Tarucus waterstradti dharta

Tarucus waterstradti dharta Bethune-Baker, [1918]


♂ (Ex. Pupa), Chiang Mai, Thailand.		♀, 1986.03.13. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

♂ (Ex. Pupa), Chiang Mai, Thailand.		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

♀ (bred), Chiang Mai, Thailand.		♀ (bred), Chiang Mai, Thailand.

ON : Tarucus dharta Bethune-Baker, [1918]
OD : Trans. ent. Soc. Lond. 65(2-4):291-292, pl.14, fig.15,♂,
pl.17, fig.14(♂,genitalia).
TL : Darjeeling, Sikkim. (♂, NHML)

Distribution : Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, N.W.Myanmar, N.Thailand.

	● ssp.dharta
	● ssp.vileja

Type Materials Information

Lectotype ♂, 'Sikkim' [Darjeeling]. designated by K.Kunte & B.Huertas (NHML)
Paralectotype ♀, Darjeeling, India. designated by K.Kunte & B.Huertas (NHML)

Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Tarucus waterstradti dharta ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 556, pl.252, figs.L65,♀,♀(Un). (Doi Suthep)
Tarucus waterstradti dharta ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 572, pl.259, figs.L89,♀,♀(Un). (Doi Suthep)
Tarucus waterstradti dharta ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 180. (by literature)

Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Chiang Mai : 5♂ 8♀ (incl. photo by D.Sargeant).
Chiang Mai Dist., 1986.03.13. 1♀ Y.Inayoshi (YI)

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

Notes

Only one record of the species was known from Thailand (1♀, 13.Mar.1986, Chiang Mai Dist., Y.Inayoshi) for 36 years. It was rediscovered by Dave Sargeant in 2022 and Y.Inayoshi found early stages in 2023 in several districts of Chiang Mai province. The butterfly is rare in montane forests at moderate elevations (Alt. 700 - 1200m) and is only found around its host plant.
The larval host plant is Ziziphus sp., and both larvae and pupae are similar to Tarucus ananda. Myrmecophilous associations were observed with 'Crematogaster' sp. ants at both larval and pupal stages. Pupae were found near and inside of ant nests. Further taxonomic and distributional studies are needed.

Literature

Bethune-Baker, G.T.,[1918] : A revision of the genus Tarucus.
Trans. ent. Soc. Lond. 65(2-4):269-296, 7 pls.

Seki, Y., Takanami, Y. & Otsuka, K.,1991 : Butterflies of Borneo. Vol.2, No.1. Lycaenidae.
Tobishima Corporation.

Basu, D.N., Churi, P., Soman, A., Senguptra, A., Bhakare, M., Lokhande, S., Bhoite, S., Huertas, B. & Kunte, K.,2019 :
The genus Tarucus Moore, [1881] (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in the Indian subcontinent
Trop. lepid. res. 29(2):87-110.


♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂+♀ (mating), Chiang Mai, Thailand. (photo by D.Sargeant)

Pupa, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Pupae in an ant's nest, Chiang Mai, Thailand.	Larva with ants, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

♂ (Ex. Pupa), Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♀ (Ex. Pupa), Chiang Mai, Thailand.

1999.06.24 - 2023.04.30.