Rapala tara, de Nice, 1889

10. R. tara de Nice View in CoL ́ville, [1889] Figs 1k View FIGURE 1 , 12 View FIGURE 12

Rapala tara de Nicéville, [1889] : 284

Type locality: Sylhet ( India)

Common Name: Assam Flash

Material Examined: NEPAL. Bagmati Province. Lalitpur . Godavari , 21.x. 1970, 1495 m, leg. C.P. Smith ( ANHM, 1♀) . Gandaki Province. Kaski . Dhampus , 3.viii.1990, 1100 m, leg. C.P. Smith ( ANHM, 1♀) . Koshi Province. Taplejung . Chilauni , 7.vii. 1996, 1530 m, leg. C.P. Smith ( ANHM, 1♂) . INDIA. Meghalaya. Khasi Hills , leg. Le Moult, MGCL 1201232 , Genitalic Vial KW-24-91 ( MGCL, 1♂) ( Fig. 12a View FIGURE 12 ); same locality, vi.1938, MGCL 1201233 , Genitalic Vial KW-24-109 ( MGCL, 1♀) ( Fig. 12b View FIGURE 12 ) .

Wingspan: 33–41 mm ( Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Diagnosis ( Figs 12a, 12b View FIGURE 12 ): Rapala tara can be distinguished from its congeners in Nepal by the presence of a discal black brand on the male’s forewing dorsally, similar to that of Hypolycaena erylus (Godart, [1824]) , set against a brilliant blue background. The female is dull brownish purple above. Ventrally, it differs from similar yellow or ochraceous congeners by its hindwing postdiscal band, which is widely broken in spaces 2 and 3 and gets very wide in space 1. Males are ochraceous ventrally while females are deep yellow.

Male Genitalia ( Figs 12c–12e View FIGURE 12 ): Aedeagus vesica with a large longitudinal cleft in the middle; valvae short and slender with apices narrowed; cleft between the valvae less than half the length of the valval plate.

Female Genitalia ( Fig. 12f View FIGURE 12 ): Anterior apophysis very short and stubby; ductus bursae short and wide with base narrowed and distal end enlarged and convex; corpus bursae with a short longitudinal signum on either side bearing minute spines laterally on the inside, and a wide patch of signum connected to the base of ductus bursae.

Biology: Not known.

Natural History: Adults are typically found in forests, streams, and gardens ( Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Variation: In some individuals, the bands may be slightly wider.

Phenology in Nepal: March to November ( Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Elevation: 850– 1,650 m ( Smith 1994; Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).

Distribution on the Indian Subcontinent: East Uttarakhand in India eastward to Nepal with disjunct records, northeastern India, Bhutan, and northeastern Bangladesh ( Van Gasse 2018).

Distribution in Nepal: Sudurpaschim Province (excluding the Terai districts), Pokhara Valley, Kathmandu Valley, and Koshi Province (excluding the Terai districts) ( Van der Poel & Smetacek 2022).