MORPHOLOGY
External characteristics
Male
Forewings: Both sexes have narrow black margins on the underside surface of the wings, the male wings have a blue colouration (D'Abrera, 1982; Yata and Morishita, 1979).
Female
The wings have a greenish white ground-colour (Yata and Morishita, 1979).
Subspecies and variation
Five (D'Abrera, 1982) to six (Yata and Morishita, 1979) subspecies are described. Females of ssp. boebera and ssp. bazilana are difficult to separate from each other. Males from ssp. bazilana have broader black margins on the underside surface of the wings, with corresponding decrease in blue colouration than males of ssp. boebera. Males of ssp. trinobantes are similar to ssp. bazilana, but are larger (D'Abrera, 1982). There is some seasonal variation; the female dry season form has enlarged white spots; the female wet season form has reduced spots, which are tinged with yellow. There is also variation when tempertures differ; < 20 degrees Celsius is the ground-colour on the underside of the wing surface tinged with brown; 27-30 degrees Celisus is the ground-colour bluish white. There is also geographical variation; the marginal border on the underside wing surface in males becomes wides when going southward. The males of ssp. bazilana and ssp. trinbotes lack the sumarginal row of spots on the upper side wing surface, the female specimen of these two subspecies has a nearly bluish black discal portion on the upper side wing surface. Ssp. elaitia is the darkest subspecies, the marginal border on the hindwing reaches the middle of the cell (Yata and Morishita, 1979).