Miletus shania  (Evans, 1932)

Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un. Miletus shania ♀ Up. Miletus shania ♀ Un.
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♀, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.
Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un. Miletus shania ♀ Up. Miletus shania ♀ Un.
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un. Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un.
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un. Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un.
♂, Nan, Thailand. ♂, Nan, Thailand.
Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un. Miletus shania ♂ Up. Miletus shania ♂ Un.
♂, Phong Saly, Laos. ♂, Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Miletus shania ♂ genitalia Miletus shania ♂ genitalia Miletus shania ♂ genitalia Miletus shania ♂ genitalia
♂ genitalia, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

ON Gerydus gethusus shania Evans, 1932
OD : Ident. Indian Butts. (2nd ed.) :211.
TL : Bhamo, Shan States. (♂, NHML)
Distribution : Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, S.Yunnan.
Miletus shania map

Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Miletus croton mallus ; Godfrey,1930 : 311. (Prae: Me Song forest)
Miletus mallus mallus ; Eliot,1961 : 163. ('S.E.')
Miletus mallus shania ; Eliot,1961 : 163. (N)
Miletus mallus mallus ; Pinratana,1981 : 26, pl.3, fig.14,♂ ; pl.4, fig.14,♂(Un). (Chaiyaphum)
Miletus mallus shania ; Pinratana,1981 : 27, pl.3, fig.15,♀ ; pl.4, fig.13,♀(Un). (Chiang Mai)
Miletus mallus mallus ; Katsuyama et al.,2006 : 47, fig.48,♂. (Nan: Ban Nam Poon)
Miletus chinensis learchus ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : pl.242, figs.L22,♂,♂(Un). (in part)
Miletus mallus mallus ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 538, pl.243, figs.L24a♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). ('Chanthaburi; Trat')
Miletus chinensis learchus ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : pl.242, figs.L46,♂,♂(Un). (in part)
Miletus mallus mallus ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 552, pl.249, figs.L48a♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). ('Chanthaburi; Trat')
Miletus mallus shania ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 35, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Chiang Dao; Doi Suthep; Doi Inthanon; Maethro) (in part)

[ LAOS ]
Miletus mallus mallus ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 214, pl.106, figs.♂,♀. (Vang Vieng; Oudomxay)
Miletus mallus mallus ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 51.
Miletus shania ; Onodera,2022 : 71, pl.204, figs.♀,♀(Un). (Luang Phabang: Marphouk)


Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Mae Hong Son : 1♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Chiang Rai : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Chiang Mai : 16♂ 10♀ (incl. photo).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Lampang : 1♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Nan : 9♂ 6♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Loei : 1♀.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Chaiyaphum : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


[ LAOS ]
Phong Saly : 1♂.
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


Notes

The taxa mallus and shania differ in male genitalia, the markings on the UpF, and in size. Therefore, I consider them to be two distinct species. I tentatively treat the name shania as a species, but the taxon gethusus may not belong to mallus. If this taxon is conspecific with shania, the specific name would be changed. Further taxonomic study is needed.

The butterfly is common in montane forests at low to moderate elevations (Alt. 450 - 1500m). In 2021, it was found in a place and confirmed that both mallus and shania occur sympatrically in Chiang Mai, N.Thailand. This species prefers hilltops and forest edges, whereas Miletus mallus is found confined to broadleaf bamboo bushes in the forest. Males are territorial on shrubs or undergrowth at forest edges or hilltops from 12:30 until sunset.


Literature

Evans, W.H.,1932 : The identification of Indian butterflies. second edition revised.
Bombay nat. Hist. Soc., Madras : 10+454pp, 32 pls, 9f.

Eliot, J.N.,1961 : An analysis of the Genus Miletus (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).
Bull. Raffles Mus. 26:154-177, 24 figs.

Eliot, J.N.,1986 : A review of the Miletini (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).
Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Ent.) 53(1):1-105, 108 figs.

Huang H. & Xue, Y.P.,2004 : A new species of Miletus from the extreme south of Yunnan, China (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)
Neue Ent. Nachr. 57:155-160.


Miletus shania ♂ Miletus shania ♀
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♀ (dsf), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Miletus shania ♂ Miletus shania ♂
♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand. ♂ (dsf), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Miletus shania ♂
♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2010.05.15 - 2023.05.31.

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