♂, Nan, Thailand.		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂, Tak, Thailand.		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂, Lampang, Thailand.		♀, Nan, Thailand.
♂ Nan, Thailand.		♂ genitalia, Nan, Thailand.

ON : Thecla nissa Kollar, 1844 OD : In: Hügel, Kaschmir und das Reich der Siek 4(2)[1]: 412, pl.4, figs.3,♀, 4,♀(Un). TL : Mussoorie, [Uttarakhand, NW India]. (NHM-Vienna) Distribution : NW India, Nepal to Myanmar, Yunnan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China.

Thecla micans Bremer & Grey, 1853 : Schmett. N.China: 9. TL. China.
'Rapala ranta Swinhoe, 1897 : Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6)19: 409-410. TL. "Jaintia Hills" [Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, India] ; Nakamura & Seki, [2018] : 10, figs.8A(ST,♂), 8B(ST,♂Un), 8C(labels).'
'Rapala nissa tacola Fruhstorfer, 1914 : Deut. ent. Zeit. [Iris] 27(4): 178. TL. Assam.'
Rapala nissa nissoides Swinhoe, 1915 : Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (8)16: 176. TL. "Haipan, Shan States" [Shan State, Myanmar].
Rapala micans haniae Huang, 2001 : Neue ent. Nachr. 51: 81, figs.25,54,58, pl.9, fig.75. TL. Hekou, S.Yunnan.

[ THAILAND ]
Rapala nissa ranta ; Pinratana,1981 : 151, pl.28, fig.4,♂(Un) ; pl.32, figs.20,♂,21,♂(Un). (Chiang Mai; Loei)
Rapala rectivitta ; Pinratana,1981 : pl.28, fig.15,♀. (in part)
Rapala refulgens ; Pinratana,1981 : pl.28, figs.17,♀,18,♂. (in part)
Rapala nissa nissoides ; Pinratana,1981 : 151, not fig. (Chiang Mai)
Rapala refulgens ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : pl.326, figs.L417,♂(right),♂(right,Un). (in part)
Rapala nissa ranta ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 716, pl.327, figs.L424a♂[♀],♂[♀](Un),♀,♀(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Chiang Mai; Doi Phu Kha)
Rapala nissa ranta ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 764, pl.351, figs.L445a♂[♀],♂[♀](Un),♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Chiang Mai; Doi Phu Kha)
Rapala nissa ranta ; Kimura et al.,2014 : 143, figs.♂,♂(Un),♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Suthep; Doi Inthanon; Khun Lao V; Phu Kradung)
Rapala nissa nissa ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2023- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Chiang Mai; Kamphaeng Phet) (accessed: 2023.10.22)

[ LAOS ]
Rapala nissa ranta ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 219. pl.128, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀. (Xam Neua)
Rapala nissa ranta ; Onodera,2009b : 37. (Houaphan: Phu Phan)
Rapala nissa ranta ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 56.
Rapala nissa nissa ; Onodera,2022 : 97, pl.231, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un),♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Xiengkhouang: Tha; Houaphan: Phou Pan)

[ VIETNAM ]
Rapala micans ssp. ; Yokochi et al.,2015 : 42, figs.108,♂,108v♂(Un),109,♂,109v♂(Un),110,♀,110v♀(Un). (Khanh Hoa: Hon Ba)
Rapala nissa nissa ; Monastyrskii & Devyatkin,2015 : 69. (C: Kon Tum to Lam Dong)

[ THAILAND ]
Mae Hong Son : 1♂ 2♀ (incl. photo).

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Chiang Mai : 14♂ 7♀ (incl. photo), (2♂ genitalia dissected).

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Lampang : 1♂ 1♀.

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Nan : 6♂ 2♀ (2♂ genitalia dissected).

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Kamphaeng Phet : 3♂ (photo by C.Sunthornwiphat).

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Tak : 4♂.

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The butterfly is locally common in montane forests at moderate to high elevations (Alt. 900 - 2000m) and is frequently found on hilltops. Males are territorial on trees and occasionally come to the banks of streams and puddles to suck water.
The species is rather variable in terms of both individual and seasonal variation.

rectivitta ♂	nissa ♂
deep blue-shot in a side light.	without blue-shot.

Nakamura & Seki ([2018]) synonymized Rapala ranta Swinhoe, 1897 with Rapala nissa nissa. However, based on the following factors, I suspect the possibility that this is rectivitta, not nissa.
1) The syntype male specimen shown in Nakamura & Seki ([2018]) has a conspicuous light grey androconial patch on the UpH; 2) The upperside colouration is dark purple and lacks steel blue scales; 3) According to the original description, "the blue sheen... but is not of so deep purple in colour as in rectivitta;... but the sheen on the wings above is rich purple-blue, not steel-blue, as is invariably the case in nissa". This judgment is very difficult, but it seems possible that a violet-blue illusion might be present.
The taxon tacola, described by Fruhstorfer in 1914, cannot be confirmed as either Rapala nissa or Rapala huangi Nakamura & Seki, [2018] based on the original description and illustration in Seitz (1927: pl.160g-6,♂). Verification using the genitalia of the type specimen is required. Further taxonomic study is needed.

Kollar, V.,1844 : In: Kollar, V. & L. Redtenbacher, Aufzählung und Beschreibung der von Freiherrn Carl v. Hügel auf seiner Reise durch Kaschmir und das Himaleyagebirge gesammelten Insecten.
In: Hügel, Kaschmir und das Reich der Siek.
Stuttgart, Hallbergerische Verlagshandlung 4(2)[1]: [393]-564, [582]-[586], 28 pls.

Bremer, O. & Grey, W.,1853 : Beitrage zur Schmetterlings-fauna des Nodrlichen China's.
St. Peterberg : 23 pp.

Swinhoe, C.,1897 : New Eastern Lepidoptera.
Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (6)19: 407-410.

Fruhstorfer, H.,1914 : Neue Lycaeniden.
Deut. ent. Zeit. [Iris] 27(4): 172-178. (31.Jan.1914)

Swinhoe, C.,1915 : New species of Indo-Malayan lepidoptera.
Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (8)16: 170-186.

Seitz, A.,1927 : 8. Familie: Lycaenidae In: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde.
9: 1003.

Corbet, A.S.,1939 : A revision of the Malayan species of Rapala Moore (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).
Proc. R. ent Soc. Lond. (B)8(6): 103-112, figs.1-20.

Huang, H.,2001 : Report of H. Huang's 2000 Expedition to SE. Tibet for Rhopalocera (Insecta, Lepidoptera).
Neue ent. Nachr. 51: 65-152.

Nakamura, N. & Seki, Y.,[2018] : Reexamination of Rapala nissa (Lycaenidae, Lepidoptera) and related taxa.
Butterflies 76: 4-14.

Nakamura, N. & Seki, Y.,2019 : Identification of the females of Rapala nissa and R.huangi (Lycaenidae, Lepidoptera).
Butterflies 80: 4-10.

♂, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.	♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂ (territorial behavior), Lampang, Thailand.

1999.07.21 - 2025.10.31.