MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Wingspan (mm): 56 (DBpedia, n.d.).
Forewings: The forewing upper side is black, with three white spots beyond the apex of the cell. The forewing underside is black, with large deep cadmium-yellow areas. There are five white submarginal spots, slightly tinged with a citron-yellow colouration (Pequin, 2021). Hindwings The hindwing upper side is for the greater part white, with a somewhat irregular black coloured distal margin. The hindwing underside is olive black, with a white band which is streaked or spotted with yellow between the veins. There is a submarginal row of large white spots and there is a yellow spot (Pequin, 2021).
Female
The females generally have a different underside wing surface than the males, by being darker with broader margins on both wings (D'Abrera, 1982). The forewing upper side has an extension of black and sulphur-yellow spots in females. The hindwing is shaded with sulphur-yellow and has a broader black border, with vestigial sulphurous spots in females. The forewing underside has seven submarginal spots (Pequin, 2021).
Subspecies and variation
Four subspecies are described (Pequin, 2021).