8 PAPILIO. - By Dr. A. Seitz. 



in proportion to the often enormous wings. The caterpillars possess behind the head a retractile fleshy 

 fork (scent-organ, osmateria), and live mostly uncovered on the foodplant. 



According to the usual classitication there are about 16 genera ditferentiated. While some authors 

 unite over a thousand different forms in a single genus Papilio, others have split up this genus into numerous 

 groups which they regard as valid genera. We shall accept here generally the simplifying method of 

 classification, but only in so far as by doing this the clearness of the classitication is not obscured. 



1. Genus: Papilio, SwallOAVtails. 



Three large sections appear to be sharply separated from one another, distinguished by Haase as 

 Pliannfikophar/iis, as PapiUo or true Swallowtails, and as Cosmodcxnnix. From the first section a further section 

 has been separated as Birdwmged Swallowtails (Ornithopfera, Troi'/es), with which we l)egin, the distinguish- 

 ing characters being, however, quite superficial. 



Subgenus: Ornithoptera Bui.^il. 



Very large Butterflies, with enormous triangular forewings and much smaller and rounded hindwings. The 

 latter are in d'd^ nearly always magnificently coloured and of a satin-like gloss; the cTd^ have at the liindmargin 

 in the anal fold modified scaling (scent-organ), the scales being hair-like, woolly, or awl-shaped. The antennae are 

 long- and become gradually thicker towards the apex, which is slightly cmwed. The head is anteriorly obtuse, the 

 frons being broad and sometimes tufted, and occasionally metallic: the paljji are short and not projecting. The 

 thorax is very elastic, soft, densely hairy, spotted with scarlet-red at the sides. The legs are long and thin, the 

 abdomen is elongate, often variegated above. — The caterpillar is stout, cylindrical, black or dark brown, each 

 segment heaving stout fleshy processes. They live free on species of Aristolochia , being often gregarious when 

 young. The retractile fork behind the head has a very strong smell resembling that of the food-plant. The chrys- 

 alis with strongly projecting lateral carina, conical frontal tubercles and two rows of warts on the back. The 

 Butterflies fly often at a considerable height above the gi-ound in sun-shine; they visit the flowers of bushes and 

 trees, incessantly fanning with their wings while sucking the honey. In comparison with the size of the wings the 

 flight is awkward, rather heavy, and straight on. Some species are' very common, and are easily caught in large 

 numbers in certain localities they haunt ; not a single species appears to be rare . except near the boundary of the 

 range. This group, which is otherwise entirely Judo-Australian, extends with a single species into the south-eastern 

 districts of the Palaearctic Region. 



aeacus. P. (Ornithoptera) aeacus FM. (= rhadamanthus Boinfl) (? la, a" lb). This species inhabits the 



Himalayas, Burma, South-, Gentral- and West-China, and Tibet; but the Palaearctic specimens diifer from 

 the Indian individuals rather obviously in the light-coloured stripes of the forewing being more grey (instead 

 of 3'ellowish as in India), and in the abdomen being spotted with black beneath. The insect is similar 

 to the Phillipine P. rhadamantus Liims, with wdiich it has formerly been confounded. 



Subgenus: Pharmacophagus Haasc. Aristolochia-Swallowtails. 



The species of Fharmacophciffiis are separable only by the smaller size and less stout form of the body 

 from Oriiithopleni, which they resemble in the habits of the imago as well as in the chrysalis and caterpillar. The 

 hindwings are mostly not so much inferior in size to the forewings, being often tailed, which is the case only in 

 Oruilhopiera paradisca and its allies, and here only in the male sex. The body of these insects is black, the 

 sides being spotted with red; it is soft, having an abundance of a yellow liquid which, on pressing the thorax, 

 penetrates from all the sutures, even from the tip of the antennae; the insects are at the same time very 

 tenacious of life. The flight is very awkward, mostly low and straight on; the ?$ of many species can be picked 

 up with the fingers from the grass. In copulation the sexes are accordingly in many cases united for houi's. Every- 

 thing points to these insects being well protected against their enemies, which explains perhaps the often great 

 abundance of specimens in certain localities. The first stages of the caterpillars, which have the appearance of 

 bird - droppings , resemble to a certain extent the caterpillars of the true Swallowtails and of the allies of the 

 European Scarce Swallowtail; later on they become stout, soft and black, bearing on each segment 4 — 6 fleshy 

 tubercles or tentacles, which are often red. They live on Aristolochia, the juice of which renders them poisonous. 

 The Butterflies occur in forests and gardens ; they likewise are fanning with the wings when sucking at flowers. 



ravana. P. ravaiia Moon- (lb), black, hindwing spotted with white, a red spot at the apex of the spatulate 



tail. Anal fold of hindwing brown interiorly. — In the Xorth -Western Himalayas (Kashmir), said to occur 

 ■^ as far as Sikkim. 



nevilli. P. nevilli Woo<l-Masoii (^ chentsong Oherth.) (Icj, very similar; tail of hinchving without red spot; 



Anal fold of hindwing dirty white interiorly. — South -West China (upper course of the Yang-tse-Kiang), 

 and the adjacent portions of Northern India. 



lama. P. lama Oherth. (2 a), above almost uniformly black, only near costal margin of hindwing a dirty 



white, sometimes obsolescent, spot. — This form is the Palaearctic representative of the Indian P. philoxenus; 

 it occurs in Central- and West -China, probably also in Tibet, especially in hilly country, and is very 

 common, like most Aristolochia-PapiKos in certain localities (Leech). 



