♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (RIEB)		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (RIEB)
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (RIEB)		♀, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (RIEB)
♂, Houaphan, Laos. (photo by K.Saito)		♀, Houaphan, Laos. (photo by K.Saito)
♂, Ha Giang, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)		♀, Ha Giang, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)
♂, Ha Giang, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)		♂, Lao Cai, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)
♂, Nan, Thailand. (RIEB)		♂, Lao Cai, Vietnam. (photo by K.Saito)

ON : Teinopalpus imperatrix Nicéville, 1899 OD : J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 12(2):335-336, pl.BB, figs.♂,♀. TL : Taungoo Hills, "Upper Tenasserim" [N.Tanintharyi, Myanmar]. (♂♀) Distribution : Myanmar (Shan States to Upper Tenasserim), N.Thailand, Laos, N.Vietnam. ● ssp.imperatrix ● ssp.herteri

Teinopalpus imperialis bhumipoli Nakano & Sukkit, 1985 : Gekkan Mushi 177:4-5, 2, figs.♂(HT),♂(HT,Un), pl.1, fig.1(♂,PT). TL. Doi Pha Hom Pok, Thailand. (♂, in coll. S.Nakano)
Teinopalpus imperialis gillesi Turlin, 1991 : Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. 70:4, pl.1, figs.5(HT,♂Un), 6(HT,♂). TL. Sam Neua, Laos. (♂, MNHN)
Teinopalpus imperialis gerritesi Nakano, 1995 : Futao.19:6, pl.1, figs.9(HT,♂),10(HT,♂Un). TL. Nan, NE.Thailand. (♂, in coll. S.Nakano)

bhumipoli ;
Holotype ♂, 15.Mar.1985. Fang, N.Thailand. P.Sukkit leg. (in coll. S.Nakano)
Paratype 1♂, 23.Mar.1985. same locality as the holotype. P.Sukkit leg. (in coll. S.Nakano)
gillesi ; Holotype ♂, 10.Mar.1938. 20km sud-ouest de Sam Neua, Laos, 1400m. in coll. M.Gilles (MNHN)
gerritesi ;
Holotype ♂, 16.Apr.1991. Nan, N-E.Thailand. (in coll. S.Nakano)
Paratypes : 3♂, Nan, N-E.Thailand. (in coll. Morita)

[ THAILAND ]
Teinopalpus imperialis bhumipoli ; Nakano,1990 : 18, pl.1, fig.1. (Chiang Mai: Doi Pha Hom Pok)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Pinratana & Eliot,1992 : 28,44, pl.50, figs.40,♂,♀. (Chiang Mai)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Ek-Amnuay,[2007] : 102, pl.23, figs.P48,♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pha Hom Pok)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Ek-Amnuay et al.,2007 : 6. (Chiang Mai: Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Inthanon; Nan: Doi Phu Kha)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Racheli & Cotton,2009 : 57-59, figs.♂,♂(Un). (N)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Kimura et al.,2011 : 129, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Inthanon)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Ek-Amnuay,2012 : 102, pl.23, figs.P45,♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Doi Pha Hom Pok; Doi Inthanon; Doi Phu Kha)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; S.Sophonviwatkul, C.Sunthornwiphat & T.Laola,2023- : Butterflies of Thailand, figs. (Chiang Mai) (accessed: 2023.05.16)

[ LAOS ]
Teinopalpus imperialis gillesi ; Turlin,1991 : 4, pl.1, figs.5(HT,♂),6(HT,♂Un). (Laos)
Teinopalpus imperialis gillesi ; Masui & Uehara,1999 : 19, figs.1,♂,♂(Un),♀,♀(Un). (Xam Neua)
Teinopalpus imperialis x Teinopalpus aureus (Natural hybrid) ; Uehara & Masui,2002 : 110, figs.3,♂,4,♂(Un). (Xam Neua)
Teinopalpus imperialis ; Uehara & Masui,2002 : 110, figs.5,♂,6,♂(Un). (Xam Neua)
Teinopalpus imperialis gillesi ; Osada, Uémura & Uehara,1999 : 200, pl.20, figs.♂,♂(Un),♀. (Xam Neua)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Racheli & Cotton,2009 : 57-59. (Laos)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Nakamura & Wakahara,2012 : 41.
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Onodera,2022 : 12, pl.56, figs.♂,♂(Un). (Houaphan: Phou Pan)

