♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂, Kanchanaburi, Thailand.		♂, Lam Dong, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.		♂, Lao Cai, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)
♂ (ab.), Chiang Mai, Thailand.		Niphanda marcia ♂ Original fig. in Fawcett,1904

ON : Niphanda tessellata Moore, 1875 OD : Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1874(4):572, pl.66, fig.6,♀. TL : Penang, [W.Malaysia]. Distribution : Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Hainan, W.Malaysia.

Lycaenesthes aethiops Distant, 1886 : Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (5)17:253-254. TL. Penang, [W.Malaysia].
Lycaena marcia Fawcett, 1904 : Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1904 2(1):139, pl.9, fig.7,♂. TL. Tounghoo, "Burma" [Myanmar]. (nom. dub.)

[ THAILAND ]
Niphanda cymbia tessellata ; Davidson & Macbeth,1938 : 79. (Lampang: Me Htam forest)
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; Pinratana,1981 : 69, pl.35, fig.23♂(Un). (Chiang Mai)
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 588, pl.266, fig.L156,♂(Laos),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pui)
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 612, pl.277, figs.L179,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pui)
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 154, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀. (Mae Hong Song; Doi Suthep)
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2023- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Yala) (accessed: 2023.05.07)

[ LAOS ]
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 216, pl.112, fig.♂(Un). (Xiang Khouang)
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 52.

[ VIETNAM ]
Niphanda tessellata tessellata ; Monastyrskii & Devyatkin,2015 : 54. (N: Lao Cai)

[ THAILAND ]
Mae Hong Son : 1♀.

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Chiang Mai : 6♂ 3♀.

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Lampang : 1♀ (photo).

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Tak : 1♀.

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Kanchanaburi : 3♂.

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Yala : 1♀ (photo by S.Atdhabhan).

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[ VIETNAM ]
Lao Cai : 1♂.

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Ha Giang : 1♂.

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Lam Dong : 1♀.

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The butterfly is locally not rare in montane forests at moderate elevations (Alt. 700 - 1300m). Both sexes visit flowers. Male makes a territory on the trees at hilltops. This species differs from Niphanda asialis in its habits in that the males do not come to suck water.
The taxon marcia is a very strange individual according to the figure in the original description. It has a narrow marginal black band on the UpF as tessellata but the shape of both wings are rounded as asialis. As Eliot (1981) mentioned, marcia was first considered a subspecies of asialis and then tessellata. And he thought it should be treated as a nomen dubium. Some specimens in this region seem to be slightly similar to marcia.
The male aberration shown above has a broad marginal black band on the UpF, but is considered to be tessellata by characteristics, such as very large in size, shape of the wings and blue scales completely filled in space 6 on the UpH.
The population from the continental area seems to be slightly different from that of W. Malaysia. I tentatively treat it as the nominotypical subspecies, but further taxonomic study is needed.

Moore, F.,1875 : Descriptions of New Asiatic Lepidoptera.
Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1874(4):565-579, pls.66,67.

Distant, W.L.,1886 : Contributions to a Knowledge of Malayan Entomology. Part IV.
Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (5)17:251-254.

Fawcett, J.M.,1904 : On some New and Little-known Butterflies, mainly from high elevations in the N.E. Himalayas.
Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1904(2)(1):134-141, pl.9.

Eliot, J.N.,1981 : On some butterfies from Malaysia and Peninsular Thailand.
Malay. nat. J. 38(2):99-111.

♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♀, Lampang, Thailand.
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♀, Yala, Thailand. (photo by S.Atdhabhan)
♀, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
♀ (laying egg), Mae Hong Son, Thailand.	♂ (territorial behavior), Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

1999.07.11 - 2023.06.30.