Athyma whitei (Tytler, 1940) - Blue-bordered Sergeant

Subspecies in India

No subspecies are listed under this species. The following appear to be synonyms of A. whitei: (1) Athyma zhangi Gu and Wang, 1997, and (2) Athyma minensis Yoshino, 1997 (Inayoshi 2012; Lang 2012). More work, including molecular analysis, is needed before this matter may be resolved.
 

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

Not yet known.

The species was originally described from a single male collected from Fort White (Tytler 1940). Fort White was a military station built in 1889 on the eastern side of the Letha Range of the Chin Hills, midway between the towns of Kale and Tiddim that now compose the Tiddim Township in the Chin State, Myanmar. The species has subsequently been recorded from N. Thailand, S. Vietnam, Hainan and E. China; from the last two localities under the names Athyma zhangi and Athyma minensis, respectively (Inayoshi 2012; Kunte, in prep.). The male photographed on 28 November 2009 from Phura, Mara Autonomous District Council, southern Mizoram, NE India, reported here on 4 November 2012 (BOI media code ag678), is the first Indian record, additing this species to the Indian butterfly fauna.

This species may be easily distinguished from all other Athyma by its prominent greyish-blue borders to the white discal band on the upper side. Female of this species is not yet known.

The species has been recorded sporadically from NE India (Mizoram) to E. China and Hainan, so it is difficult to assess the status of this species. However, the available records (Tytler 1940; Shizuya et al. 2011; Inayoshi 2012; and the Indian record) appear to indicate that the species has multiple broods and it may be encountered practially throughout the year. It inhabits evergreen forests at low- and mid-elevations.

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands UT
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh172
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli UT
Daman & Diu UT
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir UT
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Ladakh UT
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram1
Nagaland
Odisha
Puducherry UT
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total1721

Not yet known.

Inayoshi, Y. 2012. A Check List of Butterflies in Indo-China (chiefly from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam). http://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim1/720640050.html (accessed 3 November 2012).

Kunte, K. In preparation. Butterflies of India. I. A Systematic and Biogeographic Catalogue: Butterfly Diversity and Endemism in India’s Biodiversity Hotspots. Indian Foundation for Butterflies, Bengaluru.

Lang, S.-Y. 2012. The Nymphalidae of China (Lepidoptera, Rhopalocera), Volume 1: Libytheinae, Danainae, Calinaginae, Morphinae, Heliconiinae, Nymphalinae, Charaxinae, Apaturinae, Cyrestinae, Biblidinae, Limenitinae. Vadim Tshikolovets, Ukrain.

Shizuya, H., Y. Watanabe, M. Saito, T. Soe and H. Ozawa. 2011. Basic information on butterflies of Kachin State, Myanmar (Part 4). Butterflies (Teinopalpus), 57:29-45.

Tytler, H. C. 1940. Notes on some new and interesting butterflies chiefly from Burma. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 42:109-123.

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Athyma whitei (Tytler, 1940) – Blue-bordered Sergeant. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/athyma-whitei, accessed 2024/11/06.