Male (Fig. 1): Fore-wing length 12 mm. Upperside: Fore-wing entirely blackish-brown. Hind-wing blackish-brown with oval orange patch on the costal margin. The lower part of hind-wing iridescent blue, with two black spots surrounded by whitish lines distally in spaces 2 and 1b. Tails blackish with white tips. Underside: Both wings greyish-white with scattered irregular dark markings. Fore-wing with large greyish sub-quadrilateral apical spot; outer marginal area from veins M3 to 2A pale orange, with three dark parallel wavy striae narrowly developed. Two basal spots in the discocell and a small dark spot distinctly developed within the space 1b proximally. Hind-wing whitish, with delicate dark spots and stripes. The greyish apical spot large, with scattered wavy striae; five irregular spots present in tornal area; dark markings at the ends of both discocells strongly developed as parallel wavy striae; two tornal spots in spaces 2 and 1a, with light bluish scales in spaces 1a, 1b and 2.

Figure 1.  

Male of Drupadia scaeva (Hewitson, 1869) collected in Menglun Township, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China.

Male genitalia (Fig. 2): Highly sclerotised. Ring straight of moderate width; tegumen extends into two triangular-shaped long lobes, elongated as flattened tips distally in the lateral view. Valve triangulate, rather elongated distally with a slightly curved pointed tip. Aedeagus rather strong, dorsally curved with a radian in the lateral view. Juxta small, round disc-shaped in posterior view.

Figure 2.  

Male genitalia of D. scaeva: A. entire genitalia (except aedeagus); B. lateral view of ring and tegumen; C. dorsal view of tegumen; D. ventral view of valves; E. lateral view of aedeagus; F. posterior view of juxta.

Myanmar; Thailand; Singapore; India; Bhutan; Laos; Vietnam; China (new record)

We tentatively identified specimens collected in this study as ssp. cooperi, with the bluish scales in the centre of fore-wings absent and a relatively limited violet area on hind-wings.

Male (Fig. 3): Fore-wing length 13 mm. Upperside: Both wings shiny royal blue, fore-wing with veins black partly suffused with blue scales. Black border broadening at apex rather developed, from costal to tornal angle with most parts of space 2 blackish and space 3 completely blackish. Hind-wing ground colour as in fore-wing with costal margin pale brownish and extremely narrow blackish border; tails blackish with white tips; orange spot about 1/3 of tornal lobe or less, with caudal portion greyish. Underside: Pale greyish-brown, with narrow dark brownish post-discal striae almost parallel to outer margins on both wings. Dark markings at ends of both discocells absent. Tornus of hind-wing grey, with distinct black spots in spaces 2 and 1a crowned by prominent orange proximally.

Figure 3.  

Tajuria sekii sisyphus ssp. nov., (Holotype, male).

Male genitalia (Fig. 4): Highly sclerotised. Ring straight and broad in width, extends into two falx-shaped lobes distally; tegumen broad and short, with two lobes, a pair of blunt teeth with long setae in dorsal view and truncated end in lateral view. Valve quadrilateral, elongated distally with pointed tip covered by long sparse setae. Aedeagus slender and ventrally curved in the middle. Juxta hoof-shaped in posterior view.

Figure 4.  

Male genitalia of T. sekii sisyphus ssp. nov.: A. entire genitalia (except aedeagus); B. lateral view of ring and tegumen; C. ventral view of valves; D. lateral view of aedeagus; E. dorsal view of tegumen; F. posterior view of juxta.

Female (Fig. 5): Fore-wing length 13 mm. Resembles male, but with blue area relatively more reduced and wing shape broader and more rounded, hind-wing with tornal black spot in space 2.

Figure 5.  

Tajuria sekii sisyphus ssp. nov., (Paratype, female).

Tajuria sekii sisyphus ssp. nov. can be distinguished from the nominotypical subspecies by the combination of the following characteristics: 1) Blue areas of both sexes are more reduced, especially in female, 2) Hindwing with tornal black spot in space 2 on the upperside of females, while absent in nominotypical subspecies and 3) Compared to the nominotypical subspecies, females of the new subspecies with both wings broader and more rounded.

The subspecies name is derived from the name of a man in Greek mythology, who also appears in The Myth of Sisyphus. The process of scientific research is just like the act of rolling the boulder up the hill. However, the description of each new taxon is exciting enough. "Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy." The subspecies name is treated as a noun in apposition.

The nominotypical subspecies can be found in Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, while ssp. sisyphus is only known from China.