MORPHOLOGY

External characteristics

Male
Forewing length (mm): 75-78. Wingspan (mm): 126-129.
Forewings: Upperside black, slightly paler towards outer margin, vaguely defined white spots along outer margin between the veins from space 1b to 6, diminishing in this direction; underside similar. Hindwings strongly crenulate, no tail; upperside black with broad band of elongate white spots, separated by prominently dark veins, from just above tornus to space 6 and white patch on margin in space 7, fringes white between veins; underside similar.

Female
Forewing length (mm): 87-88. Wingspan (mm):142-144.
Same wing shape as male, but pattern completely dissimilar, upperside and underside whitish gray, locally shaded with brown, all veins broadly outlined in black or dark brown, in addition there are long internevular dark stripes (in all internervular spaces) on the forewing, while on the hindwing there are black, more or less arrow-shaped marginal spots and sharp arrow-like median spots; also in the female fringes white between the veins.

Subspecies and variation

The species has a much restricted range in the northern arm of Sulawesi and geographic variation is improbable, but there is some individual variation in the width of the white spots on the hindwing of the male.

Similar species

The male is unlike any other butterfly in the area, but the female is a good mimic of the poisonous Idea butterflies (Nymphalidae: Danainae), although its flight is more powerful.

_{source: Jan Moonen, peronal communication 2020}