Request for ID for heliophorus

[Ngangom Aomoa]

Requesting ID for the following heliophorus butterflies:

1. Recorded at Meghalaya
27561

2. Recorded at Meghalaya
27562

3. Recorded at Meghalaya
27563

4. Recorded at Meghalaya
27564

5. Recorded at Manipur
27565

Specimens 1-3 recorded in and around the same place and time.

Thanks
Aomoa

[Psyche]

They should all be Heliophorus androcles.

Species in which there is a definite UnF red border/band plus no dark lines, can be eliminated.
They include, H. epicles, ida, kohimensis, indicus & sena (very distinct).

The remaining have no red UnF border or only narrowly shaded red , & prominent dark postdiscal lines/bands.
They are very similar on the underside & it is near impossible to separate them.

H. tamu is powederly green UpF & Underside duskier & more heavily marked.
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Heliophorus_tamu#/media/File:Tamu_mas_Nepal_ACC.jpg
https://ftp.funet.fi/index/Tree_of_life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/lycaeninae/heliophorus/tamu-4v.jpg

H. brahma & hybrida are orange or bronzy above.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4b/8b001010.html
http://www.samuibutterflies.com/expeditions/lycaenidae/heliophorushybrida/

H. bakeri is deep blue & UnH red border broad, Western Himalayas.
https://wildeyesbutterflying.com/western-blue-sapphire-heliophorus-bakeri/


This leaves H. androcles & moorei.

H. androcles
Upperside green
UnH red border wider & inner margins more regular & even in space 4, 5, & 6.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/larshan/13984939502/
https://i1.treknature.com/photos/9202/h_androclestn.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/144_10099-76-565fbfaa35a59-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/94_23490-400-5a47392903419-2.jpg



H. moorei.
Upperdide blue.
UnH red border narrower & the inner margins in spaces 5 & 6 protrude inwards more.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maanay/35741130761
https://www.flickr.com/photos/angiud/30380681508
https://www.flickr.com/photos/angiud/34910376241
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIFZxUIsYw7IcSm9Nik_CIAYD3MuEKJ ofA6Q&usqp=CAU
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSN1KvECQfpS8OSCf5QC1_PvVrPl5Kv3 kdsgw&usqp=CAU
https://indiabiodiversity.org/observation/show/16843310



TL Seow: Cheers
PS. H. oda. Closely resembles H. bakeri.
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Heliophorus_oda
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliophorus_oda#/media/File:AA10381.jpg


PS 2.
There seem a confusion in the taxa being placed as subspecies.
I am folowing Van Gasse ' s Anotated Checklist.

Taxon tytleri is placed as a ssp of H. moorei.
The FW blue is smaller & as Riley clearly states the orange lunules only occur in space 1 & 2.
Eaglesnest, Arunanchal Pradesh.
https://d29tlldvxtis6c.cloudfront.net/thumbs/p8270013-azuresapphire-3064.jpg

Taxon rubida is treated as a ssp of H. androcles.
It is recognised by the UpH red lunules extending up to vein 6.
The upperside is however blue.
Manipur.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gPvNgmGQTmrHqLL2_Q4xKk-vH2I0YZVhgX5POQcl8wAD0makgR57RaLgVQz115QK5WkWGU8ss KvJR3dhEr0=s580
Nagaland.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c6/60/45/c66045e2279d546c1efe91ea18020d56.jpg

[Psyche]

Correction.

No. 5 is very likely Heliophorus moorei tytleri.

[Psyche]

The three species H. androcles, moorei & tamu are much confused.
They were initially placed as conspecific, ie as one species.

Heliophorus tamu.
UpF with powdery green scales.
UnH red border inner margins very irregular, sharp-pointed, appearing serrated.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/1_20073-785-59c48933f0071-3_1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/1_20073-785-59c48933f0071-4_1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/259_7440-571-55b669131bc5c-2_1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/259_7440-571-55b669131bc5c-1_1.jpg

H. tamu 'viridipunctata'
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/184_45083-160-5d89b99f8fbe2-1_1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/184_45083-160-5d89b99f8fbe2-2_1.jpg




Heliophorus androcles..
UpF with green patch
UnH red border inner margins regular, in space 4, 5, & 6 level, not protruding.

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/94_23491-206-5a47483dbcd19-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/94_23491-206-5a47483dbcd19-2.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/94_23490-400-5a47392903419-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/94_23490-400-5a47392903419-2.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/144_10099-76-565fbfaa35a59-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/144_10099-76-565fbfaa35a59-2.jpg

H. androcles rubida.
Confusingly this is blue but HW with marginal red lunules to vein 6.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gPvNgmGQTmrHqLL2_Q4xKk-vH2I0YZVhgX5POQcl8wAD0makgR57RaLgVQz115QK5WkWGU8ss KvJR3dhEr0=s580
No underside.



