298 On a neio Transitional Form o/'Ornithoptera. 



aries same colour as above, but slightly darker ; a large 

 discocellular pale spot clouded M'ith atoms close to the disco- 

 cellular nervules ; the discal marks corresponding with the 

 four on the upper surface are much paler and extend much 

 further down between the nervules — the first is partly pure 

 and partly formed by atoms, the second is indented with 

 brown, modified by atoms, the third much larger and with a 

 long brown indentation, and the fourth very long, but so 

 interrupted with brown modified by atoms as to form an 

 ochreous ray close to the nervules extending nearly to the 

 marginal border ; outside the third median nervule is also 

 an ochreous atomic ray close to the nervule, almost hastate, 

 followed by a second longitudinal stripe extending lower 

 down nearly to the outer margin ; the submedian nervule and 

 the abdominal margin have similar ochreous stripes as above, 

 but more prominently developed ; there is a broad submar- 

 ginal band indicated by narrow ochreous stripes and cunei- 

 form spots, so meeting and enclosing the brown areas between 

 the nervules, especially from the second subcostal and third 

 median, as to give them almost the appearance of arches, the 

 bases of which are the fringe-lunules of the posterior margin. 



Head : antennae deep black ; eyes chestnut-biown ; hau- 

 stellum black. Thorax and prothorax dark brown, with 

 crimson collar ; lateral crimson spots, and subdorsal with less 

 black. Abdomen pale fuscous brown, with lateral borders of 

 reddish ochreous ; subdorsal the same, with strongly outlined 

 or entirely fuscous brown segments ; anal tuft dark brown. 



Expanse of costa 82 miUim. ; width of upper wing 61 ; 

 length of lower wing 51, width 45 ; length of antennae or 

 abdomen 31, of thorax with head 21. The legs, all but one, 

 are absent from the specimen. 



JIab. Isle of Talaut [Doherty). Feb. to March 1892. 



Some examples of the female are entirely free from discal 

 marks above, as in the male, and in one example more than 

 half the under surface of the primaries is entirely fuscous 

 white, the veins only being dark. 



Setting aside the remarkable precostal character of the 

 male, which allies it to P. hephcestus, the nearest affinity of 

 the male is with P. Plateni on the upperside, appearing like 

 an immaculate var. of that Philippine species. On the under 

 surfaceof the lower wing the yellow marks suggest an approach 

 to those of haliphron ; the female also on the upper wing, 

 and somewhat on the under surface, comes nearer to the hali- 

 phron facies*. The outline of the male primary wing is unlike 



* Since writing the above I have been able to compare the females 

 with a female of Friainopfera iris, Robers, and am struck witli the 

 resemblance of one or two examples of 7', Dnhcrtyi with the latter. 



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