MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Forewing length (mm): 29 - 31 (Otsuka, Kazuhisa, 2001), 30 (Kirton, 2018). Wingspan (mm): 54 (Braby, 2004), 65 (Feltwell, 1993).
Forewings: The forewing upper side is white coloured (Yata and Morishita, 1979), with a black coloured border (Kirton, 2018). Hindwings The hindwing upper side is deep yellow coloured. The hindwing underside has a pair of black coloured rings in the base (Yata and Morishita, 1979), the surface has a deep orange colour (Kirton, 2018).
Female Wingspan (mm):54 (Braby, 2004), 65 (Feltwell, 1993).
Females have a darker coloured wing surface and the markings are more conspicuous (Yata and Morishita, 1979). The hindwing upper side is dark yellow with brownish black spots in the marginal region (Otsuka, Kazuhisa, 2001).
Subspecies and variation
Six (D'Abrera, 1982) to eight (Yata and Morishita, 1979) subspecies are described. Males from ssp. sidra differ from the nominate subspecies by the deeper orange-yellow hindwing underside and broader apex on the forewing upper side. Both sexes from ssp. asema are bigger than any other subspecies, the males are similar to the nominate subspecies but have reduced black submarginal spots on the hindwing underside (D'Abrera, 1982). The females from Lesser Sundas have a white coloured hindwing. Ssp. asema is the largest subspecies (Yata and Morishita, 1979).