Arhopala


Arhopala is a very large genus of gossamer-winged butterflies. They are the type genus of the tribe Arhopalini. In the relatively wide circumscription used here, it contains over 200 species collectively known as oakblues. They occur from Japan throughout temperate to tropical Asia south and east of the Himalayas to Australia and the Solomon Islands of Melanesia. Like many of their relatives, their caterpillars are attended and protected by ants. Sexual dichromatism is often prominent in adult oakblues.
The genus' delimitation versus Amblypodia and Flos has proven to be problematic; not all issues are resolved and the assignment of species to these genera must be considered somewhat provisional.

Systematics

As circumscribed here, this genus includes many formerly independent genera. Junior synonyms of Arhopala are:Acesina Moore, 1884Aurea Evans, 1957Daranasa Moore, 1884 Darasana Moore, 1884
  • "Iois" Doherty, 1899 Narathura Moore, 1879Nilasera Moore, 1881Panchala Moore, 1882Satadra Moore, 1884
The species have been provisionally sorted into groups of presumed closest relatives, but many species remain insufficiently studied even for such a preliminary assessment at present. For example, A. phryxus - the type species used by Jean Baptiste Boisduval when he described Arhopala in 1832 - was established at the same time as and specifically for this genus. It is considered to be a valid species of unclear affiliations, but it is suspected that Boisduval's taxon is a junior synonym of A. thamyras - the namesake of its species group - which had been described as Papilio thamyras by Carl Linnaeus already in 1764.
Molecular phylogenetic studies have only sampled a fraction of the known diversity of oakblues, but as it seems at least some of the groups represent clades that could justifiably be treated as subgenera. It is also to be seen, however, if the genus is monophyletic in the loose sense as used here, or would need to be split up again.

Species

Species are listed alphabetically, while the groups are listed in the presumed phylogenetic sequence:

centaurus group Arhopala acronArhopala adherbal Grose-Smith, 1902Arhopala admete Arhopala aexone Arhopala alkisthenes Fruhstorfer, 1914Arhopala amantes - large oakblueArhopala anderArhopala araxes C. & R.Felder, Arhopala azeniaArhopala centaurus - centaur oakblue, dull oakblueArhopala eucolpisArhopala eurisusArhopala kirwinii Bethune-Baker, 1903Arhopala leander Arhopala madytus - bright oakblueArhopala meander Boisduval, 1832Arhopala micaleArhopala philander C. & R.Felder, Arhopala sophrosyneArhopala styxArhopala wanda
agesias groupArhopala agesias Arhopala ijanensis Bethune-Baker, 1897 Arhopala kinabala Druce, 1895Arhopala similis Druce, 1895
anthelus group Arhopala achelous Arhopala antharita Grose-Smith, 1894Arhopala anthelus - anthelus bushblueArhopala auxesiaArhopala aedias Arhopala hypomuta
camdeo groupcamdeo subgroupArhopala anarte - magnificent oakblueArhopala belphoebe Doherty, 1889Arhopala camdana Corbet, 1941Arhopala camdeo - lilac oakblueArhopala dispar Riley & Godfrey, 1921Arhopala hayashihisakazui Seki & Treadaway, 2013Arhopala hellada Fruhstorfer, 1914Arhopala johoreana Corbet, 1941Arhopala opalina - opal oakblueArhopala semperi Bethune-Baker, 1896Arhopala varro Fruhstorfer, 1914myrzala subgroupArhopala bazaloides - Tamil oakblueArhopala myrzala Arhopala myrzalina Corbet, 1941
oenea groupArhopala allata
epimuta groupArhopala atosia Arhopala epimuta Arhopala lurida Corbet, 1941
amphimuta groupamphimuta subgroup
agesilaus groupArhopala agesilaus Arhopala avatha de Nicéville, Arhopala democritus
alitaeus groupArhopala aida de Nicéville, 1889Arhopala alitaeusArhopala ariana Arhopala arianaga Corbet, 1941Arhopala denta Arhopala elopura Druce, 1894Arhopala havilandi Bethune-Baker, 1896Arhopala pseudomuta Arhopala sintanga Corbet, 1948
agrata groupArhopala ace de Nicéville, - Tytler's oakblueArhopala agrata - de Niceville's oakblueArhopala azinis de Nicéville,
cleander groupcleander subgroup
eumolphus groupArhopala acta Arhopala asmaArhopala bazalus - powdered oakblueArhopala chamaeleona Bethune-Baker, 1903Arhopala corinda Arhopala critalaArhopala eumolphus - green oakblueArhopala florindaArhopala hellenore Doherty, 1889 - Doherty's green oakblueArhopala horsfieldiArhopala irma Fruhstorfer, 1914Arhopala nobilis Arhopala overdijkinki Corbet, 1941Arhopala pagenstecheriArhopala tameanga Bethune-Baker, 1896Arhopala wildei
rama groupArhopala arvina - purple-brown tailless oakblueArhopala buddha Bethune-Baker, 1903Arhopala paralea - glazed oakblueArhopala rama - dark Himalayan oakblue
agelastus groupArhopala agelastus Arhopala alaconia Arhopala alesia - pallid oakblueArhopala barami Bethune-Baker, 1903Arhopala cardoni Corbet, 1941Arhopala epimete Arhopala labuana Bethune-Baker, 1896Arhopala wildeyana Corbet, 1941
fulla groupArhopala disparilisArhopala fulla - spotless oakblue
aurea group Arhopala aurea Arhopala borneensis Bethune-Baker, 1896Arhopala caeca Arhopala stinga Arhopala trogon
ganesa group Arhopala ammon - Malayan oakblueArhopala ammonides Arhopala ariel Arhopala elizabethae Arhopala ganesa - tailless bushblueArhopala paraganesa - dusky bushblueArhopala tomokoae
abseus groupArhopala abseus - aberrant oakblue, aberrant bushblueArhopala anella de Nicéville,
thamyras groupArhopala artaArhopala axinaArhopala axiotheaArhopala doreenaArhopala helianthesArhopala thamyras
hercules groupArhopala hercules Arhopala herculina Staudinger, 1888Arhopala leoArhopala sophilusArhopala tyrannus

