Jamides reverdini (Fruhstorfer, 1915)

Mueller, Chris J., 2016, A stunning new species of Jamides Huebner, 1819 (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), with notes on sympatric congeners from the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, ZooKeys 571, pp. 113-131 : 119-120

Taxon classification Animalia Lepidoptera Lycaenidae

Jamides reverdini (Fruhstorfer, 1915) Figs 44, 45, 52, 58

Lampides elpis reverdini: Fruhstorfer (1915: 143); TL: ST Holl. Zentral Neu Guinea, Kloofbivak [Papua, Indonesia].

Remarks.

Jamides reverdini was previously known from the Bismarcks from just a single specimen from New Ireland, which Parsons (1998) considered to be possibly mislabelled. Additional material is here recorded from close to sea level near Poronbus in New Ireland and from both the Whiteman Range (approximately 1000m) and Bainings Mountains (2000m), in West and East New Britain Provinces, respectively. Therefore, the taxon has a notably extensive vertical range in the Bismarck Archipelago. In northern mainland New Guinea, for example in the Upper Sepik, Jamides reverdini is most commonly observed below 500m (pers. obs.)

This insect is unique in its comparatively large size, bright silvery blue upperside and boldly patterned underside. On the underside, the ground colour is a distinct deep grey and, like Jamides pseudosias , the forewing median bar and postmedian band are connected at vein 3. Jamides reverdini is easily separated from Jamides pseudosias by, among other fore-mentioned features, the shape of the subterminal band on the hindwing underside. In Jamides reverdini , this band constitutes a series of rectangular markings bordered heavily with white, whereas in Jamides pseudosias these markings are distinctly triangular.