Talaud black birdwing  (Troides dohertyi)

Description

As its common name suggests, the male of this large tropical butterfly is almost entirely black on its upperside, and as such, is the darkest of all Troides birdwings (3). The underside of the hindwing does, however, bear the golden markings typical of Troides species, and a very few males have faint suggestions of gold colouration on the upper surface of their hindwing, but this is rare. Females have a restricted area of yellow markings on their hindwings, and obscure whitish to tan stripes on their forewings (4). The Talaud black birdwing is regarded by some as a subspecies of Troides rhadamanthus, but is separated by others on the basis of adult colour difference (5).

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