Delias butterflies

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Delias iltis  Ribbe 1900 green.png

Subspecies and range of Delias iltis :

. iltis Ribbe 1900 - Southern Highlands Prov & Owen Stanley Range, Papua New Guinea

. leucotera Talbot 1937 - Herzog Mtns, Papua New Guinea

          (synonym : pseudoiltis - K.Okano 1989)

. sibil van Mastrigt 1995 - Abmisibil, Papua & NE of Tabubil, Papua New Guinea

         (synonym bultemensis - Lachlan 2000)

 

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Notes on Delias iltis :

A species close to Delias luctuosa, which was once considered a subspecies.
Yagishita mentions a further subspecies, Delias iltis majai Yagishita, 1993. However, Mastrigt, in his 1995 publication confirms that this is 'a variant of the very variable Delias luctuosa archboldi Roepke, 1955'. This is also a position I hold in view of its isolation from the other subspecies, and also its resemblance to D.luctuosa.

Male: Upperside of fore wing with white area extended to beyond end of cell, its edge sharply defined, angled in cellule 4, incurved from the angle to vein 3, excurved to vein 2 and curved inwards to the inner margin close to the tornus. Costa black to the base and connected with a black discocellular bar. Two white subapical dots in the black distal area. Hind wing with narrow black marginal border sometimes reduced to a mere line.

Underside of fore wing with white area as above, though broadly invaded by black on the discocellulars, and its edge less evenly defined. Three yellow subapical spots and two much smaller ones near the margin in 3 and 4. Hind wing with a short and narrow chrome-yellow stripe at the base on cellule 7, separated by a little more than its width by a black stripe of ground-colour which surrounds a large white discal area. This white area is slightly tinged with yellow and bears more or less some pink scaling in the cell. The red submarginal line is sharply defined and extends from the apex to close to the anal angle; it is excurved in cellule 4 below which it becomes farther away from the margin. This red line is bordered by a row of six triangular white spots, their apices touching the margin. The costa is black to the base. Inner marginal area from the base to near the submarginal line greenish-yellow.

Female: Upperside of fore wing with more extended black which forms a broad bar on the discocellulars which are sometimes only defined by a narrow and obscure white prolongation beyond the cell. Three or four small white subapical spots. Hind wing with much wider black border than in the male, sometimes reaching to over 7mm. on vein 4. This border bears five white spots of moderate size, the ones in 2 and 3 smaller and less distinct than the others.

Underside of fore wing with slightly more extended white area than above, subapical spot larger than in the male. Hind wing as in the male except that the red line is nearer the margin and the white submarginal spots are smaller.

 

Group iltis species :