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A NEW PAPILIO FROM BURU. 



By J. J. JOICEY and G. TALBOT. 



Papilio {Troides) prattorum sp. nov. 



This is the finest discovery made by the brothers Pratt since they 

 began collecting Lepidoptera for the Hill Museum, and is another 

 example of their skill and perseverance in tracking down species new 

 or little known to science. 



This species is confined to the mountains of western Buru. This 

 area represents a small part of the island and is difficult of access. 

 It is unpopulated and the mountains are heavily covered in jungle. 

 The geological formation is sandstone, while the eastern part of the 

 island is chiefly limestone. 



P. prattorum is remarkable for the wonderful opalescence of the 

 hind wing, in which it resembles magellanus Feld. from the Philippines. 

 Its relationship however is with aeacus Feld., an Indian and Chinese 

 species, extending to Formosa and the Malay Peninsula. 



cT . Shape of wing as in aeacus Feld. Head, thorax and abdomen 

 black. Collar red. Ventral surface of abdomen clothed with short 

 hair, and segments 6 — 8 edged anteriorly with yellow ; dorsal surface 

 with segments 6 and 7 thinly edged with yellow anteriorly. 



Fore wing with grey-white vein stripes sharply defined on 2 — ;8, 

 reaching to near the margin, the lower ones thicker than the upper ; 

 stripes 2 — 5 joined in pairs at the cell margin, upper stripe edging vein 

 5 not joined to the next along 6, upper stripe along 6 joined to the 

 next along 7, the two last meeting in a point at the base of cellule 7. 

 Discocellulars edged with grey-white on the inside, this edging 

 forming a short stripe along upper and lower edges of cell ; cell fold 

 thinly edged with grey-white on its distal fourth. At the base of 

 cellule 2 the grey-white stripe is mixed with yellow. Fringe white, 

 interrupted by black at the veins. 



Hind wing amber-yellow as in aeacus, and with a marginal black 

 area and pattern much as in that species. The black margin a little 



