Help needed to ID a Nacaduba

[Gavin Chan]

26930

Hi appreciate some help identifying this Nacaduba. Sorry for the grainy nature of the photo. Thanks in advance!

[atronox]

Most likely a worn out Nacaduba calauria

[Psyche]

Concur it is likely a male Nacaduba calauria.

The ID of 6Line blues can be confusing at times.
Intermediates (crosses) occur & add to little variations.

Great difficulties especially between N. berenice & calauria.

The two species have the dark lines within the bands well-developed in the males (not so in the males of beroe & kurava).


N. calauria ; FW postdiscal ( main) band almost always straight & entire.
FW submarginal spots 4 & 5 sharply pointed & triangular.
Upperside darkish purple/violet blue.

Note the dark purplish upperside.
https://wanderingbutterflyeffect.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/6a0100a801ee89000e011017b3ad98860e.jpg
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NacadubaCalauriaMalayicaMUpUnAC1.jpg


N. berenice; very variable
FW main band typically broken, dislocated or angulated.
FW submarginal spots 4 & 5 various shape, may also be pointed.
Upperside pale lavender blue ,frosted appearance, with white dusting. (due to abundant long white ribbon scales)

Males showing bit of upperside.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pzK2I4_Ew60/UmybzHJktOI/AAAAAAAAMP8/wIsX0VVoGc8/s1600/HFH_8087-Nacaduba-berenice-icena.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xFQx2YUBf8c/U5xj17_wpnI/AAAAAAAAONY/I69gkZT-jvk/s1600/HFH_2642-Nacaduba+berenice+icena.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_UgE_Hi1aCk/UmybQrKn0RI/AAAAAAAAMP0/u-w6aMCKnkM/s1600/HFH_8081-Nacaduba+berenice+icena.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2z1tHnAAtb0/U4DCA5kWkyI/AAAAAAAAOBw/s-kofhLpby4/s1600/HFH_2311-Nacaduba+berenice+%2528male%2529.jpg
The upperside male & female from China are as for the subspecies here.
https://lepidoptera.eu/species/15847


Confusing specimens are lodged in the NHMUK.

1. N. calauria.
Underside with submarginal spots sharp but the main band is broken in the middle.
Upperside dull dusted look.
https://singapore.biodiversity.online/species/A-Arth-Hexa-Lepidoptera-000141?imageId=1
Compare with upperside of a correct N. calauria which have a purplish gloss.https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NacadubaCalauriaMalayicaMUpUnAC1.jpg
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NacadubaCalauriaMalayicaMUpUnAC1.jpg
This suggest this is probably N. berenice.

2. Nacaduba beroe female.
The underside FW with a large inner costal(forward margin) spot IDed it as N. berenice female.
The upperside lacks the whitish submarginal spots of N. beroe female.
https://singapore.biodiversity.online/species/A-Arth-Hexa-Lepidoptera-000139?imageId=0

Female beroe upperside. ( I think this belongs to Sunny)
26931

TL Seow: Cheers.

[Gavin Chan]

Thank you Aaron!

Thank you Dr Seow for the detailed information. It’s always a challenge to spot the differences between berenice and calauria. The presence of intermediates, does this mean they are cross breeding?