admiralitatis

22. Ssp. admiralitatis (Rothschild, 1915)⁵²⁾ [♂, ♀]

(Distribution) [Map 28]

PNG [MP] Admiralty Islands (Manus Is., Los Negros Is., Tong Is., Rambutyo Is., Lou Is.)

(Episodes of discovery and original description)

In 1913, Meek and his colleagues went to the Admiralty Islands and Dampier (Karkar) Island on the northeast coast of New Guinea, and collected 1 ♂ and 8 ♀♀ on Manus Island. However, during this collecting trip, he suffered from a severe sunstroke, and his assistant collected the specimens exclusively. The original description was published by Rothschild in 1915. The subspecies is named after its habitat, the Admiralty Islands.

(Characteristics)

A medium sized subspecies.

(Spotted pattern)

♂: The radial band on FW is somewhat broader than in the narrowest one of the Eastern-Subspecies-Group, but not as broad as in the Priamus-Subspecies-Group. The submarginal band is wavy, as in the Priamus-Subspecies-Group, but its continuity with anal band is rough, as in the Eastern-Subspecies-Group. Median stripe is absent as in the Priamus- and Eastern-Subspecies-Groups. A subcostal golden spot on HW is present. There are three or four rounded black discal spots like those of the Priamus-Subspecies-Group. Black marginal border is slightly wider than in the Poseidon-Subspecies-Group, and it is characterized by that some of them extends linearly along veins to the cell.

♀: Contrasted (=dark) form. Wing shape and spots are relatively stable. Both wings are narrow, the tornus of FW is rounded. Outer margin of HW is wavy and uneven. The ground color of wings is dark brown, and spots are reduced on FW, with indistinct submarginal spots and a few separated cell-patch. Dark discal spots are heart-shaped and relatively large.

(Variation)

♂-f. moinieri Blandin, 1969³⁾: [Melanic form] On the FW, anal and submarginal bands are extremely narrow and short. On the HW, black marginal border is broad and black discal spots are very large, the anterior three are fused together, and subcostal space is almost black. As the same variation, there are ssp. euphorion ♂-f. beuriei Parrott & Deslisle, 1989⁴³⁾, ssp. richmondia ♂-f. reducta Haugum & Low, 1979²¹⁾ and ssp. poseidon ♂-f. melania Schäffler, 2001⁵⁵⁾.