338. 

 APATURA IRIS. 



The purple-Emperor or Highflyer. 



Order Lepidoptera. Fam. Papilionidae Lat., Lea. 



Type of the Genus, Papilio Iris Linn. 

 Apatuua Fah., Leach, Sam., Hors. — Nymphalis Ljut. — Papilio Linn.&c. 

 AntenncB inserted on the crown of the head between the eyes, 

 composed of numerous joints, long and slightly curved, termi- 

 nated by a broad concave elongate-ovate club (6). 

 MaxillcE long and spiral. 



Palpi porrected obliquely, pointed, meeting and forming a beak 

 considerably beyond the head, thickly clothed with short scales, 

 long and bristly above beneath and at the base (4) ; triarticu- 

 late, basal joint short, 2d very long, slender and curved, 3d not 

 longer than the basal joint, elongate-conic (4 a). 

 Eyes oval and naked: (7, the head viewed beneath). Thorax robust, 

 subovate. Wings with very strong nervures, superior elongate, tri- 

 gonute, with the posterior margin slightly concave but entire ; infe- 

 rior slightly scalloped, the discoidal cell not closed ; a groove in the 

 abdominal margin to receive the body, with a deep notch inside the 

 posterior angle. Abdomen short, and rather stout. Feet, anterior 

 pair not formed for walking, small and imperfect in both sexes, the 

 thigh and tibia short and slender (8, a, b), tarsus very pilose (c), 

 Al-jointed, basal joint long, 2d and 3d short, 4th minute. Claws 

 none (*). 4 posterior legs long, tarsi 5-jointed, terminated by Claws 

 and Pulvilli with membranous pubescent, bifid appendages at the base. 

 Larvae with the head furcate, the body thickest in the middle and at- 

 tenuated to the apex which is bifid. 



Pupae broad keeled and compressed, head-case bifid ; suspended, by 

 the tail which is furnished with many minute liooks. (^Introduction to 

 Ent.Pl.XYLf. 10.) 



Iris Linn. S. N.\. pars 2. p. 775. n. 161. Curtis" s Guide, Gen. 772. 

 Male, blackish with a splendid bluish purple lustre ; superior 

 wings with a large white spot in the centre and 2 below it, 3 

 towards the costa, 2 towards the apex smaller, and 2 near the pos- 

 terior margin ; cilia with a small space near the apex and the 

 posterior angle white : inferior wings with a white fascia across 

 the centre produced in the middle of the outer margin, posterior 

 angle orange, bearing 2 black spots and higher up an ocellus 

 with an orange iris ; cilia white spotted with black. Underside 

 of superior wings orange and ferruginous, with several white and 

 black spots, a portion of the posterior margin lilac, near which 

 is a black spot with a lilac centre, on an orange ground, bearing 

 2 wliite spots : inferior wings lilac and ash color, ferruginous in 

 the middle, across which is a white abbreviated band, attenuated 

 to the lower extremity and produced externally near the middle, 

 anal angle red with a long black mark, a black ocellus above 

 with a lilac pupil and orange iris. 

 Female brown, and generally larger than the male. 

 In the Author's and other Cabinets. 



