Tuesday 31 January 2017

243. Tirumala limniace limniace (The Blue Tiger)

Number: 243
Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Danaiinae
Species: Tirumala limniace limniace (Cramer, [1775])
Common name(s): The Blue Tiger
Photography location: Cuc Phuong N.P. (Ninh Binh Prov.)

Monastyrskii & Devyatkin (2016) listed 3 Tirumala species from Vietnam - septentrionis, limniace and gautama, the former two widespread throughout the country, the latter recorded from the center (Quang Binh Prov.) and south.

Tirumala limniace is similar to T. septentrionalis, but with broader and paler blue streaks as well as spots. T. gautama can be easily separated from the latter two by the FW discal cell with an additional blue streak along the anterior margin.
These 3 Tirumala species resemble Ideopsis vulgaris and I. similis in wing pattern and style of flight, and thus can be easily confused at first glance.

Tirumala limniace, Cuc Phuong, August 2015
The absence of a scent scale pouch (at vein 2 on HW) indicates that it is a female

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