Ornithoptera chimaera (Rothschild, 1904)

MORPHOLOGY


External characteristics


Male 
Forewing length (mm): 66-90. Wingspan (mm): 115-153.
Forewings: Upperside black, club-shaped green patch from base to apex, green area mid-wing and along hind margin. Underside forewing green, black along margins and veins, series of black median spots.  Hindwings Hindwing inner margin extended to form a lobe; upperside broadly black along inner margin and narrowly blak along outer margin; rest of wing golden yellow bordered by green, a few rounded submarginal spots; underside similar but inner margin green and tornal lobe yellowish.

Female 
Forewing length (mm):
 82-110.  Wingspan (mm):144-178.
Forewing blackish brown with a more or less complete series of submarginal and median spots, as well as a spot in upper part of cell, but extent of spots variable. Hindwing blackish brown in the basal third and along wavy outer margin, rest of wing cream-colored changing into dirty yellow towards the outer margin.  

Subspecies and variation

 
Three subspecies are recognized (Haugum and Low, 1978-85). To be further explained

Similar species

Male and female most similar to O. tithonus and O. rothschildi, see latter species.

 

source: Jan Moonen, peronal communication 2020

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