MORPHOLOGY

External characteristics

Male
Forewing length (mm): 43-45. Wingspan (mm): 70-74.
Forewings: Upperside black, densely speckled with green scales in basal half, less so in outer third, brilliant, turquoise band (but more greenish than in P. blumei) across wing from outer half of hind margin to beyond middle of costa; underside, basal 3/5 of wing dark brown, lightly speckled with golden scales, outer 2/5 pale rosy-brown with dark veins and dark lines running from the dark basal area to the outer margin. Hindwings crenulate with long spatulate tail at end of vein 4; upperside black, with greenish-turquoise band from inner margin just above tornus to mid space 6, just or just not entering cell, basally of this band wing surface densely speckled with green scales, outer half of wing black with indistinct green submarginal markings, tail completely black; small, rosy, submarginal spot in space 7; underside black, speckled with golden scales, complete series of inconspicuous, dirty rosy submarginal spots, capped with blue, spot in space 7 most prominent.

Female
Forewing length (mm): 48-50. Wingspan (mm):78-80.
Similar to male, but on hindwing dirty red mark on tornus and prominent rosy submarginal spot in space 7 and sometimes space 6.

Subspecies and variation

Not very variable. Over its whole distribution area (from Myanmar to Borneo and Sumatra) the same form occurs; only from the island of Nias a distinct subspecies (ssp. adventus) has been described, which is little different.

Similar species

Not unlike P. blumei, but apart from the bands on the wings being more greenish than turquoise, the species is much smaller, and it occurs in Borneo, Sumatra and Malaysia, whereas P. blumei is restricted to Sulawesi. It is also smaller than the rather similar P. daedalus from the Philippines, that in size comes between P. blumei and P. palinurus.
Apparently, the three allopatric species are closely related.

_{source: Jan Moonen, peronal communication 2020}