Id need confirmation.

[ButterflyWitch]

Good evening Dr. Seow Sir
The genus Lexias is very difficult for me. Please guide me, how can I differentiate these three species.... Lexias cyanipardus, Lexias dirtea and Lexias pardalis.

This individual has orange antennal tips, without thorax spots. Forwing apex with white spot. Is it Lexias cyanipardus?
28590

Is it Lexias dirtea (female)?
28591

Thank you in advance...:)

[Psyche]

These three species have been much confused & mis IDed.
They also varies from region to region.

Firstly the word 'tip' refers to the tapering end of a part, not just the very edge.
For example the fingertip refers to the first joint, the tip of an iceberg juts out of the water.
You do not need a magnifying glass to see the tip.
This butterfly is called the Great Orange Tip.
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/pie/20910001.html

Lexias pardalis jadeitina.
The upper third of the antennal club is orange which extends all round & merged with underside of the club which is all orange.
There are said to be variation in which the orange is rather darkish.
Note the extend of the orange in the fieldshots.
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim2/722160020.html
https://wingscales.com/Nymphalidae/Lexias-pardalis-jadeitina
Sideview of ssp dirteana, Singapore showing the orange encircling the club.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/395676640/original.jpeg
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/417538530/original.jpeg
Single Indian example.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/node/141884

Lexias dirtea khasiana.
Viewed from above the antennal tip is all black.
Some variation have slight orange leak from the edges.
The underside of the club have a variable amount of orange ;if small the club may appear all black.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/274_7942-165-55dcdf624d06b-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/274_7942-165-55dcdf624d06b-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/287_58552-673-5ec9538de5917-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/287_58552-673-5ec9538de5917-2.jpg

Showing antennal club's orange underside.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/1514_61466-282-5efb2f4faa588-1.jpg

Female.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/95_80725-170-60793342e1b1c-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/118_82048-261-60929381a6e6d-2.jpg


Lexias cyanipardus cyanipardus.Best IDed by the underside.
Antennal club all black.
Male with FW marginal band reduced mostly to a submarginal series of triangles (corrected).
Underside shaded grey-brown with white spots.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/01LexiasCyanipardus_RohanLovalekar_ab116.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/LexiasCyanipardus_MilindBhakare_ar234.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/LexiasCyanipardus_MilindBhakare_ar233.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/LexiasCyanipardus_MilindBhakare_ar234.jpg

Female with the HW submarginal spots ringed bluish & most of the spots are blue-tinged.
UnH greyish blue with whitish spots.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/622_81377-843-607bd21fc050f-1.jpg

MisIDed female.
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/1554_64232-235-5f32a73fe789f-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/1554_64232-235-5f32a73fe789f-1.jpg
Compare other ssp.
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim2/722130010.html


So 1 looks correct as male Lexias cyanipardus. Correction: 1 is Lexias dirtea male.
2 is correct as female Lexias dirtea.

L. pardalis seem to be rare in India.


TL Seow : Cheers.

[Psyche]

Correction.
The first is a male Lexias dirtea.

The spots on the FW are yellowish brown.

In Lexias cyanipardus the FW spots are white & bluish-white.


TL Seow: Cheers.

[Psyche]

Review.

The appearance of 1 is rather like a male L. cyanipardus so i thought it better to crosscheck it properly.

The males of L. dirtea & L. cyanipardus can readily be identified from the undersides.

L. dirtea ...orange brown with ochreous spots.
L. cyanpardus .darkish greybrown with white spots.

The FW marginal band & the apical white spot are variable, & not really helpful.


The two have been often confused.

L. dirtea khasiana
Confirmed males with UnH ID.

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/97_637-14-543b4f909045a-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/97_637-14-543b4f909045a-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/287_58552-673-5ec9538de5917-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/287_58552-673-5ec9538de5917-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/233_4678-165-55099196ca02d-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/233_4678-165-55099196ca02d-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/233_8717-535-56191fa3c7a85-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/233_8717-535-56191fa3c7a85-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/274_7942-165-55dcdf624d06b-2.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/274_7942-165-55dcdf624d06b-1.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/LexiasDirtea_KrushnameghKunte_aq008.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/02LexiasDirtea_KrushnameghKunte_ai483.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/01LexiasDirtea_KrushnameghKunte_ag529.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/LexiasDirtea_KrushnameghKunte_ag530.jpg
Other subspecies.
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim2/722140010.html
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim2/722140020.html

L. dirtea UpF typically have few spots which are beige or ochreous.



Lexias cyanipardus cyanipardus.
Confirmed males.

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/93_81489-448-607d7eea8d8b5-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/93_81489-448-607d7eea8d8b5-2.jpg

https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/95_80722-74-607932df89a1a-1.jpg
https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/95_80722-74-607932df89a1a-2.jpg

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21359293
Other subspecies.
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim2/722130010.html

L cyanipardus typically have many UpF spots which are white to bluish.

Many mis-Id on the web.

eg UpF with few spots; UnH IDed it as L. dirtea.
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/11380032#data_quality_assessment

1 is very similar to this confirmed male L. dirtea except having more UpF spots.
1.https://www.butterflycircle.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28590&d=1725017376
Confirmed male L. dirtea. https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sites/default/files/287_58552-673-5ec9538de5917-2.jpg

Added.
In L cyanipardus FW marginal band is reduced to a series of triangular marks. In L. dirtea khasiana the marks are lunulate.


TL Seow: Cheers.