Arhopala elopura dama

Arhopala elopura dama Swinhoe, 1911


♂, Ranong, Thailand.		♀, Ranong, Thailand.

♂, Ranong, Thailand.		♀, Ranong, Thailand.

♂, Surat Thani (Koh Phangan), Thailand.		♂ genitalia, Ranong, Thailand.

ON : Arhopala dama Swinhoe, 1911
OD : In: Moore, Lep. Ind. 8(92): 186-187, pl.683, figs.4,♂, 4a♀, 4b♂(Un).
TL : "Mergui, Burma" [Myeik, Myeik Dist., Myanmar]. (NHML)

Distribution : Myanmar, P.Thailand (Ranong to Surat Thani).

	● ssp.dama
	● ssp.
	● ssp.elopura (transition zone of elopura and dama)

Type Materials Information

Syntypes 1♂ 1♀, Apr.1893. Mergui Island. (NHML, photo examined.)

Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Narathura pseudomuta dama ; Evans,1957 : 107. (P) (in part)
Arhopala elopura dama ; Pinratana,1981 : 85. (Ranong; Trang) (in part)
Arhopala elopura dama ; Seki,1986 : 14, figs.18,♂,19,♂(Un). (Ranong)
Arhopala pseudomuta pseudomuta ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : pl.280, figs.L229b♂,♂(Un). (in part)
Arhopala aida aida ; Les Day,2011-2022 : Samui Butterflies, fig.[♂]. (Koh Samui) (in part) (accessed: 2022.08.01)
Arhopala pseudomuta ariavana ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 652, pl.296, figs.L254,♂(Ranong),♂(Un,Ranong). (in part)
Arhopala elopura elopura ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 65, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Ranong Hot Spring; Kam Puan; Khlong Naka) (in part)

Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Ranong : 7♂ 10♀ (2♂ genitalia dissected).

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Surat Thani (Koh Phangan dist.) : 2♂ (1♂ genitalia dissected).

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Notes

The butterfly is locally not rare in montane forests at low elevations (Alt. 30 - 350m). The females have two colour forms, brilliant blue and purple.
Evans (1957) treated the entire continental area up to peninsular Thailand and Langkawi as ssp.dama. However, specimens from north to S.E. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have an indigo-blue ground colour on the upperside and a broader black border on the UpF. Therefore, I restrict ssp.dama to Myanmar and P. Thailand (Ranong and Surat Thani), and consider the continental populations as a separate taxon.
The relationship between elopura and its allied species remains unclear and needs to be re-examined, including molecular analysis.

Literature

Swinhoe, C.,1911: In: Moore, F., Lepidoptera Indica. vol.8. Rhopalocera, Family Lycaenidae.
8:(90/96): 121-293 (1911), London, L.Reeve & Co.

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.

1999.07.18 - 2025.09.30.