98. Tajuria cippus malcolmi (The Peacock Royal)

Number: 98

Family: Lycaeniidae
Sub-Family: Thecliinae

Species: Tajuria cippus malcolmi Riley & Godfrey,1925

Common name(s): The Peacock Royal

Photography location: Cuc Phuong N.P. (Ninh BinhProv.)

Monastyrskii & Devyatkin (2016) listed 12 Tajuria species currently known in Vietnam viz. luculenta, mantra, maculata, megistia, cippus, albiplaga, diaeus, shigehoi, yajna, sekii, ister, illurgis.

Tajuria cippus ranges from India to Indonesia, southern China. It is represented in Vietnam by 2 subspecies: T. c. cippus (Central VN – Thua Thien Hue and Lam Dong Prov.) and T. c. malcolmi (North – Ha Giang, Tam Dao).   

Tajuria cippus malcolmi is known from N.Vietnam, Hainan, Hong Kong, S.China. Apparently this is the first record in Cuc Phuong.

A worn female Tajuria cippus malcolmi (Cuc Phuong, June 2014)

This specimen was caught to examine its upperwings color pattern, which allowed me to clinch the ID
Note the lunuled postdiscal spots on HW