Euchromia elegantissima Wallengren

Euchromia elegantissima Wallengren, 1861, Lep. Eug. Resa., 360.

Euchromia fraterna Butler, 1876, J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Zool.), 12: 364.

Euchromia laura Butler, 1876, Ibid., 12: 364.

Euchromia orientalis Butler, 1876, Ibid., 12: 365.

Euchromia formosana Butler, 1888, Trans. ent. Soc. Lond., 1888: 114.

Diagnosis

The abdomen is ringed basally with red, the next two segments are ringed blue, followed by three or sometimes four ringed red; in the otherwise very similar E. polymena Linnaeus there are only two segments ringed red distally, the third one having a blue ring. See also the next species.

Taxonomic notes

It is at present unclear whether elegantissima and polymena are distinct or forms of the same species. The latter is known from the Indian Subregion, S.E. Asia, Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi, and hence is not completely sympatric with elegantissima. No marked differences in the male genitalia have been noted (elegantissima from Taiwan, polymena from Sulawesi). Seitz (1912-1913) placed elegantissima in synonymy with polymena, but the two taxa are separated in the current BMNH arrangement. The lack of distributional correlation might be understandable if the two taxa reflected climate, polymena occurring where there was a marked dry season.

Geographical range

N. India to Taiwan, S.E. Asia, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Philippines.

Habitat preference

The species occurs in the lowlands, usually encountered by day.

Biology

The larva may well resemble that of polymena, described in the generic introduction.

Genitalia: