﻿POMPEOPTERA CRITON, VAR. OBERTHURI. 



Troldes Criton, var. Oberthiiri, s of Rothschild, " Novitates Zoologies," vol. ii., page aio (1895). 



A much larger variety, more in size like P. Critonoides 

 of Friihstorfer, from the island of Oby, and very much in 

 pattern like P. Riedeli ? of Kirsch : in fact a description 

 of Riedeli would almost do to represent the characters of 

 Oberthiiri. 



Anterior wings velvety black, the veins stout and 

 prominent ; the adnervular rays ochraceous white, subdued 

 towards their distal ends by black scaling, and broad at 

 nearest to the cell ; within the cell at the distal end i-4th 

 of the area is also ochraceous white, subdued by scal- 

 ing, the whole forming a very prominent white transverse, 

 central area of about i-4th of the entire wing, or about 24 

 mms. at its broadest and 12 mms. at its narrowest; this 

 light area extends across the wing from the 2nd subcostal 

 to the 3rd median nervules — at the latter it is isolated as 

 an independent adnervular ray, terminating at each end 

 equidistant from the outer margin and the discoidal cell ; 

 faint trace of the rays are found on the submedian fold. 

 The pseudoneura can be traced in the light end of the 

 cell on both surfaces. 



Under surface of the wings as above. 



Posterior wings velvety black ; a large discal area, and 

 the distal i-3rdofthe cell golden yellow; the five rather 

 large ovoid black discal spots united with the very broad 

 submarginal black border ; the abdominal marginal and 

 submedian area silky brown, with a greenish tinge. 



Under-surface as above, except that the black is not 

 quite so velvety, and a small light yellow streak is found 

 midway of the submedian fold. 



Head, thorax, and abdomen somewhat pilose velvety 

 black on the dorsi ; eyes nitid black ; thorax on the sub- 

 dorsum and the legs, black ; with the usual pectoral red 

 patch ; abdomen yellow, with broad black articulations 

 and the usual row of lateral black dots ; the anal tuft dark 

 brown. 



Length of costa 78 mms.; of posterior margin 58, and 

 of interior margin 43 mms. ; greatest length of posterior 

 wing 4g and of width 34 mms. Length of thorax with the 

 head 22 mms. ; of abdomen or antennae 29 mms. 



The pronotal collar is carmine red. 



Habitat : Halmaheira. Taken by the late Mr. Doherty 

 in 1892. 



It may be remarked that this 2 is distinctly unlike that 

 of the type form of Criton. In the latter the rays of 

 either of the anterior wings are only faintly traceable ; in 

 Oberthiiri we see that the light portions are very con- 

 spicuous ; on the two surfaces of the posterior wings there 

 is very little difference between the two forms. The 2 of 

 Oberthiiri is also much larger than that of the typical form 

 of Criton. 



The type form is found in the northern part of Batjan 

 or Seki Island, and Oberthiiri at Halmaheira in the large 

 Bay east of the island of Djilolo or Gilolo. Whether the 

 <? of Oberthiiri differs in any respect from that of the 

 typical Criton, 1 am unable to say ; but generally the 

 females of the respective species of Troides have a greater 

 tendency to variation than have the males. 



I must here take the opportunity of saying that the figs, 

 on my plate of Criton are redrawn from the Felder types, 

 while those on pages 28 and 29 of this vol. are also 

 from specimens in Mr. Rothschild's Museum ; and I am 

 indebted to him for the pleasure of describing the vars. 

 Felderi and Oberthiiri, and figuring the latter. 



I would also call attention to the great differences be- 

 tween the respective females of the Felder type, in plate 

 40, of the typical form on page 29, and the var. 5, Oberthuri 

 and Felderi on plate 41. 



as 



