﻿POMPEOPTERA RIEDELI. 



Ornithoptera Riedeli, Kirsch, "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," page 275, note 1, U tg, i, i ( f ). a (») (18S5). 

 » » Rober, " Tijdschr. voor Ent." vol. xxxiv., page 266 (1891). (j ?). 



" » Grose-Smith and W. F. Kirby, ' • Rhopalocera Exotica," vol. ii., Orn. p. 3 t., 2 f. I, (<f). 2. (|). 189*. 



Troidea Riedeli, Rothschild, "Novit. Zoologicae," vol. ii., p. 211, n. 17. (1S93). 



<?. Anterior wings. Costa arcuate, though rather 

 more slightly than in the 5 ; the outer margin nearly 

 straight, but sufficiently curved into the costa at the 

 apical angle ; interior margin nearly straight ; wings 

 velvety or silky black, with a greenish sheen ; only the 

 very faintest indications of the light adnervular rays on the 

 3 median nervules. Under surface as above, except that 

 the nervules have more or less broad light rays attached, 

 but greatly subdued to a dark grey by black scaling ; the 

 pseudoneura only visible in the cell on the under-surface 

 —the lowest or 3rd bifurcating very near to the distal end 

 of the cell. 



. Posterior wings, velvety-silky black, with a very broad 

 discal area of rich ruddy golden yellow, and a small area 

 of the same colour at the distal end of the cell ; this area 

 of yellow is beautifully opalescent when viewed obliquely 

 opposite the light, almost as richly as in the <? oiMagel- 

 lanus, only the opalescent prevailing tone is olive green ; 

 the submarginal black border is fairly broad, and lunate 

 between each vein ; the outer margin of the wing is slightly 

 lunate, with only the slightest trace of the light fringe 

 lunations ; the veins running through the yellow area are 

 well pronounced in black. 



Under surface as above, except that the yellow is les s 

 coppery in tone, and the opalescence more richly green- 

 The abdominal-marginal fringe short and sparse. The 

 head, antennae, thorax, and abdomen velvety or silky 

 black, pronotal collar carmine or coral red ; eyes nitid dark 

 brown. The subdorsum of the thorax is black, the legs 

 nitid black, the red pectoral patch only slightly seen ; the 

 abdomen sub-dorsum black, with the three lower articula- 

 tions slightly yellow, and the anal valves brown. 



Length of costa 68 mms. ; of outer margin 47 mms. ; of 

 inner margin 33 mms ; greatest length of posterior wings 

 44 and width 27 mms. 



Length of thorax with the head 25 mms. ; of abdomen 

 25, and of antennae 30 mms. 



Length) 1st pair, Femur, 8 ; Tibia, 7 ; Tarsi, 8 mms. 



of ' 2n d „ „ 11; „ 10; ,, 10 „ 

 Legs: J 3rd ,, ,, 10; ,, 11 ; „ 17 f> ' 



Habitat : Timor Laut. In the Author's Museum. 



5 . Anterior wings. Almost entirely like the upper 

 wings of Criton var. oberthiiri, ? , except that the light area 

 of the distal end of the cell is not quite so large, the ab- 

 nervular light rays are whiter, and extend almost to the 

 outer margin, and the black of the wings slightly warmer 

 in tone. Under surface as above. 



Posterior wings like those of Oberthiiri except that the 

 yellow discal area is not quite so extensive, being reduced 



between the 1st and 2nd discocellular nervules to four 

 spots of colour ; that only a minute yellow spot is found 

 at the distal end of the cell, the discal ovoid black spots 

 are broader, and either separated by black-scaled yellow 

 from the submarginal black band, or where connected are 

 laterally scaled in the same manner ; the submarginal 

 black is acutely lunate towards the discal spots, and the 

 outer margin rather more lunate or dentate ; there is also 

 a light fawn-coloured patch between the 3rd median branch 

 and submedian fold, and a slight light scaled line on the 

 lower part of the abdominal margin. Under surface as 

 above, except that the yellow portions are less ruddy in 

 tone, there is no dark scaling, and the fawn-tinted white 

 of the submedian area above becomes yellow on the 

 underside. The yellow portions of the wing on both 

 surfaces are, when viewed obliquely opposite the light, 

 opalescent green — most prominently on the underside. In 

 Oberthiiri this is not the case. 



Length of costa of anterior wing 82 mms. ; of outer 

 margin 58 mms. ; of inner margin 45 mms. Length of 

 posterior wing 55, and greatest width, 39 mms. 



Head, antennae and thorax black, eyes nitid dark 

 brown ; abdomen warm silky-brown. Under side of thorax 

 velvety black, with the usual lateral red patches; 

 the legs nitid black ; abdomen black the last four 

 articulations laterally and subdorsally scaled, and golden 

 yellow ; anal tuft brown ; the lateral black dots only four 

 in number. Only three of the anterior cell pseudoneura 

 are traceable beneath, the 2nd or central one seen pro- 

 minently in the distal white area. 



Length of thorax with head, 10 mms. ; of abdomen or 

 antennae, 15 mms. 



Length fist pair, Femur, 10; Tibia, 10; Tarsi, 13 mms. 



of j2ndpair, „ 11; ,, 12; „ 15 ,, 

 Legs: (3rd pair, „ 10; „ 12; ,, 16 „ 



Habitat : Timor Laut. 



If we were only acquainted with the 2 of this species 

 we should be inclined to regard it as a fine example 

 of Criton v. oberthiiri, notwithstanding the difference of 

 locality ; but the knowledge of the 6* makes it a certainty 

 that it is a different species from Oberthiiri, and an instance 

 of persistence of typal pattern in the females. 



In the Author's Museum. 



Timor Laut is the largest of a group of small islands 

 situated south-west of the Aroe or Aru Archipelago, and 

 exactly west of the Southern part of New Guinea and 

 Prince Frederick Henry Island, in the Arafura sea. 

 Tenimber Island is a little north, and the Kei Islands, 

 north-east of Timor Laut. All these islands are rich in 

 fine Papilionidae and Ornithoptera. 



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