MORPHOLOGY

External characteristics

Male
Forewing length (mm): 41-46. Wingspan (mm): 64-70.
Forewings: Upperside basal 2/5 to 1/2 sky blue, followed by a broad, black band from outer half of hind margin to costa reaching costa far beyond middle, again followed by a paler, brownish area (broadens from tornus to apex in which dark veins and dark internervular stripes are faintly visible; underside, basal 2/3 to 3/4 dark brown, may be inconspicuously speckled with golden scales, rest of wing violet-gray, darker along outer margin, veins and internervular stripes well visible. Hindwings Crenulate with strong spatulate tail at end of vein 4; upperside, basal 1/3 to almost 1/2 sky blue, edge diffuse and may have a weak violet tinge, rest of wing black with rather diffuse, but well visible submarginal spots in spaces 1b to 5; underside, basal 3/4 dark brown with indistinct golden speckling, edged by linear orange spots which are accompanied by tiny blue spots which are surrounded by black and pale brown, rest of wing dark brown.

Female
Forewing length (mm): 43-50. Wingspan (mm):70-77.
As male, but the violet coloring of the edge of blue fields is more intense.

Subspecies and variation

There is some individual variation in overall size and in the extent of the blue fields. No subspecies.

Similar species

There are only two other Papilio species in the Malesian area with brilliant blue on the wings, viz. P. ulysses and the blue forms of P. peranthus. Of these, P. ulysses has the brightest, iridescent blue color, while the outer edge of the blue area is sharp and strongly toothed; moreover, P. ulysses does not occur in the Lesser Sunda Islands, but in the Moluccas and further east and south. In P. pericles and P. peranthus the edge of the blue area is straight and not sharp, but rather diffuse. In P. pericles the blue area is more extensive, reaching well beyond the middle of the costa of the forewing, while in P. peranthus it reaches considerably less that far.

_{source: Jan Moonen, peronal communication 2020}