Lexias dirtea

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

Description
Lexias dirtea has a wingspan of about 80 - 100 mm. 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

 * L. d. dirtea (north-east India, Naga Hills)
 * L. d. khasiana (north-east India, Assam, Burma, Yunnan)
 * L. d. toonchai (northern Thailand)
 * L. d. agosthena southern China (Guangdong), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
 * L. d. merguia (southern Myanmar, Tenasserim, southern Thailand, Malaysia)
 * L. d. montana (Sumatra)
 * L. d. inimitabilis (Siberut, Mentawei Islands)
 * L. d. insulanus (Bangka, Lingga, Singkep)
 * L. d. javana (western Java)
 * L. d. aquilus (Anambas group)
 * L. d. baliaris (Natuna Islands)
 * L. d. chalcedonides (Borneo)
 * L. d. annae (Bawean)
 * L. d. palawana (Philippines, Palawan)
 * ??L. d. iwasakii
 * L. d. bontouxi (southern Yunnan)