♂, Ranong, Thailand.		♀, Ranong, Thailand.
♂, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.		♀, Ranong, Thailand.
♀, Satun (Koh Tarutao), Thailand.		♀, Yala (Than To dist.), Thailand.

ON : Hesperia democritus Fabricius, 1793 OD : Ent. syst. 3(1):285. TL : 'India orientali' [Phuket] (ZMUC) Distribution : P.Thailand (Ranong to Satun), Langkawi, W.Malaysia (North). ● ssp.democritus ● uncertain ● ssp.albopunctata ● transition zone of democritus and lycaenaria

democritus ; Lectotype ♂, 'in India Orientali' [Phuket], det by Gaonkar & Vane-Wright,2003. (ZMUC)

[ THAILAND ]
Arhopala albopunctata ; Pendlebury,1923 : 45. (Nakhon Sri Thammarat: Khao Ram; Khao Luang)
Amblypodia albopunctata ; Godfrey,1930 : 331. (Takuapa: Nang Yaawn; Ranong: Kapor) (in part)
Amblypodia albopunctata ; Godfrey,1932a : 272. (P)
Narathura democritus democritus ; Evans,1957 : 105. (P) (in part)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; Pinratana,1981 : 84, pl.14, fig.1,♂(Un). (Nakhon Sri Thammarat; Phuket; Ranong; Trang) (in part)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; Seki,1986 : 14, figs.14,♂,15,♂(Un). (Ranong)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 618, pl.279, figs.L227a♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Khao Phanom Benecha; Trang; Ranong)
Arhopala democritus lycaenaria ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 618, pl.280, figs.227b♂,♀,♀(Un). (Yala)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; Les Day,2011-2022 : Samui Butterflies, fig.[♂](Un). (Koh Samui) (accessed: 2022.08.01)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 650, pl.295, figs.L252a♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Khao Phanombencha; Trang; Ranong)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 65, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Kapar WF; Ranong Hot Spring; Kam Puan; Khlong Naka; Ka Chong; Thaleban)
Arhopala democritus lycaenaria ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 65, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Than To WF.)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2015- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Ranong; Surat Thani) (in part) (accessed: 2023.07.05)
Arhopala democritus democritus ; Küppers & Janikorn,2020 : 183-184, figs.Abb.L-283-286, [as Arhopala democritus lycaenaria]. (Phang Nga)

[ THAILAND ]
Ranong : 6♂ 5♀.

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Dec

Phang-nga : 2♂.

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Nakhon Si Thammarat : 1♂.

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Satun (incl.Koh Tarutao) : 1♂ 3♀ (incl. photo by A.Giudici).

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Yala (Than To dist.) : 1♀.

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The butterfly is locally common in montane forests at low elevations (Alt. 10 - 350m).
Specimens from Chiang Mai, N.Thailand and Laos have a lighter and bluer ground colour on the upperside. I tentatively treat the continental population as ssp.albopunctata, although the taxon albopunctata is conventionally treated as a synonym of democritus.
Kimura et al.,2014 treated the specimens from Than To, Yala as ssp.lycaenaria, but the markings on the underside of both wings are the same as ssp.democritus. In the southernmost part of Thailand, the population close to the nominotypical subspecies is found in Than To dist., in Yala, and the populations close to ssp.lycaenaria have been found in Betong dist. in Yala and Narathiwat. However, both populations are different from the true respective taxa. I think they are transitional forms between ssp.democritus and ssp.lycaenaria. The effects of the transition between the two subspecies may be apparent. Eliot (1978:291; 1992:281) mentioned the possibility that these two taxa could be separate species. Further taxonomic and distributional studies, including DNA analysis, are needed.

Fabricius, J.C.,1793 : Entomologia systematica emedata et aucta. secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, adjectis synonymis, locis, observationibus, descriptionibus.
3(1): [iv] + 488 pp. Copenhagen. C.G.Proft.

Corbet, A.S.,1941 : A key to the Indo-Malayan species of Arhopala Boisduval (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Proc. R. ent. Soc. Lond. (B)10(9):149-183, figs.1-114.

Evans, W.H.,1957 : A Revision of the Arhopala Group of Oriental Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera).
Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Ent.) 5(3):85-141.

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

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

Vane-Wright, R.I. & Gaonkar, H.,2006 : The Arhopala butterflies described by Fabricius: A. centaurus is from Java, A. democritus from Phuket (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Entomological Science (2006)9:295-311.

♂, Satun, Thailand. (photo by A.Giudici)

1999.07.18 - 2023.07.31.