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula, edn. 4.
Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. 595pp, 69 pls.


♂, Surat Thani (Koh Phangan), Thailand. (photo by A.Giudici)	♂, Surat Thani (Koh Phangan), Thailand.

1998.11.15 - 2024.05.31.