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Luminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Prioneris hypsipyle
Lepidoptera / Pieridae
Prioneris hypsipyle is a West Sumatran sawtooth described by Gustav Weymer in 1887. Its dark ventral forewings and gold-yellow hindwings with small marginal dots distinguish the males in the original account.
Read the species account
Weymer’s males have almost entirely black-brown ventral forewings, with white along the inner margin, pale streaks through the central cell and two curved rows of smaller pale marks. The ventral hindwings are gold-yellow with black veins, a broad dark border containing four small yellow dots, and a vermilion patch near the base. [5]
Above, Weymer distinguished hypsipyle from autothisbe by two additional white forewing spots, a narrower black hindwing margin and broader blue-grey dusting along its inner edge. He recorded a body length of 25 mm and a forewing length of 38 mm. [5]
The ventral surface displays the strongest contrasts in Weymer’s diagnosis: dark forewings, gold-yellow hindwings and four small yellow dots within the hindwing border. [5]
Bold contours separate the pale fields from the dark veins and borders, retaining the sharp contrast of the ventral pattern.
Keep framed specimens enclosed and away from direct sunlight, moisture and pests. Handle the frame and avoid contact with the fragile wings. [4]
University of Florida Lepiverse; Catalogue of Life 2026-08-26 XR · Accessed 2026-10-09
Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung; digitized historical primary paper · Accessed 2026-10-09
Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology · Accessed 2026-10-09
Canadian Conservation Institute; Fiona Graham · Accessed 2026-10-09
Gustav Weymer, Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung 48 (1887) · Accessed 2026-10-11
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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