Apaturina erminea
| Apaturina erminea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male of Apaturina erminea papuana. Mounted specimen | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Division: | Rhopalocera |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Subfamily: | Apaturinae |
| Genus: | Apaturina |
| Species: | A. erinea |
| Binomial name | |
| Apatrurina erminea (Cramer, 1779) | |
| Synonyms | |
Apaturina erminea, common name Turquoise Emperor, is a species of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Apaturinae.
Description
Apaturina erminea has a wingspan of about 70 millimetres (2.8 in), and males measure marginally larger than females. The uppersides of the forewings are black with an iridescent blue-green base, two white small spots at the apex and a diagonal series of pale yellow patches across each wing. The uppersides of the hindwings are completely iridescent blue-green in males, or chestnut brown in females,[1] with an eyespot on each wing. The undersides are quite similar but the basic color is grayish-brown, without iridescence.
Food and behaviour
The adults feed on various liquids, as rotting fruits and sap. The caterpillars feed on Celtis latifolia (Ulmaceae). Males are very fast flyers,[1] but settle for long periods in trees, where they perch head down and wings closed, more than 7m from the ground.[1]
Distribution
This species can be found in Indonesia (Aru Islands, Irian Jaya, Maluku), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands up to northern Australia. In Australia it is limited to lowland tropical rainforest in the Iron Range.[1]
Subspecies
- Apaturina erminea erminea (Cramer, 1779) (Ambon, Serang)
- Apaturina erminea papuana (Ribbe, 1886) (Papua New Guinea)
- Apaturina erminea mirona Fruhstorfer, 1904 (Buru)
- Apaturina erminea erinna Fruhstorfer, 1904 (Obi)
- Apaturina erminea aluna Fruhstorfer, 1904 (Alu)
- Apaturina erminea ribbei Röber, 1894 (Bachan, Halmahera)
- Apaturina erminea octavia Fruhstorfer, 1904 (Waigeu)
- Apaturina erminea antonia Fruhstorfer, 1904 (Papua New Guinea)
- Apaturina erminea xanthocera Rothschild, 1904 (Solomon Islands)
- Apaturina erminea neopommerania Hagen, 1879 (Bismarck Archipelago)
Gallery
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Male of A. erminea from Papillons exotiques des trois parties du monde by Pieter Cramer and Caspar Stoll
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Female of A. erminea from Papillons exotiques des trois parties du monde by Pieter Cramer and Caspar Stoll
References
- Kotaki, M. 1995: A new subspecies of Apaturina erminea from Morotai Island, Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Futao 19: 1-2.
- Morita, S. & S. Kawamura, 1998: A new subspecies of Apaturina erminea (Cramer,1779) from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae). Futao 27: 1-3.
External links
- Biolib
- Australia faunal directory
- Apaturina erminea at Funet.fi
- Don Herbison-Evans and Stella Crossley Apaturinae