MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Forewings: The upper side wing surface is white. The forewing upper side has a black coloured costal border, which does not enter the cell. The discocellular band lacks. There is a black coloured marginal band, which anteriorly extends to the subcostal fork and gradually narrows to a point posteriorly. There is some trace of a white subapical spot. The forewing underside has a narrow discocellular bar and three or four yellow coloured subapical spots. The cell has a white colouration, with a bluff-ish yellow tint in the centre. The postmedian band and the streak situated before the abdominal area have a black colouration. There is a red line that borders the black band and is usually interrupted below the bend. There is a white submarginal band and this band is not all broken up into spots(Pequin, 2021). Hindwings The hindwing upper side has a black coloured fringe and extreme edge (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 ground colour of the upper side wing surface is a faint yellow colouration. The forewing upper side has two white subapical spots and the black coloured marginal band is a little smaller in females. The forewing underside has a yellowish tone to it and the subapical yellow spot is larger in females. Further, the black bands and the red line are visibly broader in females (Pequin, 2021).
Subspecies and variation
Six subspecies are described, of which four subspecies are found in Papua and three subspecies are found in Papua New Guinea (Pequin, 2021).