Help needed to ID a Nacaduba

[Gavin Chan]

ID needed.JPG

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.fil...b3ad98860e.jpg
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...caMUpUnAC1.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_Ew6...nice-icena.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xFQx2YUBf8...nice+icena.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_UgE_Hi1aC...nice+icena.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2z1tHnAAtb...8male%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.onlin...0141?imageId=1
Compare with upperside of a correct N. calauria which have a purplish gloss.https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...caMUpUnAC1.jpg
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...caMUpUnAC1.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.onlin...0139?imageId=0

Female beroe upperside. ( I think this belongs to Sunny)
nacaduba beroe female UP S5J 05122017 15mm -SAMPLE.JPG

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?