Description
Nominate race (Sri Lanka)
Male
Upperside deep black. Forewing: a broad line along both sides of the basal halves of veins 1 and 2 and of median veinFemale
Similar, all the black markings smaller; the base posteriorly of the forewing on the upperside greenish blue, no trace of ochraceous. Wingspan 82–110 mm.Larva
"Cylindrical, purplish black with red transverse bands, the sixth and eighth segments with a yellow band. Head armed with two long branched spines, the segments with two dorsal and two lateral rows of long, slender, finely-branched spines. Feeds on '' Modecca''." (Moore)Pupa
"Brown mottled with ochreous-white, abdominal segments tubercular; wing-case dilated and exfoliated beneath. Head-piece with two pointed processes." (Moore)Race ''mahratta'' (South India)
Male
Upperside tawny yellow. Forewing: cell anteriorly along its length and the outer half of the wing, following an irregular line from apex of cell to tornus, black, the black in cell formed of coalescent transverse bars; a broad discal oblique fascia traversed by the black veins, followed by a postdiscal series of black-centred, outward turned, slender white lunules, a transverse series of white spots, and another, subterminal series of similar white lunules; interspaces 1 and 2 with three or four black spots. Hindwing with broad black costal and terminal margins and black markings somewhat similar to those on the hindwing of ''nietneri'', but the markings in the interspaces narrower, the row of large spots margined with white, the inner series of lunules beyond the spots black, followed by a subterminal tawny-yellow band and a row of white, outward-turned, slender lunules as in ''nietneri''. Underside variegated with ochraceous red, bluish white, yellow and black; the terminal margins of both forewings and hindwings broadly black with white lunules, as on the upperside, and median short white lines from the margin in each lunule; cilia alternately black and white. Forewing: basal area ochraceous red, cell with transverse short bands of black and bluish white, below the cell the ochraceous red at base, followed by whitish and then yellow, the disc spotted with black; the oblique white band as on the upperside, succeeded by a transverse postdiscal series of large black spots, ringed narrowly with white, with a row of paired black dots beyond, and a subterminal broad yellow band, its inner margin sinuous. Hindwing: basal area bluish, crossed by broken transverse broad black lines, and followed by a red, a bluish-white, a yellow, a purer white, and lastly a subterminal yellow band with rows of black spots between; on the white band a median series of large black spots. Antennae black, head and thorax brownish black, abdomen ochraceous; the thorax beneath ochraceous, banded with black.Female
Similar, but the tawny yellow on the upperside paler, the markings larger and somewhat diffuse.Larva
Cylindrical, but much constricted between each pair of segments, and tapering somewhat towards the head. Six longitudinal rows of fine-pointed spines; on the head only one pair of longer blunt spines. Colour dark brown, with bright red bands encircling all the segments except the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 8th; on the 6th and 8th the red is replaced by broader bands of lemon yellow.Pupa
"Hanging vertically, slender, with two large foliaceous processes springing from the middle of the back, and many less prominent processes on the head, thorax and abdomen; colour purplish brown, much mottled with lighter and darker shades; six dorsal spots of bright gold ... found on the wild passion-flower (''Modecca palmata''). The caterpillar is gregarious through life." (Davidson and Aitken)References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3595087 Acraeini Butterflies of Asia Butterflies described in 1867 Butterflies of Sri Lanka Taxa named by Baron Cajetan von Felder Taxa named by Rudolf Felder