vistara

4. Ssp. vistara (Fruhstorfer, 1906)¹²⁾ [♀] [♂: Lathy, 1907²⁷⁾]

= vistara, Lathy, 1907²⁷⁾ [♂] (Batu islands (Tanahmasa Is., Telo Is.)

= merah Kobayashi & Hayami, 1992²⁴⁾ [♂, ♀] (Batu Islands (Simuk Is.))

= zeus Kobayashi & Hayami, 1992²⁴⁾ [♂, ♀] (Mentawai Islands)

(Distrubution) [Map 78]

INDONESIA [N. Sumatra] Batu Islands (Simuk Is., Telo Is., Tanahmasa Is.), [W. Sumatra] Mentawai Islands (Siberut Is., Sipura Is., North Pagai Is.)

(Episodes of discovery and original description)

It was described as a new subspecies by Fruhstorfer (1906) based on a single ♀ collected on Pulo Telo (labeled Pulo Tello on the specimen) in the Batu Islands. The following year, 1907, Lathy described two ♂♂ specimens from Tanahmasa (Tanah Massa in the original description) and Pulo Telo (Poelo Tello in the original description), which was the first description of the ♂. This specimen was found by Lathy when H. J. Adams was sorting through Van de Poll’s extensive collection of specimens.

(Characteristics)

The HW of ♂ from Simuk Is. have a high incidence of the black discal spots, which are usually absent, and many individuals are large in size.

(Spotted pattern)

♂: The vein-stripes of FW are thin and gray yellowish. The lower vein-stripe along V^4th does not reach the cell. Black marginal projections on HW are almost the same size as ssp. astrea and somewhat smaller than ssp. simuluensis and ssp. niasicus.

♀: Pale wing coloration. The spotted pattern is very similar to that of ssp. niasicus, (in which spaces 2 – 3 of HW are covered with brown scales), but the cell-spot of FW of ssp. niasicus has a longitudinal line in the middle, forming an M-shape, whereas the cell-spot of this subspecies is broader and does not form an M-shape.

(Variation)

♂-f. nebula Kobayashi & Hayami, 1992²⁴⁾: [Aberration HW pattern] Large black discal spots are present in each wing spaces of HW.