MORPHOLOGY

External characteristics

Male
Forewing length (mm): 65-72. Wingspan (mm): 107-118.
Forewings: Upperside black, small internervular white spots along outer margin; underside similar. Hindwings crenulate with strong spatulate tail at end of vein 4; upperside black, with briljant turquoise band from vein 2 just above tornus to mid space 7, basally of this band wing surface densely speckled with green scales, outer half of wing black with turquoise submarginal markings, the color also penetrating the tail, where it may get a more bluish tinge; underside black, densely speckled with golden scales, complete series of pale rosy submarginal spots, capped with blue, indistinct rosy line proximal of the spots.

Female
Forewing length (mm): 64-69. Wingspan (mm):104-110.
Similar to male, but black color is more dark brown.

Subspecies and variation

There is some individual and geographical variation in the width of the bands, the bands being narrowest in the South of Sulawesi (ssp. fruhstorferi), while the variation between the northern and central Sulawesian populations (ssp. blumei) is neglectable.

Similar species

Not easily confused with any other species in its distribution area. Not unlike P. palinurus, but apart from the bands on the wings being more turquoise than green, P. blumei is much larger, and it is restricted to Sulawesi whereas P. palinurus occurs in Borneo, Sumatra and Malaysia. It is also larger than P. daedalus from the Philippines
Apparently, the three allopatric species are closely related.

_{source: Jan Moonen, peronal communication 2020}