Virachola vietnamica vietnamica Saito & Inayoshi, 2024

Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ Up. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ Un. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♀ Up. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♀ Un.
♂, 2014.10.11. Lam Dong, Vietnam. (Holotype) ♀, Lam Dong, Vietnam. (Paratype)
Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ Up. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ Un. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♀ Up. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♀ Un.
♂, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam. (Paratype) ♀, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam. (Paratype)
Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ Up. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ Un. Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ genitalia Virachola vietnamica vietnamica ♂ genitalia
♂, Lam Dong, Vietnam. (Paratype) ♂ genitalia, Lam Dong, Vietnam. (Holotype)

ON : Virachola vietnamica Saito & Inayoshi, 2024
OD : Butterflies 94:8,12, figs.23(PT,♂),23v(PT,♂Un), 24(PT,♀),
24v(PT,♀Un), 25(HT,♂), 25v(HT,♂Un), 26(PT,♀), 26v(PT,♀Un),
28a-c(♂genitalia), 29a-c(♂genitalia), 34h-j(♂brand).
TL : Da Huai, Da'Mri, Lam Dong, C.Vietnam. (RIEB)
Distribution : C.Vietnam.
ssp.laolai
ssp. uncertain
● ssp.vietnamica
Virachola vietnamica vietnamica map

Type Materials Information

Holotype ♂, 11.Oct.2014, Da Huai, 450m, Da'Mri, Lam Dong, C.Vietnam. Dang Van leg. (RIEB, examined.)
Paratypes. All paratypes were obtained from C.Vietnam. (in coll. K.Saito)
3♂ 1♀, Bach Ma, Thua Thien Hue ; 1♂, Ba Na Hills, Da Nang ; 1♂, Chu Yang Sin, Dak Lak ; 25♂ 5♀, Lam Dong (Loc Tan ; Da To ; Bao Loc ; Dai Lam ; Da Huai ; Di Linh).


Records taken from Literature

[ VIETNAM ]
Virachola sp. ; Miyazaki, Saito & Saito,2007c : 40, fig.L-158,♀. (Lam Dong: Dambri)


Specimens Examined

[ VIETNAM ]
Dak Lak : 1♂ (Paratype).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Thua Thien Hue : 3♂ 1♀ (Paratypes).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Da Nang : 1♂ (Paratype), (genitalia dissected).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec

Lam Dong : 25♂ 5♀ (Holotype & Paratypes), (1♂ genitalia dissected).
JanFebMarAprMayJun JulAugSepOctNovDec


Notes

The butterfly is locally not rare in montane forests at low to moderate elevations (Alt. 450 - 1450m).
In September 2021, an individual thought to be Virachola vietnamica was photographed by Thianchai Laola in Lampang, N. Thailand. It is quite similar to the nominotypical subspecies. Whether this is the rainy season form of ssp.laolai or the nominotypical subspecies needs to be examined by specimens. Further taxonomic and distributional studies are needed.


Literature

Saito, K. & Inayoshi, Y.,2024 : Descriptions of four new species and two new subspecies of Lycaenidae from Thailand and Vietnam.
Butterflies 94:4-14.


? Virachola vietnamica ssp.
Virachola vietnamica ssp. ♂ Virachola vietnamica ssp. ♂
♂, Lampang, Thailand. (photo by T.Laola)

2024.09.30.

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