Delias butterflies

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Delias enniana Oberthür 1880 green.png

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Delias enniana contracta
Waigeu island
Picture by Kristof Zyskowski

Subspecies and range of Delias enniana :

. enniana Oberthür 1880 - West Papua

        f.kapaura Joicey & Talbot 1916

. obsoleta Rothschild 1915 - Mysool Island

. reducta Rothschild 1915 - Eilanden River  S E Irian Jaya, S.W. Papua New Guinea

. eceicei Joicey & Talbot 1916 - S.E. Papua New Guinea

. majoripuncta Joicey & Talbot 1922 - Numfoor island

. contracta Talbot 1929 - Waigeu island

. hidehitoi - Salawati island

 

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Notes on Delias enniana :

Very similar to Delias dice, with which it is often confused.

Male: Upperside white. Fore wing with black marginal border about 11mm. broad on the costa, narrowing posteriorly to the submedian fold and continued as a line to the submedian or below it. The edge of this black area is straight from the costa to cellule 4, is curved inwards (proximad) over vein 4, and is thence oblique to the margin. Submarginal dots generally two, sometimes more. Some black basal dusting. Hind wing with narrow grey-black marginal border from the anal angle to vein 4 or a little beyond, sometimes slightly broken up by the white ground-colour.

Underside of fore wing white with blackish-brown marginal border as above. The costa broadly blackish-brown and merged with a broad blackish-brown discocellular bar separated from the apical area by a broad white postcellular bar, which is connected to the posterior white area and does not quite reach the costal edge. Submarginal spots larger than above, the two anterior ones yellow and larger than the other three, and the one in 4 the smaller; sometimes a dot in 2. Hind wing lemon-yellow with a blackish-brown marginal border about 6mm. broad and of about even width. Five submarginal yellow spots close to the margin, the anterior one larger than the one below it, the four lower spots somewhat lunulate. The distal area between vein 3 and the costa is invaded by white to a variable extent, sometimes reaching to the cell, and this is merged into the yellow colouring.

Female: Upperside creamy-white. Fore wing brownish basal suffusion and broad black-brown outer marginal border shaped as in the male. Costal area beyond the middle black-brown and at the middle only the edge is darkened. A narrow black-brown discocellular bar joined to the costal area. The edge of the marginal area from vein 4 to the inner margin is toothed at the veins. Hind wing with black-brown marginal border 5-6mm. wide.

Underside of fore wing as in the male. Hind wing as in the male, except that the marginal border is broader. Submarginal spots smaller than in the male, the anterior spot rounded and larger than the one below it. Veins in the yellow area are for the greater part white.

Group nysa species :