MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Forewing length (mm): 40 (Kirton, 2018). Wingspan (mm): 70 (Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, 2022).
Forewings: The forewing apex is much rounded. The forewing upper side is widely blackened from the cell-end to apex (Yata and Morishita, 1979). Hindwings The hindwing underside has its basal half yellow coloured and has a black coloured marginal border, which is narrower than half the width in each space (Yata and Morishita, 1979).
Female
Females can vary between a yellowish and almost bluish white underside wing surface colouration (D'Abrera, 1982). The wingshape is rounded in females and the submarginal band on both wings is well developed (Yata and Morishita, 1979). The upper side wing surface of the female is more heavily dark-dusted (Kirton, 2018).
Subspecies and variation
Two (Yata and Morishita, 1979) or six (D'Abrera, 1982) subspecies are described. Sexes of ssp. vollenhovi are similar. The yellow discal area of the hindwing upper side is reduced and the white outer margin is broader in ssp. themana than in ssp. philonome. Ssp. clemanthe and ssp. helferi are similar, but the latter one has dark median bands in the apical half of the forewing upper side (D'Abrera, 1982).