New Delias sp.

[Commander]

Came across this 2 year old article. Any idea what this bugger looks like, Les? It's a Delias! :jumjoy:

Rare butterfly species named after Indonesian first lady

Indonesia's First Lady Kristiani Herawati received a rare honour Tuesday when she was presented with a specimen of a rare Papuan butterfly species named after her.

The mainly brown and black butterfly was just one of a number of new species discovered in a virtual "lost world" in one of of Asia's most isolated jungles, located on the Indonesian part of New Guinea island.

Environmental group Conservation International (CI) found the astonishing array -- including frogs, butterflies and the first bird found on the island in more than 60 years -- during a trip to the Foja Mountains in December 2005.

Herawati was given a "Delias Kristianidae" during a ceremony at a safari garden. She plans to donate it to a museum.

"The name was first published in a Japanese scientific journal in April 2006, but this is the only time Ibu Ani has been informed about the species," CI scientist Budi Iraningrum told AFP, referring to the first lady by her popular name.

The heavy schedule of the wife of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono prevented an event being held earlier, he added.

[Painted Jezebel]

Its actually Delias kristianiae, which is closely related to the well known species Delias pratti. Photographs below.

This is one of the species that I told Henk van Mastrigt (the describer), that I was not totally convinced that it was a new species, but may turn out to be a new subspecies only (the undersides are identical). However, owing to the fact that it was found in the Foja Mountains, and D. pratti is from the Arfak Mountains, at the other end of the island, and that the uppersides are very different, I was prepared to go along with him for the time being, but I told him not to be too surprised to find other intermediate specimens in between from other unexplored areas.

The first two are D. kristianiae, the third & fourth D. pratti.

[atronox]

Thanks Les, for uploading one of the photos of the newly discovered butts i was so hoping to see.