197 



THALIURA RHIPHEUS. 

 PLATE XXVIII. 



Pap. E. A. Rhipheus,*.Fa6r Pap. Rhipheus, Cramer, PL 385, 



fig. A, B. — Boisduval, Nouvel. Annal. du Museum d^His. 

 Nat. p. 260, PL 8, fig. 1, 2. 



This magnificent species is usually about the size of 

 Papilio Mackaon, but sometimes it is a good deal 

 larger. The surface is a deep, velvet-black ; the up- 

 per wings with numerous transverse lines and stripes 

 of beautiful golden-green, and a broad band of the 

 same colour near the middle deeply cleft anteriorly : 

 this band is likewise continued across the under 

 wings in the direction of the anal angle, but a large 

 space on the latter is brilliant coppery-red with a 

 violet reflection, and marked with four or five black 

 spots ; besides this there is another green band near 

 the external margin, the outer edge as well as the 

 tails fringed with hairs : the tails are three in number, 

 that most remote from the anal angle longer than 

 the others. On the under side of the superior 

 wings the green bands are dilated so as to occupy 

 greater part of the surface ; the same side of the in- 

 ferior pair is gilded green at the base and extremity ; 

 the whole anal region bright flame colour inclining 

 to purple, with a changeable lustre, prolonged to 



