actinotia

13. Ssp. actinotia (Jordan, 1909)²¹⁾ [♀] [♂: andrewei Parrott, 1991 ³³⁾]

= gardineri Fruhstorfer, 1902¹¹⁾ [♂] (➡euthydemus, flavicollis)

= andrewei Parrott, 1991³³⁾ [♂, ♀] (E. Kalimantan (Bontang))

(Distribution) [Map 85]

MALAYSIA (Kalimantan=Borneo) [Sarawak] Mt. Goram, Mt. Bakak, Bukit Segu, Kuching; INDONESIA [W. Kalimantan] Putussibau, Pontianak, Sintang, Mt. Saran, Mt. Ringas (Mt. Rangga ?), [C. Kalimantan] Schwaner Range, [S. Kalimantan] Banjarmasin, Meratus Mts., Tanjung, Laut Is., [E. Kalimantan] Balikpapan, Samarinda, Bontang, Melak, Kembangjanggut, [N. Kalimantan] Ambalat. (Type locality: unknown)

(Episodes of discovery and original description)

Jordan (1909) in Seitz’s “Gross-Schmetterlinge” named ssp. flavicollis♀-f. actinotia for the dark form of female from Borneo. Previously, the Bornean subspecies had been included in the ssp. flavicollis, but in 1991 Parrott named the southern species as a separate subspecies andrewei because it was blackened. However, this is precisely the actinotia that Jordan pointed out earlier.

(Characteristics)

There are two subspecies on Kalimantan (=Borneo) Island. The northern subspecies (ssp. flavicollis) has large bright FW vein-stripes on both sexes, while this southern subspecies (ssp. actinotia) has smaller, darker spots, but the boundaries of this change are unclear. Such a phenomenon is also seen in other species as Troides andromache, T. miranda and so on. It is very strange why such a distinct phenomenon could occur only this island. We hope that this phenomenon will be solved in the future.

(Spotted pattern)

♂: Vein-stripes on FW are the finest of any other subspecies. The cell-spot, subapical and submarginal stripes are significantly reduced and only slightly present. The black marginal   projections on HW are as small as those of ssp. flavicollis from northern area of Kalimanta (=Borneo).

♀: The size and shape of vein-stripes on FW resembles those of other Sumatran subspecies. The vein-stripes in space 4 form a V-shape. The black discal spots on HW are large and are often extended to near the cell.

(Variation)

♂-f. splendens (Krüger, 1925)²⁶⁾: [FW discoloration] FW with a strongly blue or violet-blue reflection.