10. R. tara de Nice ́ville, [1889] Figs 1k, 12

Rapala tara de Nicéville, [1889]: 284

Type locality: Sylhet (India)

Common Name: Assam Flash

Material Examined: NEPAL. Bagmati Province. Lalitpur. Godavari, 21.x. 1970, 1495 m, leg. C.P. Smith (ANHM, 1♀) . Gandaki Province. Kaski. Dhampus, 3.viii.1990, 1100 m, leg. C.P. Smith (ANHM, 1♀) . Koshi Province. Taplejung. Chilauni, 7.vii. 1996, 1530 m, leg. C.P. Smith (ANHM, 1♂) . INDIA. Meghalaya. Khasi Hills, leg. Le Moult, MGCL 1201232 , Genitalic Vial KW-24-91 (MGCL, 1♂) (Fig. 12a); same locality, vi.1938, MGCL 1201233 , Genitalic Vial KW-24-109 (MGCL, 1♀) (Fig. 12b) .

Wingspan: 33–41 mm (Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Diagnosis (Figs 12a, 12b): Rapala tara can be distinguished from its congeners in Nepal by the presence of a discal black brand on the male’s forewing dorsally, similar to that of Hypolycaena erylus (Godart, [1824]), set against a brilliant blue background. The female is dull brownish purple above. Ventrally, it differs from similar yellow or ochraceous congeners by its hindwing postdiscal band, which is widely broken in spaces 2 and 3 and gets very wide in space 1. Males are ochraceous ventrally while females are deep yellow.

Male Genitalia (Figs 12c–12e): Aedeagus vesica with a large longitudinal cleft in the middle; valvae short and slender with apices narrowed; cleft between the valvae less than half the length of the valval plate.

Female Genitalia (Fig. 12f): Anterior apophysis very short and stubby; ductus bursae short and wide with base narrowed and distal end enlarged and convex; corpus bursae with a short longitudinal signum on either side bearing minute spines laterally on the inside, and a wide patch of signum connected to the base of ductus bursae.

Biology: Not known.

Natural History: Adults are typically found in forests, streams, and gardens (Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Variation: In some individuals, the bands may be slightly wider.

Phenology in Nepal: March to November (Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Elevation: 850– 1,650 m (Smith 1994; Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Distribution on the Indian Subcontinent: East Uttarakhand in India eastward to Nepal with disjunct records, northeastern India, Bhutan, and northeastern Bangladesh (Van Gasse 2018).

Distribution in Nepal: Sudurpaschim Province (excluding the Terai districts), Pokhara Valley, Kathmandu Valley, and Koshi Province (excluding the Terai districts) (Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).