262. Euploea eunice coelestis (The Blue-branded King Crow)

Number: 262

Family: Nymphaliidae

Sub-Family: Danaiinae

Species: Euploea eunice coelestis (Fruhstorfer, [1902])

Common name(s): The Blue-branded King Crow

Photography locations: Cuc Phuong N.P. (Ninh Binh Prov.)

Euploea eunice is known from South China, Taiwan and Indochina south to Indonesia, Borneo and the Philippines. The subsp. coelestris is distributed in the northern and central parts of the Indochina Peninsula.
I didn't yet manage to get images of this species in the field.

Euploea eunice coelestis, male, upperside - voucher specimen from Cuc Phuong (July 2016)
In flight it may be confused with other species having a similar size and blue gloss on the Upf (e.g. E. midamus, E. mulciber, E. sylvester). E. tulliolus has also quite similar Upf wing pattern but is much smaller.

Same specimen, underside

References: Butterflies of Vietnam, Vol. 3: Nymphalidae: Danainae, Amathusiinae (A.L. Monastyrskii, 2011)

261. Euploea tulliolus dehaani (The Dwarf Crow)

Number: 261

Family: Nymphaliidae

Sub-Family: Danaiinae

Species: Euploea tulliolus dehaani Lucas, 1853

Common name(s): The Dwarf Crow

Photography locations: Tam Dao foothills (Vinh Phuc Prov.), Ba Vi N.P. (Hanoi), Hanoi City

Euploea tulliolus is distributed widely from the eastern part of the Southeast Asian mainland and the Malay Peninsula through the Philippines to Papua New Guinea and the eastern coast of Australia.

Subspecies dehaani ranges through Indochina, S.China, Hainan.

This wide-ranging species can be seen in a large variety of forest habitats, at different elevations.

Congregation of E. tulliolus dehaani, one individual with wings fully outstretched (Tam Dao, September 2015)

E. tulliolus is a very small Euploea species (FW longer less than 45mm)

Note FW apex rounded, underside paler brown, spots all white

Euploea tulliolus dehaani on Bidens alba (Hanoi, February 2017)

Same individual, in flight

 E. tulliolus dehaani, female, upperside, voucher specimen from Tam Dao (900m asl)
UpF washed with an iridescent blue or violet colour that invades the white submarginal spots

Same specimen, underside

References:

Butterflies of Vietnam, Vol. 3: Nymphalidae: Danainae, Amathusiinae (A.L. Monastyrskii, 2011)

253. Euploea sylvester harrisii (The Double-branded Blue Crow)

Number: 253

Family: Nymphaliidae

Sub-Family: Danaiinae

Species: Euploea sylvester harrisii C. & R. Felder, [1865]

Common name(s): The Double-branded Blue Crow

Photography location: Cuc Phuong N.P. (Ninh Binh Prov.)

Euploea sylvester is a widespread member of the genus, occurring from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal to S. China, Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, extending south to N.E. Australia and New Caledonia. The subsp. recognized from Vietnam (and also from mainland Southeast Asia + S. China) is E. sylvester harrisi.

The male of Euploea sylvester is unmistakable, having two long parallel brands on the UpF. However in fly, it may be confused with other species having a similar size and blue gloss on the UpF e.g. E. algea, E. mulciber, E. camaralzeman and E. midamus (Monastyrskii, 2011). I didn't yet manage to get images of this species in the field.

Identification of Euploea species from photos is often difficult and very risky, especially if you only got shots of underside. Some species are poorly characterized and sometimes wing pattern show significant differences from one population to another. Comparing shots taken in the field to images on the Internet can be very confusing. That's why I highly recommend to capture specimens for close examination of features and safe identification.
For key to the Vietnamese species of the genus Euploea, see Monastyrskii (2011) - reference below.

 Euploea sylvester harrisii, male, upperside - voucher specimen from Cuc Phuong (July 2016)
Note the two prominent grey brands in mid-space 1b of UpF
Up entirely blue glossed in both sexes

Same specimen, underside

References:

Butterflies of Vietnam, Vol. 3: Nymphalidae: Danainae; Amathusiinae (A.L. Monastyrskii, 2011)

252. Euploea mulciber mulciber (The Striped Blue Crow)

Number: 252

Family: Nymphaliidae

Sub-Family: Danaiinae

Species: Euploea mulciber mulciber (Cramer, [1777])

Common name(s): The Striped Blue Crow

Photography locations: Ba Vi foothills (Hanoi), Tam Dao (Vinh Puc Prov.)

According to Monastyrskii & Devyatkin (2016), 17 Euploea species are currently known in Vietnam viz. modesta, crameri, camaralzeman*, core*, orontobates, algae, swainson, doubledayi, eyndhovii, sylvester*, mulciber*, tulliolus*, phaenareta, midamus*, klugii*, eunice* & radamanthus*, of which 9 have been recorded in the North (*). The species of Euploea can be very difficult to ID based on the underside alone.

The sexually dimorphic Striped Blue Crow is one of the most common Euploea species in my habitual butt hunting grounds. Though not abundant, the adults have been observed in many locations, from pristine forest at Cuc Phuong N.P. to wastelands and urban parks. It is polyphagous and has many larval host plants in the Moraceae, Apocynaceae and Asclepiadaceae families, which explains its broad habitat tolerance (eurytopic species).

Euploea mulciber male resting on a leaf (Tam Dao, May 2016)

UpF dark brown strongly suffused with iridescent blue and with numerous white spots, UpH without submarginal white spots and with a small grey patch in cell (hidden by HW here)

The male can be distinguished from other blue Euploea species by the absence ot the sex brand on the UpF.

Euploea mulciber male nectaring (Ba Vi, December 2016)

The female is easily distinguished from other Euploea species by the numerous long streaks on HW
She appears to be the model for some mimetic Satyrines, notably Penthema darlisa and Elymnias malelas. Among the probable mimics of the males are certain Papilionids (e.g. Chilasa slateri and Ch. paradoxa) and Satyrines (e.g. Elymnias patna, E. malelas and E. casiphone) (Monastyrskii, 2011).

Female sipping nectar from Chromolaena odorata flowers (Ba Vi, December 2016)
The striped HW of the female is probably what gave this species its common English name

Female, upperside, voucher specimen

Nice congregation of Euploea species puddling on a wall (mulciber and tulliolus at least + Tirumala septentrionis)

Close-up on a male E. mulciber

A 5th instar E. mulciber caterpillar

Detailed life history information is available from the following resource: ButterflyCircle Blog (courtesy of Dr. Horace Tan)

References:
Butterflies of Vietnam, Vol. 3: Nymphalidae: Danainae, Amathusiinae (A.L. Monastyrskii, 2011)