MORPHOLOGY

External characteristics

Male
Forewing length (mm): 39-46. Wingspan (mm): 69-75.
Forewings: Upperside dark brown with yellow spots as follows: complete row of fairly equally sized submarginal spots, irregular row of variously sized median spots from hind margin to space 4, absent in space 5, again present in spaces 6-8, two prominent spots in upper part of cell and smaller one at end cell, tiny yellow dots in basal third of win, yellow color may darken with age; underside rather similar to Upperside, but yellow stripes in basal half of cell and dirty orange between submarginal and median spots in apical third. Hindwings crenulate, not tailed; upperside dark brown with prominent, separate irregularly placed yellow submarginal spots, dark orange in space 1b, yellow band of irregular width in basal half from inner margin to front margin enclosing a rounded dark brown spot with an inconspicuous crescent of bluish scales; underside basal area largely ochreous surrounded by dark brown, rest of wing yellow with darkened veins, dark brown zigzag line at margin followed by large yellow submarginal spots, dark area between submarginal spots and cell partly filled by irregular orange median spots lined with blue at the inside.

Female
Forewing length (mm): up to 81 mm.
Virtually identical to male, slightly larger. On upperside hindwing with bluish lunule curving over orange-red spot at tornus.

Subspecies and variation

There is quite some individual variation in the size of the spots and the intensity of the colors, but in spite of its huge range (from the Middle East to Australia) the geographical variation is modest and only six subspecies have been distinguished, five of which occur in the study area.

Similar species

Unmistakable.

_{source: Jan Moonen, peronal communication 2020}