Neptis namba namba  Tytler, 1915

Neptis namba namba ♂ Up. Neptis namba namba ♂ Un. Neptis namba namba ♂ Up. Neptis namba namba ♂ Un.
♂, Vinh Phuc, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito) ♂, Ha Giang, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)
Neptis namba namba ♂ Up. Neptis namba namba ♂ Un. Neptis namba namba ♀ Up. Neptis namba namba ♀ Un.
♂, Phetchabun, Thailand. ♀, Chaiyaphum, Thailand.

ON : Neptis namba Tytler, 1915
OD : J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 23:510, pl.3, fig.20,♂.
TL : Naga Hills. (♂♀, NHML)
Distribution : Sikkim to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos,
Vietnam, Yunnan.
Neptis namba namba Map

Synonyms

Neptis ananta learmondi Tytler, 1940 : J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 42:118. partim ♀ nec ♂. (♀, Allotype NHML)
Neptis lucida Lee, 1962 : Acta ent. Sinica 11(2):140,145, pl.3, figs.15.♂,16.♂(Un). TL. Yunnan.


Type Material Information

namba : ♂, Type (red), #1034762, no loc. (NHML, photo examined)


Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Neptis namba namba ; Kimura,1994 : 18-19, figs.11,♂,12,♂(Un). (Chaiyaphum: Phu Khiewo)
Neptis namba namba ; Pinratana & Eliot,1996 : 52, pl.32, figs.82,♂,♂(Un). (Chaiyaphum)
Neptis namba namba ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2015- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Phetchabun; Chaiyaphum) (accessed: 2023.06.13)
Neptis namba namba ; Kimura et al.,2016 : 82, figs.♂,♂(Un). (Chiang Dao; Phu Khiewo)

[ LAOS ]
Neptis namba namba ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 206, pl.56, figs.♂,♂(Un) (Xam Neua; Vang Vieng)
Neptis namba namba ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 45.
Neptis namba namba ; Onodera,2022 : 36, pl.112, figs.♂,♂(Un). (Bolikhamxai: Thabok)

[ VIETNAM ]
Neptis namba namba ; Eliot,1969 : 100. (Tonkin)
Neptis namba ; Monastyrskii et al.,2006 : 41. (Thua Thien Hue: A Luoi)
Neptis namba namba ; Yokochi et al.,2015 : 40. (Khanh Hoa: Hon Ba)
Neptis namba ; Monastyrskii & Devyatkin,2015 : 37. (N / C)
Neptis namba ; Monastyrskii,2019 : 4(2):78, pl.48, figs.3a♂,3b♂(Un). (N: Tam Dao; Ba Vi / C: Huong Son; Vu Quang; Bach Ma; A Luoi; Ngoc Linh; Hon Ba)


Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Chiang Mai : 2♂ 1♀ (photo and photo by RIEB).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Phetchabun : 5♂ (incl. photo & photo by A.Giudici).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Chaiyaphum : 6♂ 2♀ (incl. photo & photo by A.Giudici).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


[ LAOS ]
Bolikhamxai : 1♂ (photo by H.Onodera).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


[ VIETNAM ]
Ha Giang : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Vinh Phuc : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


Notes

This is localized species but is not rare in their habitats. The butterfly is found in montane forests at moderate elevations (Alt. 700 - 1400m).
In some examples from C.Thailand, the orange marking of the UpF is rather broader, however it is variable.
Kimura et al.,2016 recorded it from 'Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai', but I thought this might be an incorrect locality. However, I have recently found what I believe to be this species in another district of Chiang Mai province. Although no specimens could be obtained and only photos in nature are available, it is most likely to be this taxon. Further distributional research is needed.

The difference between ananta and namba.
Neptis ananta ♂ Un. Neptis namba ♂ Un.
ananta ♂(Un) namba ♂(Un)
Neptis ananta ♂ Un. Neptis namba ♂ Un.
ananta ♂(Un) namba ♂(Un)

♂ underside / Species ananta namba
Cilia obscure clearly chequered with white
FW, base of space 1b covered with brownish scales without these scales


Literature

Tytler, H.,1915 : Notes on Some New and Interesting Butterflies from Manipur and the Naga Hills. Part.2.
J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 23:502-515, 3 pls.

Tytler, H.,1940 : Notes on Some New and Interesting Butterflies chiefly from Burma. Part.2.
J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 42:109-123.

Lee, C.L.,1962 : Some new species of Rhopalocera in China, II.
Acta ent. Sinica 11(2):139-158.

Lang, S.Y.,2009 : A Study on the systematics of Nymphalidae (excepting Satyrinae) from China (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea)
Beijing, P.R.China.

Lang, S.Y.,2012 : The Nymphalidae of China (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera) Part 1
Libytheinae, Danainae, Calinaginae, Morphinae, Heliconiinae, Nymphalinae, Charaxinae, Apaturinae, Cyrestinae, Biblidinae, Limenitinae
456 pp, 32 col. + 41 black&white pls. Tshikolovets Publications, Pardubice.


Neptis namba namba ♂ Neptis namba namba ♀
♂, Phetchabun, Thailand. ♀, Chaiyaphum, Thailand. (photo by A.Giudici)
Neptis namba namba ♂ Neptis namba namba ♂
♂, Phetchabun, Thailand. ♂, Phetchabun, Thailand. (photo by A.Giudici)
Neptis namba namba ♂ Neptis namba namba ♂
♂, Chaiyaphum, Thailand. ♂, Phetchabun, Thailand.
Neptis namba namba ♀
♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2006.02.20 - 2023.06.30.

A Check list of Butterflies in Indo-China, Chiefly from THAILAND, LAOS & VIETNAM. Copyright © 1996- Y.Inayoshi.