135. Cirrochroa tyche (The Common Yeoman)

Number: 135

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Cirrochroa tyche (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1861)

Common name(s): The Common Yeoman

Photography location: Tam Dao foothills (Vinh Phuc Prov.)

Cirrochroa tyche puddling on wet soil

Underwing pattern

132. Phalanta alcippe alcippoides (The Small Leopard)

Number: 132

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Phalanta alcippe alcippoides (Moore, 1900)

Common name(s): The Small Leopard

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

The genus Phalanta ("Leopards") comprising 6 species, of which 2 are present in the Oriental region - alcippe and phalantha. Both are also present in Vietnam.

Phalanta alcippe is a wide-ranging Indo-Malayan species known from India to Borneo. This is the less common, and smaller, of the two Phalanta species. It is found in forest clearings and forest edges.

Specimen perched on my motorbike during a trip at Cuc Phuong N.P.
Butterflies are often attracted by my sweaty clothes – and here, in Vietnam, you sweat A LOT – but also by my motorbike – an unresolved mystery!

80. Cupha erymanthis erymanthis (The Rustic)

Number: 80

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Cupha erymanthis erymanthis (Drury, 1773)

Common name(s): The Rustic

Photography location: Tam Dao foothills (Vinh Phuc Prov.)

The genus Cupha comprises 9 species, C. erymanthis being the most widespread (from India to Borneo). Two subspecies are known from Vietnam viz. erymanthis and melanodotis - the latter described in 2012 from S.Vietnam (Con Son Is).
Cupha erymanthis is a common species, but its active and skittish nature make it challenging to shoot at close range. Below are my only half-decent shots so far. Hopefully, one day, I will get better shots.

Unmistakable species with “three-banded” FW: black at apical area, ochraceous brown at the basal area with, in between, a pale brownish-yellow discal band containing some dark spots

Cupha erymanthis is a common sight in my butt hunting grounds around Hanoi
and typically seen flying around shrubs and bushes at forest edges

The Rustic is a restless flyer and constantly on the move

79. Terinos atlita (The Large Assyrian)

Number: 79

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Terinos atlita (Fabricius, 1787)

Common name(s): The Large Assyrian

Photography location: Cuc Phuong (Ninh Binh Prov.), Huu Lien N. R. (Lang Son Prov.)

The race present in northern Vietnam is T. atlita miletum Oberthur,1897

Two different individuals from Cuc Phuong, photographed along the main road through the National Park

Male from Huu Lien Nature Reserve, upperside.

Same specimen, underside.

74. Phalanta phalantha phalantha (The Common Leopard)

Number: 74

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species:  Phalanta phalantha phalantha Drury, 1773

Common name(s): The Common Leopard

Photography location : Hanoi

The genus Phalanta ("Leopards") comprising 6 species, of which 2 are present in the Oriental region - alcippe and phalantha. Both are also present in Vietnam.

Phalanta phalantha is the commonest and most widespread member of the genus. It is recorded in the whole of Subsaharan Africa, eastward from India to China and Japan, and south to the Philippines, most of the south-east Asian islands, and northern Australia.

Phalanta phalantha, Hanoi City
This is primarily a butterfly of scrub/woodland habitats, but its migratory nature also takes it to city parks, gardens and many other habitats 

73. Cethosia biblis biblis (The Red Lacewing)

Number: 73

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Cethosia biblis biblis (Drury, 1773)

Common name(s): The Red Lacewing

Photography location: Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc Prov.)

The genus Cethosia (Lacewings") comprises around 14 species, of which 2 are known to occur in Vietnam - biblis and cyane.

Cethosia biblis is a wide ranging species recorded from India to Borneo and north to N/E.China.

Male Cethosia biblis, dorsal view

Underwing is bright reddish-orange, FW black at apical half, with horsehoe-shaped subapical white markings, a series of postdiscal spots and a series of paler submarginal lunules

Male Cethosia biblis, astonishing underwing pattern

Female Cethosia biblis
Upperwing is grayish-brownish with similar markings than male

71. Cethosia cyane cyane (The Leopard Lacewing)

Number: 71

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Cethosia cyane cyane (Drury, 1773)

Common name(s): The Leopard Lacewing

Photography location: Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc Prov.) 

The genus Cethosia (Lacewings") comprises around 14 species, of which 2 are known to occur in Vietnam - biblis and cyane.  

