Monday 20 July 2015

8. Thauria lathyi lathyi (The Jungleking)

Number: 8
Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-family: Amathusiinae
Species: Thauria lathyi lathyi Fruhstorfer, 1902
Common name(s): The Jungleking
Photography location: Tam Dao (Ving Phuc Prov.), Xuan Son (Phu Tho Prov.)

According to Monastyrskii & Devyatkin (2016), the subfamily Amathusiinae is represented in Vietnam by 10 genera: Faunis (5 species), Aemona (7 species), Stichophtalma (8 species), Amathusia (1 species), Amathuxidia (1 species), Zeuxidia (2 species), Thaumantis (1 species), Thauria (1 species), Discophora (4 species), Enispe (3 species).

T. lathyi is known from southern China, Laos and Vietnam. The type locality is North Vietnam ("Than Moi","Chiem Hoa"). This is a large and very beautiful forest floor-dwelling butterfly.

Thauria lathyi flies slowly and close to the ground, attracted by rooting fruits and tree sap

 Thauria lathyi feeding on rotten fruits (rocks along a stream, Tam Dao, 200m asl) with Stichophthalma suffusa tonkiniana; both were at a well-lighted place, a rare opportunity to take photos without flash of these shade-loving species


FW with a broad white band from mid-costa to tornus, HW dark brown except the apical and tornal portions orange

Old Vietnamese stamp bearing the image of Thauria lathyi

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