plateni

2. Ssp. plateni (Staudinger, 1888)¹⁰⁾ [♂, ♀]

(Distribution) [Map 149]

PHILIPPINES: Calamian Group (Busuanga Is.), Palawan Is. (Olangoan, Tarabanan, Irahuan(=Irawan), Puerto Princesa, Mt. Salakot, Aborlan, Brooke’s Point), Balabac Is.

(Episodes of discovery and original description)

Dr. Platen (plateni was named in his honor), who had been studying and collecting insects in the Southeast Asian islands for about 10 years, collected 1♂ and 3♀♀ from Puerto Princesa, Palawan, from mid-June to the end of October 1887. Based on these specimens, Staudinger (1888) first described the new species in his paper entitled “Lepidopteren der Insel Palawan”

(Characteristics)

It is a subspecies endemic to Palawan Is. and is common in central and northern areas. Both sexes are easily distinguished from the nominotypical subspecies by the reduced golden or yellow patches and mild unevenness of outer margin on HW.

(Spotted pattern)

♂: FW apex is rounded, and vein-stripes are minute on the surface submarginally but distinct on the undersurface. The semi-translucent golden spots are reduced and very variable but limited to the subcostal space and space 6 or at most space 5. On HW underside, individuals vary from entirely golden to speckled on tornal region.

♀: The pattern is considerably stable and resembles that of the nominotypical subspecies. The ground color of FW is brownish, but vein-stripes are like those of the nominotypical subspecies. HW with mildly uneven outer margin and much smaller yellow pale band.  Submarginal yellow spots are also minute or absent.

(Variation)

♂-f. flavoradiata Rumbucher & von Knötgen, 1999⁹⁾: [Aberrant HW pattern] The V^2nd -V5^th are narrowly bordered by golden scales along the wing veins.