Cethosia cyane ranges from India to Malay Peninsula, S.China.

Male Cethosia cyane visiting a Bidens flower

The male is orange with apical two-thirds of the forewing black with a white and oblique band lying within

Male Cethosia cyane feeding on Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, showing its very nice underwing pattern

A female showing its upperside visiting Lantana flowers
The female is mostly similar but with the orange background replaced with a pale yellowish to whitish coloration, and hindwing endowed with more discal and postdiscal black spots

42. Argyreus hyperbius hyperbius (The Indian Fritillary)

Number: 42

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Argyreus hyperbius hyperbius (Linnaeus, 1763)

Common name(s): The Indian Fritillary

Photography location: Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc Prov.), Huu Lien N.R. (Lang Son Prov.), Hanoi

Female Argyreus hyperbius - much more beautiful that her male counterpart (Tam Dao, July 2016)

Apical half of Up forewing from about the middle of the costa obliquely to just above the tornus blackish, suffused with purple, and crossed by a broad white band

Female, underwings color pattern (Huu Lien, May 2016)

A pristine male Argyreus hyperbius, from Hanoi City, April 2014 (certainly a vagrant/migrant) 

A tattered, faded male, from Ba Vi foothills (December 2016)

Male, close-up on head

39. Vagrans egista sinha (The Vagrant)

Number: 39

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Vagrans egista sinha (Kollar [1844])

Common name(s): The Vagrant

Photography location: Cuc Phuong N.P. (Ninh Binh Prov.), Xuan Son N.P. (Phu Tho Prov.)

Vagrans egista is the only representative of its genus (monotypic genus). It is a wide-ranging species known from India to Australia.

Vagrans egista, Cuc Phuong, July 2014

Vagrans egista, Cuc Phuong, July 2014

Vagrans egista, Xuan Son, August 2016

 Vagrans egista, Hanoi City, October 2015 - photographed in an open small wooded patch in the suburbs
An unexpected visitor, certainly not breed here

Vagrans egista (middle) puddling with Vindula erota (left) and Cirrochroa tyche - Xuan Son, August 2016

38. Acraea issoria issoria (The Yellow Coster)

Number: 38

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Acraea issoria issoria Hübner, 1819

Common name(s): The Yellow Coster

Photography location : Ba Vi N.P. (Hanoi)

In Vietnam, Acraea issoria issoria occurs in the North. Further south (Kon Tum to Lam Dong) it is replaced by A. issoria vestalina (Monastyrskii  & Devyatkin, 2016).
Its close congener A. violae is recorded  from North, Central and South Vietnam.

It is a very poor flyer and generally remains at rest on leaves and branches

Female laying eggs, December 2016

Acraea issoria larvae (found in abundance at Sa Pa on January 2016)

The Yellow Coster belongs to the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Heliconiinae. The butterflies of this subfamily are characterised by a perfectly flat hindwing and by having the cells of both wings closed by tubular veins.
Their behaviour is sluggish, and, like the Danainae, they have a leathery body and are tenacious of life. They frequently exhibit Mullerian mimicry and serve as models for Batesian mimics from other families. The subfamily is strongly represented in the Ethiopian region, less so in the Neotropical Region, and is weakly represented in the Oriental and Australiasian Regions.

37. Vindula erota erota (The Common Cruiser)

Number: 37

Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae

Species: Vindula erota erota (Fabricius, 1793)

Common name(s): The Common Cruiser

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

The genus Vindula is represented in Vietnam by 2 species – erota and dejone (Monastyrskii & Devyatkin, 2016). The former is recorded throughout the country, the latter from central and south regions only.

The gorgeously coloured Vindula erota is one of the most familiar species in the Oriental region, but it is only the male which has the dazzling orange wings - like all members of the genus Vindula this species is sexually dimorphic.

A mud-puddling male Vindula erota, showing its bright orange upperwings (Cuc Phuong, July 2014)

Another male specimen, from Cuc Phuong also

Female Vindula erota, dry season form, nectaring on Lantana flowers in a Hanoi's park on April 26, 2013 (certainly a migrant/vagrant)

The females tend to keep more to the canopy of woodland and are much less often encountered than the males

Congregation of puddling butterflies in Cuc Phuong, with Vidula erota and 3 species of Cyrestis (C. themire, C. thyodamas and C. cocles)


 Vindula erota with Cyrestis cocles

Vindula erota (left) with Vagrans egista and Cirrochroa tyche