Elymnias

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Cladus: Obtectomera
Superfamilia: Papilionoidea

Familia: Nymphalidae
Subfamilia: Satyrinae
Tribus: Elymniini
Subtribus: Elymniina
Genus: Elymnias
Species: E. agondas – E. bammakoo – E. beza – E. casiphone – E. casiphonides – E. ceryx – E. congruens – E. cottonis – E. cumaea – E. cybele – E. dara – E. detanii – E. esaca – E. haterti – E. hewitsoni – E. hicetas – E. holofernes – E. hypermnestra – E. kamara – E. kanekoi – E. kuenstleri – E. luteofasciata – E. malelas – E. melias – E. mimalon – E. miyagawai – E. nelsoni – E. nesaea – E. panthera – E. papua – E. paradoxa – E. patna – E. peali – E. pellucida – E. penanga – E. sangira – E. sansoni – E. saola – E. tamborana – E. vasudeva – E. vitellia

Name

Elymnias Hübner, 1818.

Type species: Elymnias jynx Hübner, 1818, Vol 1: 12.
Synonymy

Didonis Hübner, [1819]: 17. (TS: Papilio vitellia Stoll, 1781), by selection of Scudder (1875).
Dyctis Boisduval, 1832: 138. (TS: Dyctis agondas Boisduval, 1832).
Agrusia Moore, 1894: 169. (TS: Melanitis esaca Westwood, 1851).
Bruasa Moore, 1894: 164. (TS: Melanitis penanga Westwood, 1851).
Melynias Moore, 1894: 156. (TS: Papilio lais Cramer, [1777]).
Mimadelias Moore, 1894: 165. (TS: Elymnias vasudeva Moore, 1858).
Elymniopsis Fruhstorfer, 1907: 173. (TS: Papilio phegea Fabricius, 1793). Synonymised by Hemming, 1943.

References

Aoki, T. & Uémura, Y. 1982. Descriptions of new species and new subspecies of South-east Asian Diurnal Lepidoptera belonging to the Family Satyridae, with some taxonomie notes. Memoirs of the Tsukada Collection 4: 1–64. Reference page.
Abang, F. ; C.G. Treadaway & H.G. Schroeder, 2004: A contribution to the butterfly fauna of the Island of Balambangan (Malaysia, Sabah) (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Futao 47: 6–13.
Boisduval, J.B. 1832. Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe (etc). Faune entomologique de l'Ocean Pacifique (etc). Part 1. Lépidoptères. Paris. J Tastu, 267pp, Pls. 1–12. Reference page.
Hanafusa, H. 1993: A new subspecific name to Elymnias panthera Fabricius. Futao 13: 8.
Hanafusa, H. 1994: Ten new butterflies from Indonesia and Laos (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae, Satyridae, Nymphalidae). Futao 16: 16–20.
Hanafusa, H. 1994: Eight new butterflies from Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae, Pieridae, Satyridae, Nymphalidae, Riodinidae). Futao 17: 18–23.
Hanafusa, H. 2001: A new subspecies of Elymnias panthera (Fabricius, 1787) from Redang Island, Malaysia (Lepidoptera : Satyridae). Futao 37: 14.
Hanafusa, H. 2005: A new subspecies of Elymnias haterti (Honrath, 1889) from Sumatra Isl., Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae). Futao 49: 11.
Jumalon, J.N. 1975. New Philippine butterflies. Tyô to Ga 26 (2): 45-66. pdf. Reference page.
Hübner, J. 1808–1837. Zuträge zur Sammlung Exotischer Schmettelinge. Augsburg, 5 volumes, also by Geyer after Hübner's death. Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5. 172 plates. Reference page.
Hübner, J. 1816. Verzeichniß bekannter Schmettlinge 1: 1–16. BHL Reference page.
Hübner, J. 1819. Verzeichniß bekannter Schmettlinge 2–11: 17–176. BHL Reference page.
Lohman, D.J., Sarino & Peggie, D. 2020. Syntopic Elymnias agondas aruana female forms mimic different Taenaris model species (Papilionoidea: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) on Aru, Indonesia. Treubia 47(1): 1–12. Reference page.
Medicielo, M.M. & H. Hanafusa 1994: Descriptions of five new butterflies from Philippines and Indonesia with some revisional notes (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae, Satyridae, Riodinidae). Futao 15: 16–19.
Monastyrskii, A.L. 2004: Two new species of Nymphalidae (Satyrinae) from Vietnam (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Atalanta 35 (1-2): 45–49.
Monastyrskii, A.L.; Devyatkin, A.L. 2003: New taxa and new records of butterflies from Vietnam, 2 (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Atalanta 34 (1/2): 75–109.
Moore, F., 1893–1896. Lepidoptera Indica Vol. 2. Rhopalocera: Nymphalidae: Satyrini (cont. ), Elymniinae, Amathusiinae, Nymphalinae (Charaxina). 274pp, pls 95-190. BHL text, plates. Reference page.
Okubo, K. 2010: A new species of Elymnias Hubner, 1818 (Lepidoptea, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) from Sumbawa Island, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia and a record of E. vitellia viminalis Wallace, 1869. The Lepidopterological Society of Japan 60(4): 255–258. Abstract: [1].
Saito, K.; Kishi, K. 2012: Description of a new species of Elymnias (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) from Central Vietnam: Butterflies (Teinopalpus) 62: 4–6.
Suzuki, K.M. 2006: A new subspecies of Elymnias cottonis Hewitson from Little Andaman Is., India (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae). Futao 52: 13.
Tateishi, U. 2001: A review of Elymnias esaca Westwood with descriptions of four new subspecies from South East Asia (Lepidoptera: Satyridae). Futao 39: 13–19.
Tsukada, E. & Nishiyama, Y., 1980. On some species of butterflies from Indonesia and the Philippines with the description of new species and new subspecies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Memoirs of the Tsukada Collection 2: 1-23. Reference page.
Wei, C-H., Lohman, D.J., Peggie, D. & Yen, S-H. 2017. An illustrated checklist of the genus Elymnias Hübner, 1818 (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae). ZooKeys 676: 47—152. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.676.12579. Reference page.

