Prioneris autothisbe

Prioneris autothisbe belongs to Pieridae. The Florida Museum catalogue recognizes it at species rank. [1]

Boisduval’s 1836 account describes white upper wings with black margins, the forewing apex forming a broad dark triangle containing two rows of elongated white spots. Beneath, the hindwings are yellow with black veins and a black border enclosing yellow spots. The dark basal area bears a yellow spot and two red streaks. [5]

Wallace’s later account records a female with predominantly black upper wings. [2]

Historical accounts record the species from Java. Wallace collected it in the mountains of western Java at 4,000 feet, approximately 1,220 m. [2][5]

In Weymer’s comparison, autothisbe has seven large yellow spots in the ventral hindwing border and two red markings near the base. The West Sumatran males he described as hypsipyle have four much smaller marginal dots and a single basal red patch. [6]

Hübner introduced autothisbe in the early nineteenth century. Hypsipyle has also been treated as Prioneris autothisbe hypsipyle. [1][4]

The ventral hindwing displays the yellow ground, dark venation and basal red markings. The upper surface presents a different balance of white and black. [5]

Bold contours and flat colour emphasize the sawtooth’s wing outline, pale fields and contrasting dark borders.

Keep framed specimens away from direct daylight and damp conditions. Handle the enclosure and retain the specimen’s identification and locality records. [3]