MORPHOLOGY

External characteristics

Male
Forewing length (mm): 76. Wingspan (mm): 134.
Forewings: Upperside black with four pale yellowish subapical spots; underside similar, but with pale streaks between the veins in the apical area. Hindwings crenulate, no tail; upperside black with large central pale dirty yellow area, stretching from inner margin to front margin, where it extends to wing base, outer edge of pale area toothed along veins; underside black, red spot above tornus, from here one or two curved lines of diffuse blue spots to small white spots at front margin.

Female
Forewing length (mm): 73-75. Wingspan (mm):128-133.
Forewing, upperside dark brown to black with large whitish brown area, intersected by heavily darkened veins; underside similar. Hindwing crenulate, no tail; upperside black with narrower or broader central yellow-ochreous band, tiny to large orange submarginal spots and some blue smudges in spaces 2, 3, 6 and 7; underside similar.

Subspecies and variation

The variation in the female described above is mainly geographical. Two subspecies are recognised, ssp. gambrisus from Ambon and Seram with band and submarginal spots on hindwing modest, and ssp. buruanus from Buru, with band and submarginal spots on hindwing much enlarged.

Similar species

The male is reminiscent of the smaller P. opinatus, which, however, has a much larger subapical band on the forewing; the two do not overlap geographically, P. opinatus being restricted to small islands in the Tenimber area.

_{source: Jan Moonen, peronal communication 2020}