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Mr. A. R. Wallace on the Genus Iphias. 
I have retained Boisduval’s name Jphias for this genus, becaus» 
he first properly characterized it; and his name was, I believe, i, 
universal use among entomologists till Mr. Doubleday, in hi- 
“Genera.” revived Hiibner’s forgotten name Hebomoia, thereby 
doing his best to introduce confusion and misunderstanding into ; 
perfectly satisfactory and uniform nomenclature. 
I presume that the proper application of the law of priority is to 
determine among conflicting names still in use, and thus establish : 
uniform nomenclature. To apply it to rake up obsolete names, and 
thus create synonyms and produce the confused nomenclature it wa: 
intended to abolish, is an abuse which ought not to be tolerated. 
Specimens of J. glaucippe have been sent from N. India and Ceylon 
while leucippe is found in Ceram, the easternmost of the Moluccz 
group. No species of this genus was seen during my many months ~ 
residence in New Guinea and the islands of the Papuan group, no1 
has any been discovered in Australia. Three species, and those the 
most beautiful and striking, inhabit a small district in the Malay 
Archipelago—the Moluccas or true Spice Islands; while one only, 
subject to much variation, spreads over an area of very much greater 
extent, from Celebes to India. From these facts it might be con 
cluded that the Moluccas were the true metropolis and original seat. 
of the genus, and that it had spread itself thence to the peninsula 
and continent of India. But, from the general character of the 
fauna of the Moluccas, I have come to the conclusion that it is 
altogether derivative. The great mass of its forms may be traced 
to New Guinea, while a few only bear the stamp of the Indian 
region. I am inclined, therefore, to the opinion that the true home 
of the present genus was on the continent of Asia, at a time when it 
embraced the great islands of the Archipelago, Java, Sumatra; and 
Borneo ; that it has thence spread to the Moluccas; and owing to 
the isolation and difficulties of communication between those com- 
paratively small islands preventing the frequent crossing of the 
different races, they have become modified into the distinct forms 
they now exhibit ; while the races inhabiting those larger islands, 
which oppose to each other long lines of coast, have had their varia- 
tions checked and retarded by frequent intermixtures of races, so as 
to result in those less marked and less stable forms which we have 
found it most convenient to class as local varieties. 
Iphias glaucippe. 
Papilio glaucippe, Linn. ; Cramer, t. 164; Bois. Sp. Gen. 
L alba; alis anticis macula magna apicali rubro-aurantia plus minusve 
