''Tongeia ion'' is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

of the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly ...

. It was described by

John Henry Leech John Henry Leech (5 December 1862 – 29 December 1900) was an English entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. His collections from China, Japan, and Kashmir are in the Natural History Museum, London. These also contain ...

in 1891. ''Tongeia ion'' closely resembles '' Tongeia fischeri''.

Subspecies

*''T. i. ion'' western China, Yunnan-Sichuan-Tibet border and also recorded from Thailand *''T. i. cratylus'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) Sichuan-Tibet border (Batang, Mangkang) *''T. i. cellariusi'' (Bollow, 1930) eastern Gansu (Qinling Mts.)

References

* *Leech, J. H
"New Species of Rhopalocera from western China"
''The Entomologist''. (original description) Butterflies described in 1891 Butterflies of Asia Polyommatini Taxa named by John Henry Leech {{Polyommatini-stub