Heliophorus moorei.
UpF blue.
UnH red border somewhat irregular with that in space 4 & 5 more protruding inwards.
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a74cf6_c95a65717171456ebfd4aef22e16dcfe~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_871,h_727,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/a74cf6_c95a65717171456ebfd4aef22e16dcfe~mv2.jpg
https://www.lepidigi.net/lycaenidae?lightbox=dataItem-j86bcskz

https://www.flickr.com/photos/angiud/35001720216/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/angiud/34910376241

https://www.flickr.com/photos/maanay/35741130761

H.moorei tytleri have UpF blue much reduced.
https://indiabiodiversity.org/observation/show/1751076?lang=en

Ssp. coruscans resembles ssp tytleri but with wider blue area. Western Himalayas.



TL Seow: Cheers.

[Ngangom Aomoa]

Thanks a lot Dr. Seow for your detailed explanation.

Adding few more for verification (though its quite clear after your explanation).

6. H. tamu? Khonoma, Nagaland
27566

7a. Shirui, Manipur
27567
7b.
27568
7a and 7b same specimen, H. androcles rubida? underside red margins regular, upperside blue, red lunules extending up to vein 6. Luckily did not delete them in spite of being bad quality images.

Can H. brahma & hybrida be differentiated from each other visually?

Warm regards and thanks
Aomoa

[Psyche]

No. 6.

I would agreed this is Heliophorus tamu.
However, caution is needed in identifying from underside alone.
The features in each species are not absolute.

The UnH red border in H. brahma is rather varied & can resembles any of the three species, H. androcles, moorei & tamu.
It is perhaps closer to H. moorei, with the inner margins more deeply crenate (scalloped).
H. brahma.
https://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/India%20-%20Heliophorus%20brahma.htm
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maanay/27553854018
https://thaibutterflies.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Heliophorus-brahma-mogoka.jpg


Riley state of H. hybrida.
Intermediate in markings & colour between Assamese H. androcles & brahma.the metallic colouring being bronze but decidedly greenish.
The red marginal band of the UpH is half the width of thst of brahma.
In the single male genitalia he examined he found exactly intermediate between androcles & brahma.

Yutaka found males in Thailand that exactly match H. hybrida but the genitalia matches that of H. brahma.
See note in webpage below & lowest figure male from Chiang Mai.
http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4b/8b001010.html


Perhaps H. hybrida is not a valid species.



7a & b.
Interstingly you have the underside of H. androcles rubida (=red marked).
It looks identical to typical androcles.



TL Seow: Cheers.

[Ngangom Aomoa]

Thank you Dr. Seow.

I was interested in H epicles and indicus, but after going through the many discussions on them in this forum, much of my doubts are clear now.

But just confused with the one below if it could be H kohimensis or its just indicus.

8.27569

Thanks

[Psyche]

The Heliophorus with a red border on the UnF seem even more confusing.

Many were placed under H. epicles.
Early authors seem at odd with the current assigned species.



H. epicles latilimbata. latilimbata = wide bordered.
FW purple patch often with some orange streaks.
HW red lunules to vein 3 in wsf often more in dsf.
UnH with wide red border & often inner margin in space 6 most protruding inwards.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/118_81644-663-6081ae27ce749-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/95_80712-288-60792f537eb61-2.jpg

https://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/India%20-%20Heliophorus%20epicles.htm

http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lyc4b/8b011020.html



Heliophorus indicus.
Riley actually described indicus as brown with red marks, but this does not seem to be the case.
Differs from epicles in being darker, without orange FW marks & UnH red border narrow.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/622_81270-881-607b36a8b1fa2-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/622_81270-881-607b36a8b1fa2-2.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/118_81192-705-607afce0aa2d5-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/118_81192-705-607afce0aa2d5-3.jpg



Heliophorus pseudonexus.
Formerly under H. ila.
UpH with two tornal red lunules.
UnF ground colour tinted red.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/538_53356-62-5e941d5fb02b1-3_0.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/538_53356-62-5e941d5fb02b1-2_0.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/79_10177-813-56656aeb807f4-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/79_10177-813-56656aeb807f4-1.jpg


Heliophorus kohimensis.
Upperside dark with dull wide purple patches ,larger than in indicus.
UpH red lunules may be dull .
UnF red border faders off & is absent at the apical tip.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/385_10190-108-5666a64e50f57-2_1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/385_10190-108-5666a64e50f57-1_1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/279_30166-758-5b1b64f5084cf-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/279_30166-758-5b1b64f5084cf-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/93_20338-843-59d17c70d5083-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/93_20338-843-59d17c70d5083-1.jpg


This one should be Heliophorus indicus. Note FW 'purple' patch is much smaller than in kohimensis.




TL Seow: Cheers.

[Ngangom Aomoa]

Thanks a lot Dr. Seow. I guess this covers most of the heliophorus found in my region. Things are much more clearer to me now.