9. R. pheretima petosiris (Hewitson, 1863) Figs 1i, 11

Deudorix petosiris Hewitson, 1863: 22

Type locality: East India

Common Name: Copper Flash

Material Examined: NEPAL. Bagmati Province. Chitwan. Mahendra Forest, 21.iv. 1987, 200 m, leg. C.P. Smith (ANHM, 1♀). Gandaki Province. Gorkha. Luitel School, 3.xii. 1968, 885 m, leg. C.P. Smith (ANHM, 2♂). Kaski. Phewatal, 29.xi. 1986, 1070 m, leg. C.P. Smith (ANHM, 1♀). INDIA. Meghalaya. Khasi Hills, 21.ii.1993, MGCL 1201220, Genitalic Vial KW-24-85 (MGCL 1♂) (Fig. 11a); Khasi Hills, 1950, MGCL 1201221, Genitalic Vial KW-24-104 (MGCL 1♀) (Fig. 11b) .

Wingspan: 36–42 mm (Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Diagnosis (Figs 11a, 11b): Dorsally, the male R. pheretima resembles R. iarbus but can be distinguished by the shape of vein 2 on the hindwing, which lacks the stubby tail present in R. iarbus . The dorsal orange on the forewing is more suffused in male R. pheretima than in male R. iarbus . Ventrally, R. pheretima can be identified by its coppery hue, narrow dark brown postdiscal bands, a dark forewing cell-end bar, and typically a central cell bar on the forewing. Males also usually have a sub basal spot in space 7 on ventral hindwing. The male is red above, while the female is purple blue.

Male Genitalia (Figs 11c–11f): Aedeagus vesica with a hook-shaped tip; valvae short and slender with narrowed apices; cleft between the valvae slightly more than 1/3rd the length of the valval plate.

Female Genitalia (Fig. 11g): Anterior apophysis extremely short; ductus bursae lateral margins straight, distal end enlarged and smoothly convex; corpus bursae round and bulbous with a yolk-like center, short signum on either side with a single large hook-shaped spine inside.

Biology: Larvae are known to feed on the flowers of Dimocarpus longan Lour., Syzygium fruticosum (Roxb.) DC., Lepisanthesrubiginosa (Roxb.) Leenh., Litchichinensis Sonn., Mangiferaindica L., Nepheliumlappaceum L., Vigna unguiculata unguiculata (L.) Walp., 1842 (Ek-Amnuay 2012), Aganope thyrsiflora (Benth.) Polhill, and Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & Betche (Robinson et al. 2023).

Natural History: Adults are typically found in forests, forest edges, stream edges, woodlands, and flowers (Sondhi et al. 2013; Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Variation: The postdiscal bands in some individuals may be wider. Variation primarily occurs in the presence or absence of the mid-cell band on the ventral forewing and, in males, the sub basal spot 7 on the ventral hindwing.

Phenology in Nepal: January to December (Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Elevation: 150– 1,580 m (Smith 1994; Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Distribution on the Indian Subcontinent: East Uttarakhand in India eastward to Nepal, south to southeastern Madhya Pradesh and northern Chhattisgarh, northern Eastern Ghats, southern West Bengal, northeastern India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh (Van Gasse 2018).

Distribution in Nepal: Terai region, Gandaki Province including the Pokhara Valley, Bagmati Province including the Kathmandu Valley, and Koshi Province (Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).