Athyma opalina shan  (Tytler, 1940)

Athyma opalina shan ♂ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♂ Un. Athyma opalina shan ♀ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♀ Un.
♂ (dsf), Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Athyma opalina shan ♂ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♂ Un. Athyma opalina shan ♀ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♀ Un.
♂, Loei, Thailand. ♀, Phetchabun, Thailand.
Athyma opalina shan ♂ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♂ Un. Athyma opalina shan ♀ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♀ Un.
♂ (dsf), Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♀ (dsf), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Athyma opalina shan ♂ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♂ Un. Athyma opalina shan ♂ Up. Athyma opalina shan ♂ Un.
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Athyma opalina opalina ♂ Up. Athyma opalina opalina ♂ Un. Athyma opalina opalina ♀ Up. Athyma opalina opalina ♀ Un.
♂, Houaphan, Laos. (photo by K.Saito) ♀, Houaphan, Laos. (photo by K.Saito)

ON : Pantoporia opalina shan Tytler, 1940
OD : J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 42:117.
TL : Maymyo, Burma.
Distribution : Myanmar (Shan States), Thailand,
Laos, N.Vietnam.
● ssp.shan
ssp.parajina
Athyma opalina shan Map

Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Athyma opalina orientalis ; Godfrey,1927 : 124. (N)
Athyma opalina orientalis ; Godfrey,1930 : 285. (Chiang Mai)
Athyma opalina shan ; Pinratana,1979 : 57, figs.N102,♂,♂(Un). (Chiang Mai; Loei; Chaiyaphum; Chanthaburi)
Athyma opalina shan ; Pinratana & Eliot,1996 : 59, pl.38, figs.104,♂,♂(Un). (Chiang Mai; Loei; Chaiyaphum; Chanthaburi)
Athyma opalina opalina ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 404, pl.176, figs.N108,♂,♂(Un). (Chiang Dao)
Athyma opalina shan ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 414, pl.180, figs.N108,♂,♂(Un) as opalina opalina. (Chiang Dao)
Athyma opalina shan ; Kimura et al.,2016 : 87, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Ankhaan; Doi Suthep; Khun Lao Villege)
Athyma opalina shan ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2022- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Chiang Mai; Phetchabun) (accessed: 2023.03.10)

[ LAOS ]
Athyma opalina opalina ; Masui & Uehara,1994 : 5, figs.21,♂,♂(Un),22,♀,♀(Un). (Xiang Khouang)
Athyma opalina opalina ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 207, pl.58, figs.♂,♂(Un). (Xiang Khouang; Oudomxay)
Athyma opalina opalina ; Onodera,2009b : 36. (Xieng Kouang: Muang Kham)
Athyma opalina shan ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 45, pl.4, fig.Ny-91,♀,♀(Un). (Phou Samsoum)
Athyma opalina shan ; Onodera,2022 : 39, pl.177, figs.♂,♂(Un). (Xiengkhouang: Muang Khouan)

[ VIETNAM ]
Athyma opalina opalina ; Monastyrskii,2019 : 4(2):25-26, pl.36, figs.2a♂,2b♂(Un). (N: Dong Van; Van Ban; Dong Phuc)


Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Mae Hong Son : 2♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Chiang Rai : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Chiang Mai : 22♂ 2♀ (incl. photo).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Nan : 1♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Loei : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Phetchabun : 1♂ 3♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


[ LAOS ]
Houaphan : 1♂ 1♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Xieng Khouang : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


Notes

The butterfly is locally common in montane forests at low to high elevations (Alt. 400 - 1700m). Males are territorial on shrubs.
Lang,2009 and Monastyrskii,2019 treated ssp.shan as a synonym of the nominotypical subspecies, however it is small in size, with pure white markings on the upperside even in the rainy season form. Thus I consider ssp.shan to be a good subspecies, and I provisionally treat the taxon from N.Vietnam as this subspecies; however further taxonomic study is needed.
The relationship with Athyma orientalis is still unclear. Further taxonomic study, including DNA analysis, is needed in future.


Literature

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

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.


Athyma opalina shan ♂ Athyma opalina shan ♀
♂ (dsf), Chiang Rai, Thailand. ♀, Phetchabun, Thailand.
Athyma opalina shan ♂ Athyma opalina shan ♀
♂, Phetchabun, Thailand. ♀ (dsf), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Athyma opalina shan ♂ Athyma opalina shan ♂
♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♂, Loei, Thailand.

2010.02.28 - 2023.03.31.

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