The palmflies are a common Asian butterfly genus found from India to the Solomon Islands. The caterpillars mimic leaves which they feed on. The adults mimic certain species (for example: E. cumaea looks like Melanitis leda).
Elymnias caudata

Species

Listed alphabetically.[2]

Elymnias agondas (Boisduval, 1832) – palmfly
Elymnias amoena Tsukada & Nishiyama, 1979
Elymnias beza (Hewitson, 1877)
Elymnias brookei Shelford, 1904
Elymnias casiphone Geyer, [1827]
Elymnias casiphonides Semper, 1892
Elymnias caudata Butler, 1871
Elymnias ceryx (Boisduval, 1836)
Elymnias congruens Semper, 1887
Elymnias cottonis (Hewitson, 1874)
Elymnias cumaea C. & R. Felder, [1867]
Elymnias cybele (C. & R. Felder, 1860)
Elymnias dara Distant & Pryer, 1887
Elymnias detanii Aoki & Uémura, 1982
Elymnias esaca (Westwood, 1851)
Elymnias harterti Honrath, 1889
Elymnias hewitsoni Wallace, 1869 – Hewitson's palmfly
Elymnias hicetas Wallace, 1869
Elymnias holofernes (Butler, 1882)
Elymnias hypermnestra (Linnaeus, 1763) – common palmfly
Elymnias kamara Moore, [1858]
Elymnias kanekoi Tsukada & Nishiyama, 1980
Elymnias kuenstleri Honrath, [1885]
Elymnias lise (Hemming, 1960)
Elymnias luteofasciata Okubo, 1980
Elymnias malelas (Hewitson, 1863)
Elymnias melias (C. & R. Felder, 1863)
Elymnias mimalon (Hewitson, 1861)
Elymnias nelsoni Corbet, 1942
Elymnias nepheronides Fruhstorfer, 1907
Elymnias nesaea (Linnaeus, 1764) – tiger palmfly
Elymnias obnubila Marshall & de Nicéville, 1883
Elymnias panthera (Fabricius, 1787) – tawny palmfly
Elymnias papua Wallace, 1869
Elymnias paradoxa Staudinger, 1894
Elymnias patna (Westwood, 1851) – blue-striped palmfly
Elymnias pealii Wood-Mason, 1883 – Peal's palmfly
Elymnias pellucida Fruhstorfer, 1895
Elymnias penanga (Westwood, 1851) – pointed palmfly
Elymnias sangira Fruhstorfer, 1899
Elymnias singhala Moore, [1875] – Ceylon palmfly
Elymnias tamborana Okubo, 2010
Elymnias vasudeva Moore, 1857 – Jezebel palmfly
Elymnias vitellia (Stoll, [1781])

Formerly in Elymnias:

Elymniopsis bammakoo Westwood, 1851 – African palmfly

Mimicry

Several species are mimics:

Taenaris catops – E. agondas
Euploea mulciber – E. kuenstleri
Danaus chrysippus – E. hypermnestra
Idea leuconoe – E. kuenstleri
Delias pasithoe – E. esaca
Parantica melaneus – E. ceryx