Australian Biological Resources Study

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Species Rapala varuna (Horsfield, 1829)

Indigo Flash

Distribution

States

Queensland


Extra Distribution Information

Extralimital distribution—Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Maluku), Papua New Guinea, Oriental Region.


Note that conversion of the original AFD map of states, drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones to IBRA and IMCRA regions may have produced errors. The new maps will be reviewed and corrected as updates occur. The maps may not indicate the entire distribution. See further details below.
IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)
drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones (map not available)

IBRA

Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Gulf Plains (GUP), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Other Regions

Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

  • Australia
    • Queensland: N Gulf, NE coastal
  • Indonesia
    • Irian Jaya
    • Maluku
  • Papua New Guinea

Oriental Region

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Dendrolobium umbellatum (L.) Benth. [FABACEAE] Horse Bush; Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre [FABACEAE] Pongamia Tree; Alphitonia excelsa (A.Cunn. ex Fenzl) Benth. [RHAMNACEAE] Red Ash; Litchi chinensis Sonner. [SAPINDACEAE]; Elaeagnus triflora Wall. ex Roxb. [ELAEAGNACEAE]; Albizia lebbeck (Willd.) Benth. [MIMOSACEAE]; Acacia polystachya Benth. [FABACEAE]).

Extra Ecological Information

Introduced plants include Albizia lebbeck (Mimosaceae), Litchi chinensis (Sapindaceae).

 

Details of nominate subspecies, not present in Australia

Rapala varuna varuna (Horsfield, 1829)

Thecla varuna Horsfield, T. 1829. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Lepidopterous Insects contained in the Museum of the Honourable East-India Company, illustrated by coloured figures of new species and of the metamorphosis of Indian Lepidoptera, with introductory observations on a general arrangement of this order of insects. London : Parbury, Allen and Co. Pt 2 pp. 81–144 pls 5–8 [publication date: Corbet, A.S. 1939. The date of Thomas Horsfield's "A Descriptive Catalogue of the Lepidopterous Insects Contained in the Museum of the Honourable East India Company". Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History 1(7): 196 [196]] [91] [publication date: Corbet, A.S. 1939. The date of Thomas Horsfield's "A Descriptive Catalogue of the Lepidopterous Insects Contained in the Museum of the Honourable East India Company". Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History 1(7): 196].
Type data: lectotype BMNH *; Horsfield in the original description listed one male and two females but did not mention a type.
Subsequent designation: Parsons, M.J. 1998. The Butterflies of Papua New Guinea; their systematics and biology. San Diego : Academic Press 736 pp. [407] (referred to a holotype and gave type information); Edwards, E.D., Newland, J. & Regan, L. 2001. Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. In Wells, A. & Houston, W.W.K. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 31.6. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing, Australia. x 615 pp. (interpret Parson's (1998) reference to a holotype as a lectotype designation (Art. 74, ICZN 1985)).
Type locality: Java (no locality given in original description), see Kirby, W.F. 1871. A Synonymic Catalogue of Diurnal Lepidoptera. London : John van Voorst [vii] 690 pp. [417] (884; gave Java as the locality of origin of this species); Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls [133] (gave Java as the locality of origin for this species); Parsons, M.J. 1998. The Butterflies of Papua New Guinea; their systematics and biology. San Diego : Academic Press 736 pp. [407] (gave the locality on the label of the lectotype as Java).

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
07-Mar-2024 PAPILIONOIDEA 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED Dr Michael Braby
04-Feb-2023 PAPILIONOIDEA 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED Dr Michael Braby (ANU)
13-May-2022 PAPILIONOIDEA 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED Dr Michael Braby
26-Feb-2021 PAPILIONOIDEA 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED Dr Michael Braby
04-Jun-2020 PAPILIONOIDEA 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED Dr Michael Braby
04-Jun-2020 LYCAENIDAE Leach, 1815 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED
06-Sep-2017 PAPILIONOIDEA 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED
06-Sep-2017 LYCAENIDAE 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED Dr Federica Turco (QM)
05-Mar-2013 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED
30-Mar-2012 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED
28-Mar-2012 20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED
20-Jun-2024 MODIFIED