Lexias dirtea

Lexias dirtea
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Lexias dirtea, female
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Lexias dirtea, male. Mounted specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Lexias
Species:	L. dirtea
Binomial name
Lexias dirtea Fabricius, 1793
Synonyms
Euthalia dirtea (Fabricius, 1793) Papilio dirtea Fabricius, 1793

The Archduke, Lexias dirtea, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

Description

Lexias dirtea has a wingspan of about 80–100 millimetres (3.1–3.9 in). In this species sexual dichromatism is extreme. In males the uppersides of the wings are mainly velvety black, with metallic blue-green on the margins, while in the females the uppersides of the wings are mainly brownish, covered by several rows of yellowish-whitish spots.

Distribution

This species can be found in India, Burma, Northern Thailand, Southern China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Philippines.

Habitat

It lives primarily in virgin swamp forests.

Subspecies

• Lexias dirtea dirtea (North-East India, Naga Hills)
• Lexias dirtea khasiana (North-East India, Assam, Burma, Yunnan)
• Lexias dirtea toonchai (Northern Thailand)
• Lexias dirtea agosthena Southern China (Kwangtung), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
• Lexias dirtea merguia (Southern Myanmar, Tenasserim, Southern Thailand, Malaysia)
• Lexias dirtea montana (Sumatra)
• Lexias dirtea inimitabilis (Siberut, Mentawei Island)
• Lexias dirtea insulanus (Bangka, Lingga, Singkep)
• Lexias dirtea javana (Western Java)
• Lexias dirtea aquilus (Anambas group)
• Lexias dirtea baliaris (Natuna Island)
• Lexias dirtea chalcedonides (Borneo)
• Lexias dirtea annae (Bawean)
• Lexias dirtea palawana (Philippines, Palawan)
• ??Lexias dirtea iwasakii
• Lexias dirtea bontouxi (Southern Yunnan)

References

• Biolib
• Funet.fi

External links

• The Archduke Reigns