[ VIETNAM ]
Teinopalpus imperialis ; Dubois & Vitalis,1914 : 151. (Tonkin: Chapa)
Teinopalpus imperialis ; Dubois & Vitalis,1921 : 17. (Tonkin: Chapa)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperialis ; Metaye,1957 : 84. (N)
Teinopalpus imperialis ; Shinkai,1996 : 45, pl.16, figs.2,♂,♂(Un), 3,♀(Un & Up). (Mt.Pia Oac)
Teinopalpus imperialis ; Shinkai,1999 : 58. (N: Mt.Pia Oac; Sapa)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperialis ; Monastyrskii,2007 : 74-75, pl.23, fig.2c♂(Un). (N: Hoang Lien; Pia Oac)
Teinopalpus imperialis imperatrix ; Racheli & Cotton,2009 : 57-59. (N.Vietnam)

[ THAILAND ]
Chiang Mai : 22♂ 4♀ (RIEB) (incl. photo)

Jan

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Sep

Oct

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Dec

Nan : 6♂ (RIEB).

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Dec

[ LAOS ]
Houaphan : 8♂ 1♀ (photo by K.Saito).

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Dec

[ VIETNAM ]
Ha Giang : 6♂ 5♀ (photo by K.Saito).

Jan

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Mar

Apr

May

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Sep

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Lao Cai : 3♂ (photo by K.Saito).

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The butterfly is locally very common in montane forests at high elevations (Alt. 1800 - 2200m) and is frequently found on top of mountains. Males are territorial on trees at hilltops and fly in circles for long hours in their territorial space. In northern Thailand, the same space is similarly occupied by Meandrusa lachinus and Delias species, especially Delias berinda and Delias belladonna, which engage in territorial fights with Teinopalpus imperialis. Usually, Delias species chase Teinopalpus imperialis. Looking at Teinopalpus imperialis flying through the air from below, the way it flies and its markings are very similar to those of Delias, it may be mimicking Delias species.
The size of the yellow markings on the UpH of males are quite variable and more subject to seasonal and individual variation than to geographic variation. These markings tend to decrease from south to north, suggesting that it is a large cline from ssp.imperatrix to ssp.behludinii. All subspecies described from Thailand and Laos belong to this width of individual variation and cannot be clearly distinguished as Racheli & Cotton,2009 mentioned.
Collard & Dion,2007 described ssp.colettei from "Phongsaly, N.Laos", but as Racheli & Cotton, 2009 pointed out, it is considered to have been described based on incorrect data.

Nicéville, L.de,1899 : Notes on some Butterflies from Tenasserim in Burma.
J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 12(2):329-336, pl.BB.

Turlin, B.,1991 : Notes sur les especes du genre Teinopalpus Hope et description de deux nouvelles sous-especes et d'une forme appartenant a ce genre. (Lepidoptera Papilionidae).
Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. 70:3-8.

Nakano, S. & Sukkit, P.,1985 : On a new subspecies of Teinopalpus imperialis Hope from Thailand
Gekkan-Mushi 177:2-6.

Nakano, S.,1995 : A new subspecies of Teinopalpus imperialis in N-E. Thailand. (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)
Futao 19:6-7.

Shinkai, A.,1996 : Records of Teinopalpus.imperialis, T.aureus and Graphium phidias in Mt,PiaOac.N.Vietnam.
Wallace 2:45. (in Japanese)

Nose, Y.,1998 : Notes on Teinopalpus impelialis [sic] and Bhutanitis lidderdalii (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) from Northernmost Myanmar
Notes on Eurasian Insects 2 - Butterfly - : 93-101. (in Japanese)

Uehara, J. & Masui, A.,2002 : A natural hybrid between Teinopalpus imperialis and T. aureus (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) from northern Laos
Trans. lepid. Soc. Japan 53(2):110-112.

Collard, S. & Dion, Y.P.,2007 : Description d'une nouvelle sous-espece de Teinopalpus imperialis (Hope 1843) du Nord Laos (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae)
Bull. Soc. ent. Mulhouse 63(3):42-46.

Racheli, T. & Cotton, A.M.,2009 : Guide to the Butterflies of the Palearctic Region. PAPILIONIDAE part 1. subfamily Papilioninae. Tribes Leptocircini Teinopalpini.
70 pp, colour illus, maps. Omnes Artes, Milano.

♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂, Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂ vs ♂ (territorial fights), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂ (territorial behavior), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂ vs ♂ (territorial fights), Chiang Mai, Thailand.	♂ vs ♂ (territorial fights), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♂ (Delias belladonna is chasing T.imperialis), Chiang Mai, Thailand.
♀ (put in place by human hands), Chiang Mai, Thailand. (photo by P.Sukkit)

1996.10.08 - 2023.05.31.