192 XOVITATSS ZOOLOaiCAE XXII. 1915. 



ON THE LEPIDOPTERA IN THE THING MUSEUM SENT 

 BY MR. A. S. MEEK PROM THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS, 

 DAMPIER, AND VULCAN ISLANDS. 



By lord ROTHSCHILD, F.R.S., Ph.D. 



WHILE making his very sncces.sfnl collection on Rook Island, Mr. Meek iiad 

 the misfortune to contract a bad sunstroke, so that the three last collections 

 were made b}' his assistants during his convalescence. With the exception of a 

 few specimens got b}' the Challenger, and a very small lot of Rhopalocera received 

 quite recently by Herr Niepelt, no collections have ever been made on the Admiralty 

 Islands. Captain Webster collected a few butterflies on St. Gabriel, a small 

 satellite island of the Admiralty gronp. From Dampier a few insects were obtained 

 by Dr. Hagen, and Dr. Werner collected eight species on Vulcan Island. The 

 insects from the Admiralties were all procured at and around the trading station 

 established on the main island about January 1913 by the Germans. The ex- 

 pedition collected on the Admiralty Islands during September and October 1913, 

 on Vulcan Island during November and December 1913 and January 1914, and on 

 Damjiier Island in February and March 1914. Dampier Island is near the 

 Astrolabe Bay, and Vnlcan Island lies considerably to the west of it. 



RHOPALOCERA 

 FAFU.ION'IDAE 



Fapiliouinae 

 1. Papilio priamus poseidon (Dbl.) 



Ornithoptera posciilim Doubleday, Ami. Mag. Nat. Hist. (1) xix. p. 173 (1847) (Daroley Island). 



The specimens from both Dampier and Vulcan Islands show no appreciable 

 difterence from those from the mainland of German New Guinea, though the ? ? 

 include a preponderance of individuals having the light spots reduced in size. 

 1 <S from Dampier has three black spots on tlie hindwing, but the rest have either 

 two or none at all (ab. pegasn.i Feld.). 



T c?c?, 8 ? ?, Vulcan Island ; 4 t?c?, 5 ? ?, Dampier Island. 



2. Papilio priamus admiralitatis snbsp. nov. 



This form is nearest to P. p. bornemaiuti, but very distinct. 



i. Above. Differs from bornemaiini in the entire absence of green scaling on 

 the veins in disc of forewing. On the hindwing it differs by having a golden 

 yellow patch in the costal area, in the much denser green scaling, and in the much 

 larger and more distinct black spots. 



Below. On forewing there is more green scaling between veins 8 and 9. On 

 hindwing the yellow subcostal patch is also present, the black patches are very 

 large, yellow tornal patch is smaller, and the black dot in it much enlarged. 



?. Above. Differs from bornemanni in its shorter rounder wings and more 

 blackish-grey brighter ground colour. On the hindwing the pale patches run up 



