ON THE VARIETIES OF ACTIAS MAENAS. 133 



The females are not so variegated as the males, which 

 latter I may divide into two groups : one where greenish 

 yellow is the prime-colour and one with red-brown 

 as prime-colour. Between these principal groups is a third 

 one, which shows us the transitional form. Mr. Fruhstorfer 

 has given to this variation from Celebes the name „/atow«". 

 Its coloration resembles that of Argema (Actias) ignescens 

 Moore from the Andaman-islands (Sonthonnax), and Mr. 

 Gr. Weymer utters the opinion, that latona and ignescens 

 will be synonym. The dark specimens are all from Celebes, 

 the other ones from Java and Sumatra. Between the female, 

 described by Doubleday and figured by Westwood (Cab. 

 Oriental Entomology, plate 22) and those of Java and 

 Sumatra is some difference; the males also are not quite 

 identical, so that I believe, there are four local varieties 

 of Actias maenas. 



1. Actias maenas^ Doubleday (type, British-India). 



2. Actias maenas^ Var. saja^ n. v. (Java and Sumatra). 



3. Actias maenas, Var. latona, Fruhst. i. 1. (Celebes). 



4. Actias maenas, Var. isis. South, (Celebes). 



When the evolution-theory is true, we have in this 

 species a very fine proof of the transition from dark brown 

 into greenish yellow. The form latona, which Sonthonnax 

 and Weymer had united with isis, shows us a very in- 

 teresting colour-transition. The females are more advanced 

 in colour development than the males. 



Here follows the description of these varieties. 



Actias maenas, Doubleday. 



cf.Hab. Sikkim. Exp. alar. 156 mM. 

 . Anterior wing exp.: 72 — 75 mM. ; the apex acute. The 

 anteriormargin straight, slightly bent towards the apex;, 

 outermargin feebly undulated, slightly bent inside to media 

 1 ; innermargin 38 — 43 mM. Prime-colour greenish yellow; 

 costa grayish brown ; the base beyond the origin of the 

 first nervule pale brown; a brown patch near the apex 

 and a larger one on the outermargin near the distal angle; 

 an indistinct pale brown, angular, transverse line beyond 



Notes from the Leyden Miuseuin, Vol. XXXV. 



