Rapala Moore, 1881 Species

Kc, Sajan, Poel, Piet Van Der, Pariyar, Surendra, Sunar, Aman & Limbu, Mahendra Singh, 2025, A review of the genus Rapala Moore, 1881 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae) of Nepal with insights on little-known species, Zootaxa 5692 (1), pp. 31-56 : 33-34

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5692.1.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8C3FC947-BE0C-41E0-9215-D2B9AFEDADC0
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17368694
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0387897B-9667-4224-FF3B-FB2B31EEFB21
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Rapala Moore, 1881 Species
status

Treatment

Key to Adult Rapala Moore, 1881 Species in Nepal

For convenience, the Rapala species of Nepal are divided into two groups: the wide-banded ( R. varuna ) group and the narrow-banded ( R. pheretima ) group.

Wide-banded flashes: R. varuna group

1. Ventral bands wide (double), with a gap in the middle of a fainter color ( Figs 2–10 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 )................................. 2

- Ventral bands narrow (single) without such a gap in the middle ( Figs 11–15 View FIGURE 11 View FIGURE 12 View FIGURE 13 View FIGURE 14 View FIGURE 15 )...................................... 9

2. Ventral bands very wide; spot 7 on the ventral hindwing not smaller than spot 6; ventral hindwing cell-end bar connected to or very close to the postdiscal band ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 )..................................... Rapala varuna orseis Hewitson, 1863

- Ventral bands less wide; spot 7 on the ventral hindwing may be smaller than spot 6; ventral hindwing cell-end bar distant from the postdiscal band ( Figs 3–10 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 ).......................................................................... 3

3. Dorsal side with prominent red or orange areas on both wings, often visible ventrally as faint red patches or along wing margins ( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4 View FIGURE 4 )........................................................................................... 4

- Dorsal side without prominent red or orange areas (two species, R. nissa and R. huangi , can have small orange spots on dorsal forewings only) ( Figs 5–10 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 )............................................................................. 5

4. Ventral wings often ash gray; band margins lunulate; ventral hindwing band 1c about straight; red on dorsal wings extends to the wing bases ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 )...................................................... R. iarbus iarbus ( Fabricius, 1787)

- Ventral wings not ash gray; band margins straight; ventral hindwing band 1c sinuate; orange on dorsal wings does not extend to the wing bases ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 )............................................................. R. selira ( Moore, 1874)

5. Ventral wings often slatey gray, sometimes brownish to purplish; never with a bronze color in the middle of the postdiscal bands ( Figs 5 View FIGURE 5 , 6 View FIGURE 6 )........................................................................................... 6

- Ventral wings often yellowish to purplish, seldom slatey gray; almost always with a bronze color in the middle of the postdiscal bands ( Figs 7–10 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 )..................................................................................... 7

6. Ventral wings gray or brownish to purplish without greenish tinge; ventral hindwing submarginal lunules often prominent; dorsal side iridescent blue on both wings in male ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ).......................... R. manea schistacea ( Moore, 1879)

- Ventral wings gray with greenish tinge in males; ventral hindwing submarginal lunules faded; dorsal side iridescent blue on hindwings only in male ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 )............................................ R. scintilla scintilla de Nice ́ville, 1890

7. Dorsal side deep iridescent blue on both wings in male even when viewed at around 180°; dorsal forewing without an orange spot; ventral bands often darker, smoother, and less white-edged than in the next species ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 )..................................................................................................... R. rectivitta ( Moore, 1879)

- Dorsal side purplish-blue on both wings in male which vanishes when viewed at around 180°; dorsal forewing often with an orange spot; ventral bands often lighter, more broken, and more white-edged than in the previous species ( Figs 8–10 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 )...... 8

8. Ventral forewing postdiscal band almost a straight line or slightly curved inward, rarely curved outward; aedeagus vesica flat without claw-like cornuti ( Figs 8 View FIGURE 8 , 9 View FIGURE 9 )............................................... R. nissa nissa (Kollar, [1844])

- Ventral forewing postdiscal band almost always curved outward; aedeagus vesica with a pair of claw-like cornuti ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 ).......................................................................... R. huangi Nakamura & Seki, 2017

Narrow-banded flashes: R. pheretima group

9. Ventral forewing cell-end bar distinctly dark, mid-cell spot mostly present ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 )...................................................................................................... R. pheretima petosiris ( Hewitson, 1863)

- Ventral forewing cell-end bar not distinctly dark, often faded, mid-cell spot never present ( Figs 12–15 View FIGURE 12 View FIGURE 13 View FIGURE 14 View FIGURE 15 )................ 10

10. Male with a dark discal brand on the dorsal forewing; ventral hindwing band as short, white-edged, serially dislocated lines, spot 2 and 3 fully separate; ventral side ochraceous (male) to deep yellow (female); band in ventral hindwing space 1 very wide ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 )....................................................................... R. tara de Nice ́ville, [1889]

- Male without a discal brand on the dorsal forewing; ventral hindwing band more arranged, spot 2 and 3 not fully separate; ventral side pink to ochraceous; band in ventral hindwing space 1 narrower ( Figs 7–10 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 , 13–15 View FIGURE 13 View FIGURE 14 View FIGURE 15 )...................... 11

11. Ventral side mostly with a pink shade, sometimes ochraceous; dorsal side with blue ( Figs 7–10 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 , 13 View FIGURE 13 )................... 12

- Ventral side never with a pink shade, always ochraceous; dorsal side brown in female and red in male ( Figs 14–15 View FIGURE 14 View FIGURE 15 )...... 13

12. Ventral side deeply pink extending to palpi; postdiscal band without distinct bronze color ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 )................................................................................................ R. rosacea de Nice ́ville, [1889]

- Ventral side faintly pink to ochraceous, pink often not extending to palpi; postdiscal band with distinct bronze color ( Figs 7–10 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 )............................................................................................... 7

13. Tornal patch of blue speckles in ventral hindwing space 1c far away from the band; orange crown of tornal spot 2 often prominent; forewing postdiscal band often straight; dorsal red color on the hindwing in males does not extend to space 7 ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 14 )................................................................... R. dieneces dieneces ( Hewitson, 1878)

- Tornal patch of blue speckles in ventral hindwing space 1c very close to the band; orange crown of tornal spot 2 often smeared; forewing postdiscal band often bent or curved; dorsal red color on the hindwing in males extends to space 7 ( Fig. 15 View FIGURE 15 )..................................................................................... R. damona Swinhoe, 1890