Incertae sedis
Arhopala aberrans - pale bushblueArhopala acetesArhopala aeeta de Nicéville, Arhopala alax - silky oakblueArhopala alexandrae Schröder & Treadaway, 1978Arhopala anamuta Semper, 1890Arhopala annulata Arhopala argentea Staudinger, 1888Arhopala aronya Arhopala arsenius Arhopala asinarus C. & R.Felder, Arhopala asopia - plain tailless oakblueArhopala atrax - dark broken-band oakblue, Indian oakblue Arhopala bella Bethune-Baker, 1896Arhopala birmana - Burmese bushblueArhopala brooksiana Corbet, 1941Arhopala canaraica Arhopala comica de Nicéville, 1900 - comic oakblueArhopala curiosa Arhopala davaona Semper, 1890Arhopala dodonaea - pale Himalayan oakblueArhopala dohertyi Bethune-Baker, 1903Arhopala ellisi Evans, 1914 - Ellis's bushblueArhopala eridanusArhopala grandimuta Seki, 1993Arhopala halmaArhopala halmaheiraArhopala hellenoroides Chou & Gu, 1994Arhopala hesba Arhopala hinigugma Takanami, 1985Arhopala hylanderArhopala ilocana Osada & Hashimoto, 1987Arhopala irregularis Bethune-Baker, 1903Arhopala japonica - Japanese oakblueArhopala lata Arhopala luzonensis Takanami & Ballantine, 1987Arhopala matsutaroi Arhopala mindanensisArhopala mizunumaiArhopala myrtha Arhopala nakamotoiArhopala nicevillei Bethune-Baker, 1903Arhopala ocrida Arhopala ormistoni - Ormiston's oakblueArhopala pabihiraArhopala paramuta - hooked oakblueArhopala phryxus Boisduval, 1832Arhopala pseudovihara Arhopala qiongdaoensis Chou & Gu, 1994Arhopala quercoidesArhopala rudepoema Seki, Arhopala sakaguchii Arhopala sangira Bethune-Baker, 1897Arhopala schroederiArhopala siabraArhopala simoni Schröder & Treadaway, 1999Arhopala singla - yellow-disk oakblueArhopala staudingeri Semper, 1890Arhopala straatmaniArhopala tephlisArhopala theba Arhopala tindongani Nuyda & Takanami, 1990Arhopala trionaea Semper, 1890 Arhopala weeliiArhopala zeta