MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Forewings: The upper side wing surface is white coloured. The costal edge and distal border are black. The underside of the wing surface is purplish olive-black, with a gloss on the apex on the forewing. There are two spots beyond the apex of the cell on the forewing underside, and there is a series of subapical submarginal dots (Pequin, 2021). Hindwings The hindwing has a thin black distal border. The hindwing underside is glossy. On the hindwing underside, there is a crimson-red basal costal spot, a spot in the middle of costal margin, a row of submarginal dots, a spot in cell beyond middle, and a row of thin short streaks on disc yellow (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 upper side of both wings have in females broader black borders than in males. The forewing has a row of white to yellowish white submarginal dots. The underside of the wing surface is variable; some females are similar to the males, but some female forms have on the cell of the forewing and the whole area behind it a yellow colouration, usually washed with orange; a third female form has, besides a sharply defined yellowish white discal band on the hindwing, a straight inner edge of the band and a curved outer edge (Pequin, 2021).
Subspecies and variation
Four subspecies are described, of which three subspecies are found in Papua. The spot at the base of the costa of ssp. flavopicta is yellow coloured, instead of red (Pequin, 2021).