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Apaturina

Apaturina is a monotypic genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. Its sole species is Apaturina erminea, the turquoise emperor.

Description

Apaturina erminea has a wingspan of about , 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, with an eyespot on each wing. The undersides are quite similar but the basic color is grayish brown, without iridescence.

Food and behavior

The adults feed on various liquids, from rotting fruits and sap. The caterpillars feed on Celtis latifolia (Ulmaceae). Males are very fast flyers, but settle for long periods in trees, where they perch head down and wings closed, more than 7 m from the ground.

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.

Subspecies

  • Apaturina erminea erminea <small>(Cramer, 1779)</small> (Ambon, Serang)
  • Apaturina erminea papuana <small>(Ribbe, 1886)</small> (Papua New Guinea)
  • Apaturina erminea mirona <small>Fruhstorfer, 1904</small> (Buru)
  • Apaturina erminea erinna <small>Fruhstorfer, 1904</small> (Obi)
  • Apaturina erminea aluna <small>Fruhstorfer, 1904</small> (Alu)
  • Apaturina erminea ribbei <small>Röber, 1894</small> (Bachan, Halmahera)
  • Apaturina erminea octavia <small>Fruhstorfer, 1904</small> (Waigeu)
  • Apaturina erminea antonia <small>Fruhstorfer, 1904</small> (Papua New Guinea)
  • Apaturina erminea xanthocera <small>Rothschild, 1904</small> (Solomon Islands)
  • Apaturina erminea neopommerania <small>Hagen, 1879</small> (Bismarck Archipelago)

Gallery

References

  • 1995: A new subspecies of Apaturina erminea from Morotai Island, Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Futao 19: 1-2.
  • , 1998: A new subspecies of Apaturina erminea (Cramer, 1779) from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae). Futao 27: 1-3.

External links