Rapala scintilla subsp. scintilla, de Nice

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 : 41

5. R. scintilla scintilla de Nice ́ville, 1890 Figs 1e , 6

Rapala scintilla de Nicéville, 1890: 461

Type Locality: Sikkim ( India)

Common Name: Scarce Slate Flash

Material Examined: NEPAL. Bagmati Province. Makawanpur. Kahare Khola, 20.i.1991, 215 m, leg. C.P. Smith ( ANHM, 1♂). Gandaki Province. Gorkha. Luitel School, 5.xii.1968, 885 m, leg. C.P. Smith ( ANHM, 1♂). MALAYSIA. Pahang. Genting Sempah Pass ?, 1.i.1972, MGCL 1201235 , Genitalic Vial KW-24-94 ( MGCL, 1♂) ( Fig. 6a ); Fraser’s Hill , 13.vi.1968, MGCL 1201236 , Genitalic Vial KW-24-110 ( MGCL, 1♀) ( Fig. 6b ); same data, MGCL 1026504 , Genitalic Vial KW-24-115 ( MGCL, 1♀) .

Wingspan: 30–32 mm ( Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Diagnosis ( Figs 6a, 6b ): Rapala scintilla can be distinguished from the similar-looking R. manea by the distribution of blue iridescence in males; in R. scintilla , it is present exclusively on the hindwings when viewed under sidelight, whereas in R. manea , it appears on both wings under the same conditions. Dorsally, the wings of R. scintilla are steely blue, while ventrally, males exhibit a grayer hue with a subtle greenish tinge. The submarginal spots on the hindwings of R. scintilla are either suffused or faded, whereas in R. manea , these spots are often more pronounced and distinct. Females of R. scintilla are dull blue dorsally and ochraceous ventrally.

Male Genitalia ( Figs 6c–6e ):Aedeagus vesica with deep longitudinal cleft in the middle with either side serrated; valvae short and slender with blunt apices; cleft between the valvae about 1/3rd the length of the valval plate.

Female Genitalia ( Fig. 6f ): Anterior apophysis short and blunt; ductus bursae distal end wide, triangular, and arrow shaped as in R. manea ; however, the lateral margins of the arrowhead are distinctly more pointed than in R. manea ; corpus bursae with small, short signum on either side with minute spines inside; large brown signum-like patch on the illustrated genitalia is a defect.

Biology: The larvae are known to feed on the young leaves of Butea frondosa Koen. ex Roxb and Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. ( Ek-Amnuay 2012).

Natural History: Adults are typically found in wooded areas and are often observed on flowers ( Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Variation: Some specimens may not exhibit the greenish tinge on the ventral wings as clearly.

Phenology in Nepal: January, February, April, May, July, October to December ( Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022). It is potentially present year-round but is often mistaken for R. manea .

Elevation: 180– 1,980 m ( Smith 1994; Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Distribution on the Indian Subcontinent: Central Nepal east to northeastern India, potentially Bhutan, and northeastern 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).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Rapala Moore, 1881 species of Nepal in natural habitats. All images are © Sajan KC unless stated otherwise. The dorsal sides correspond to the same individuals shown from the ventral sides unless otherwise specified. a. Rapala varuna orseis Hewitson, 1863 ♂; b. R. iarbus iarbus (Fabricius, 1787) ♀ © Piet van der Poel; c. R. selira (Moore, 1874) ♀ © Richard C. Hoyer/Birdernaturalist (dorsal side different individual); d. R. manea schistacea (Moore, 1879) ♂; e. R. scintilla scintilla de Nicéville, 1890 ♂; f. R. rectivitta (Moore, 1879) ♂ © Albert Vliegenthart; g. R. nissa nissa (Kollar, [1844]) ♂; h. R. huangi Nakamura & Seki, 2017 ♀; i. R. pheretima petosiris (Hewitson, 1863) ♂; j. R. rosacea de Nicéville, [1889] ♂; k. R. tara de Nicéville, [1889] ♂; l. R. cf. dieneces dieneces (Hewitson, 1878) ♀.

FIGURE 6. Rapala scintilla scintilla de Nicéville, 1890, with distribution map indicating confirmed occurrences (red) and areas lacking records (gray) in Nepal. a. Male spread specimen from Pahang, Malaysia; b. Female spread specimen from Pahang, Malaysia; c. Male genitalia dorsal view; d. Male genitalia ventral view; e. Male genitalia lateral view; f. Female genitalia, ductus and corpus bursae.