On the origin of the recent fauna of butterflies (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera) of Vietnam

The Biogeography of the Butterfly Fauna of Vietnam With a Focus on the Endemic Species (Lepidoptera)

“…The massif includes southern ridges of the Yunnan Mountains with peaks reaching 3,000 m and above. The butterfly species composition of the Hoang Lien Son massif and the butterfly range structure in this area are distinctive and significantly differ from the populations of the other regions of the Indochinese Peninsula (Monastyrskii, 2007(Monastyrskii, , 2010a…”

“…Twenty species have not been recorded outside of this mountain region so far. Additionally, several other species show distinct subspecific differences on the plateau(Monastyrskii, 2010a). The Da Lat endemics show a diversity of phylogenetic relationships with representatives of other biogeographic regions.The endemic swallowtail Chilasa imitata, nymphalids Euthalia hoa, E. strephonida, Phaedyma armariola, Neptis transita, and lycaenids Euaspa minaei and Shirozuozephyrus alienus (Fig.…”

An illustrated checklist of the genus Elymnias Hübner, 1818 (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)

“…A variety of sources were used to infer the distribution maps that we provide, including museum data, taxonomic and other publications (Aoki et al 1982; Braby 2000; Ek-Amnuay 2012; Hanafusa 2001; Inayoshi 2017; Monastyrskii 2004; 2005; Okubo 2010; Parsons 2000; Saito and Koshi 2012; Suzuki 2006; Tateishi 2001; Treadaway and Schroeder 2012; Uémura and Kitamura 2001; Vane-Wright and de Jong 2003). The majority of Elymnias taxa were described when most of South and Southeast Asia were colonized by European countries, and many of the type locality names given in the species descriptions have changed since colonial times.…”

“…However, Fruhstorfer’s taxonomic treatment relied entirely on comparisons of wing shape and color pattern; he did not examine genitalia. After this work, a few additional publications provide regional checklists with images of adults, including: Aoki and Uémura (1982), D’Abrera (1985), Pinratana (1988), Corbet et al (1992), Osada et al (1999), Chou (2000), Monastyrskii (2005), Ek-Amnuay (2012), Treadaway and Schroeder (2012), and Inayoshi (2017). These works, together with G. Lamas’ catalog of butterfly names established the taxonomic groundwork for the genus.…”

“…Besides the female form mimicking Danaus chrysippus (or D. genutia ), there is another female form with whitish hindwings (the forms obfuscata and paraleuca ) that possibly mimics either D. melanippus or D. affinis in Thailand and Vietnam. Since the current subspecies classification has been adopted by local guidebooks and other publications for so long (Corbet et al 1992; Ek-Amnuay 2012; Monastyrskii 2005; Pinratana 1988), we do not propose any nomenclatural change prior to a thorough phylogenetic/population genetics study based dense sampling of the entire region is completed. …”