Rapala damona

Rapala damona Swinhoe, 1890


♂, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

♂, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.		♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

ON : Rapala damona Swinhoe, 1890
OD : Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6)5:450-451.
TL : South Andamans.

Distribution : Nepal, Assam, Myanmar, Andamans,
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Langkawi, W.Malaysia,
Singapore, Borneo, Sumatra, Nias, Bangka, Belitung, Java,
Bali, Lombok, Flores, Palawan.

Synonym

Rapala suffusa rubicunda Evans, 1925 : J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 30(4):771. TL. Andamans.

Records taken from Literature

[ THAILAND ]
Rapala damona ; Pinratana,1981 : 149, pl.27, fig.12,♂. (Chiang Mai; Chanthaburi)
Rapala damona ; Yamaguchi, Aoki & Akiyama,2005 : 56-57, fig.36,♂. (Mukdahan: Phu Huai Sing)
Rapala damona ; Ek-Amnuay et al.,2007 : 5, figs.L411,♂,♀. (Doi Suthep)
Rapala damona ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 138, figs.♂,♂(Un),♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Suthep; Phu Huay Sing)
Rapala damona ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2023- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Sa Kaeo) (accessed: 2023.10.22)

[ LAOS ]
Rapala damona ssp. ; Motono & Negishi,1989 : 77, not fig. (Tha Ngone)
Rapala damona ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 219. not fig. (list only)
Rapala damona ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 56.
Rapala damona ; Miyamoto & Nakamura,2016 : 26, figs.18A♂,B♂(Un). (Attapeu)
Rapala damona ; Onodera,2022 : 99, pl.233, figs.♂,♂(Un). (Bolikhamxai: Keng Sa Doc)

[ CAMBODIA ]
Rapala damona ; Onodera,2008 : 60. (Mondolkiri: O Rang)
Rapala damona ; Chartier & Kosterin,2022 : 124. (Mondulkiri)

[ VIETNAM ]
Rapala damona ; Miyazaki et al.,2010 : 29, fig.L-188,♂. (Lam Dong: Madagui)
Rapala damona ; Monastyrskii & Devyatkin,2015 : 69. (by literature)

Specimens Examined

[ THAILAND ]
Mae Hong Son : 6♂.

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

Chiang Mai : 12♂ 2♀.

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

[ VIETNAM ]
Lam Dong : 1♂.

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

Notes

The butterfly is locally common in dry forests at moderate elevations (Alt. 500 - 1200m) and is frequently seen sympatrically with Rapala dieneces. Males are territorial on shrubs and trees at hilltops.
The colouration on the underside is very variable and indistinguishable from that of the similar species Rapala dieneces and Rapala suffusa. The distinguishing point of the female of damona from those of dieneces and suffusa is still unclear, however I think the females illustrated above are likely to be this species. At the place that I got these, both dieneces and damona occur together but suffusa has never been seen. Therefore, these females are at least not suffusa. Further taxonomic study is needed.

Literature

Swinhoe, C.,1890 : Descriptions of three new species of Lycaenidae.
Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6)5:449-451.

Evans, W.H.,1925 : The identification of Indian Butterflies. Part VIII.
J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 30(4):756-776, 1 pl.


♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.

♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.

1999.07.21 - 2023.10.31.