EUD^MONIA JEHOVAH. 



Kov. sp. on page 93 of this work. 



(PLATE XII, FIG. 1, cf .) 



Male. Expands 4| inches. 



Head and collar grey, with a pinkish tinge. Thorax and abdomen dark brownish grey. 



Upper surface ; primaries grey, paler and with a somewhat pinkish tinge towards theco'sta ; a dark brown 

 basal patch ; a triangular, transparent discal mark which is prolonged in a fine line upwards to the costal 

 nervure, and is surrounded with a dark brown cloud; beyond this, two irregular transverse lines cross the 

 wing from inner to costal margin, the innermost one broken near the middle, from which inwards it is double 

 or accompanied by a narrow shade; these two lines are close to each other from the inner margin half way, 

 whence they begin to diverge and become widely separated as they near thecosta; midway, and joining on the 

 outer edge of the outermost of these two lines, is a conspicuous white spot ; further up, joining, or rather emana- 

 ting from the same line, is a small white spot ; and a little below the large spot, and joining the same line, is a 

 small black, triangular spot ; the middle third of the outer area is clouded with dark brown. Secondaries with 

 long narrow tails ; colour somewhat darker than primaries ; several narrow, submarginal lines, and a brownish, 

 not very wide, transverse band ; a small patch of same colour on abdominal margin, and an obscure trans- 

 parent discal spot. 



Under surface greyish brown, darkest towards exterior margin, mottled with indistinct dots or points of 

 a darker shade ; a transverse brown line crosses all wings from costa to inner margin ; discal spots transparent ; 

 the large white spot of upper surface repeated. 



I know of but one example of this grand insect, the original of the accompanying figure, which was 

 sent to Prof Meyer of New York, from Brazil by his son, and to the courtesy of the former I am indebted 

 for the opportunity of ])ublishing the species. In what precise locality it was captured is not known, as it 

 was, I believe, purchased from a dealer in Rio Janiero. 



It is a hundred years since Cramer, in his voluminous work, figured the first species of Eudfemonia, the 

 wonderful Scmiramis ; and the three species now composing that genus are in appearance the most remarkable 

 Lepidopterous insects yet known. 



In the " Verzeichnisz " * Hiibner has placed two very dissimilar insects in his genus Eudsemonia; the 

 Semiramis, Cramer, from Surinam, and the West African Argus of StolJ ; the latter, Duncan placed in his 

 genus Eustero, (in the Nat. Library, Vol. VII, p. 125), and it certainly ought not to be retained in the same 

 genus with Semiramis, as it comes mucli nearer the true Saturnidse, especially those composing the genus 

 Tropsea, Hiib. {Actias, Leach), whilst Semiramis, Deroeto and Jehovah are near to Rhescyntis, and still nearer 

 to Dysdtemonia, to which latter I think they are very closely allied. 



The present species, though not so far removed from Semiramis as is Maassen's Derceto, still differs from 

 it very considerably in most particulars ; in Cramer's species the wings are narrower, especially the secondaries, 

 the outer margins are scarcely dentated, the tails are nearly a third longer in proportion, the ground colours 

 ai-e various shades of buiF and reddish, the discal mark is not triangular, and the white spot emanating from 

 the outer edge of the transverse line is triangular, instead of having the peculiar six-sided shape of that in the 

 present species. Maassen's species, in the plain edges of outer margins, is closer to Semiramis, but in the 

 much greater width of the tails, which give it a heavy appearance, as well as in ornamentation, it is equally 

 aberrant from both Cramer's and the species here figured. It was scarcely necessary, perhaps, to go into these 

 comparative details; but, unfortunately, so little attention is paid to Exotic Lepidoptera in this country, and 

 in consequence so little is known, that I may not, perhaps, be entirely amiss. 



The above remarks are entirely in connection with the males of the species alluded to, as of Derceto and 

 Jehovah the females are, I believe, entirely unknown, and that of Scmiramis, according to Maassen's figure, is 

 widely different in appearance from the male, having much broader wings, shorter, broader tails, and differ- 

 ini considerably in the ornamentation. I hei-e cite Cramer's and Maassen's species more fully than on page 93 : 



Semiramis, Cramer, {Phake.no Bombyx Aifacus) Papillons Exotiques, Vol. I, T. XIII, A, d' (1775). Gmelin, 

 Ed. Systema Naturae, I, 5, 2404, 470 (1788). 

 Bombyx Semiramis, Fabricius, Genera Insectorum, 277 (1777); Species Insect. II, 170, 13 

 (1781) ; Mantissa Insect. II, 109, 15 (1787) ; Ent. Syst. Ill, 1, 413, 20. Olivier Enc. 

 Meth. Ins., V, 28, 18, pi. 69, f. 8. 



* Verzeichnisz bekannter Schmetterlinge, p. 151 (1816 ^ 



101 



