ariadne

1. Ssp. ariadne Rothschild, 1908⁸⁾ [♂, ♀]

(Distribution) [Map 109]

INDONESIA [Maluku] Western Daya Islands (Romang (=Roma) Is.)

(Episodes of discovery and original description)

It was described by Rothschild (1908) based on a pair of specimens collected by Kühn on the island of Romang in August 1902. The subspecies name ariadne is a reference to Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete (Greek mythology).

(Characteristics)

The golden patch on HW of ♂ is small, both sexes closely resemble ssp. iris, but can be distinguished by the presence of red hair tufts on the neck and lateral thorax.

(Spotted pattern)

♂: The semi-translucent golden patch on HW is about half the size of the discal space and consists of basically four discal patches (spaces 3-6), with small spots appearing in the subcostal space and/or space 2 in some individuals.

♀: This subspecies shares a common wing shape and patches with this species. The vein-stripes of FW are a little lighter than in ssp. iris, but closer to the ground color of the wing and somewhat indistinct than in other subspecies.