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DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME NEW SPECIES AND 

 SUBSPECIES OF LEPIDOPTERA. 



By the HON. WALTER ROTHSCHILD. 



Troides tithonus De Haau. 



THIS species was first described by De Haan in Temminck, Ver/i. Nat. Gesch. 

 Ned. oi-ei-. hi'z. p. L8. t. 1. f. 1 (cJ), in the year 184i.i, and he states on pp. 3 

 and 19 that it came from South-West New Guinea. Since then the only specimens 

 of T. tithonus we have received came from the island of Waigen, bnt lately Mr. 

 "William Doherty sent me a c? and two ? ? from the mainland of New Guinea, 

 near where Solomon Miiller got De Haau's type. I at once saw these differed 

 considerably from the Waigeu examples, especially in the ? ? , and I therefore 

 describe the Waigeu form as a new subspecies. 



1. Troides tithonus waigeuensis subsp. nov. 



? . Differs from T. tithonn.-i tithonus in having the white markings on the fore- 

 wings much more extended, while on the hiudwings it is somewhat restricted. 



Tha female of tithonus tithonus has the white patch in the cell of the forewing 

 deeply dentated on the outer margin, lU mm. wide at the widest point and 3 mm. 

 at the narrowest, while in tithonus waigeuensis it is almost quadrate, not so strongly 

 dentated, and is 15 mm. wide at the widest and 10 mm. at the narrowest part. In 

 the typical form just before apex of cell are a few white scales, while in the Waigeu 

 form there is a long white dash. The four white patches in tithonus tithonus 

 between veins 9 and 5 are respectively 7, 11, 7, and 4 mm. long, while in my new 

 one they measure 15, 20, 25, and 20 mm. in length. The submarginal white spots, 

 five in number, between veins 5 and 1 are at least twice as large in the Waigeu 

 form as in the New Guinea one. 



In both forms the discal spots vary much in size and number, but in tithonus 

 toaigeuensis the second spot between veins 3 and 4 varies from 19 (type-specimen) 

 to 9 mm., while in tithonus tithonus it is cither absent (type of ? ) or a mere dot. 

 The spot between veins 2 and 3 in tithonus tithonus is rounded and measures 7 (type 

 of ?) to 9 mm. in diameter, while in tithoims luaigeuensis it is elongate and 

 measures 18 (type) to 14 mm. 



In the hiudwings the outer portion of the light area is much less washed with 

 yellow in tithonus toaigeuensis than in tithonus tithonus. 



The white apex to the cell in tithonus tithonus measured along the centre line 

 of tl»c cell is 12 (type) and 10 mm. in length, while in tithonus ivaigcuensis it is 5, 

 7 (type), and 5 mm. long. 



The round black i)ost-discal spot between veins and 7 in tithonus waigeuensis 

 is joined to the black basal area, while in tithonus tithonus it is well separated and 

 well within the light area ; the white area partially surrounding the anal black spot 

 is much more restricted in the new form. 



On the underside the same differences hold good, and the yellow area on the 

 hindwiuL's of the New Guinea form is more orange. 



