﻿POMPEOPTERA HELENA. 



Var. Papuensis. 



Ornithoptera Helena, var. Papuensis ? , Wallace, Trans. Linn. Soo. Vol. XXV., pp. 38, 39. (1865). 

 Troides Oblongomaculatus papuens:3, Rothschild, Novitates Zoologies, Vol. II., p. 214. (1895). 



Linnaeus' species HELENA appears to have differen- 

 tiated into a number of local forms, of great interest, 

 which are very instructive when studied together. Several 

 of these are now known, but probably others yet remain 

 to be discovered. Of one of those described by Wallace, 

 with the above varietal name, no male was known to 

 him ; and as far as I am aware, no description has 

 hitherto been published of the sex. The responsibility 

 therefore devolves upon me to give such a diagnosis as 

 may be necessary, after which Mr. Wallace's brief des- 

 cription will follow, so as to enable us to understand the 

 types ; and this will be followed by a more detailed 

 description from the example figured on plate 45 of this 

 work. 



POMPEOPTERA PAPUENSIS, $ . Miki. 



Primaries : Smoky black, silky and shaded into olive 

 brown towards the outer margin. Underside similar 

 except that the colour becomes more fuscous towards the 

 posterior margin. The veins and wing-folds fairly con- 

 spicuous on both surfaces. Secondaries, a rich golden 

 yellow on either surface, the veins deep black in the 

 yellow, with a broad black posterior marginal border, 

 irregularly curved or dentated inwardly ; not quite i-3rd 

 of the discoidal cell obliquely black towards the base, and 

 all but a small portion of the space between the costal 

 nervure and 1st subcostal branch the same colour ; the 

 space within the precostal nervure fuscous brown ; under 

 surface similar in every respect, except that the yellow 

 towards the hind margin bordering all the veins is softened 

 off into a subdued green, containing black atoms 

 which follow the broad black border ; the abominal 

 margin and fold are black, shot with a bluish grey 

 opalescence. 



Thorax and head velvety black; collar crimson scarlet; 

 underside fuscous brown, with pectoral red spots ; legs 

 black ; eyes chesnut brown ; antennae black ; spirotrompe 

 a moderate length ; abdomen yellow beneath ; dorsal, 

 fawn brown, the last 3 segments accentuated with yellowish 

 white ; anal valves pearly light fawn, with a minute dot 

 midway, close to the segment ; 5 lateral black dots on the 

 abdomen. 



Antennae with 48 articulations. 



Length of costa 66 mms. ; width of Primary 30 mms. ; 

 length of secondary wing 40 mms.; width 30 mms. Length 

 of antennae or abdomen 25, and of thorax with head 17 

 mms. 



Length of Legs 



1 st pair, femur 8, tibia 9, tarsi 14 mms. 

 2nd ,, ,, 11 ,, 11 ,, 12 mms. 

 3rd ,, This pair of legs was absent from 

 the specimen. 



Hab. New Guinea. 



Type in the collection of Mr. Walter Dannatt, who 



kindly allowed me the pleasure of describing and figuring 

 his example. 



Pompeoptera Papuensis, ? . Wallace. 



I quote from Wallace's paper in Trans. Linn. Soc, 

 Vol. xxv., pp. 38, 39.* 



" O Helena b, local form Papuensis : Female sooty 



black, 2 first branches of the sub-costal nervure margined 

 with whitish near their origin ; markings of the lower wing 

 of the same tint of orange yellow as is O Helena $ , but 

 not so glossy. Male not known. Hab. New Guinea, 

 Salwatty (Wall)." 



The type is probably in the Hewitson Collection, British 

 Museum, under the name O. Helena. 



S . From Mr. W. Dannatt's collection. Primaries 

 silken greenish-brown or black ; the 5 branches of the 

 subcostal nervure, the 2 discoidal nervules, and the 1st and 

 2nd median nervules passing through yellow ochraceous, 

 white, or cream coloured rays from their origin ; the 

 same light colour within the discoidal cell, but graduated 

 into the black by black atoms. Under surface similar, 

 except that the light mark within the cell extends sub- 

 costally to near the base ; fringe lunules ochraceous white. 

 Secondaries golden yellow, with brown black hairs near the 

 abdominal margin, and a broad border of black to nearly 

 1 -3rd of the wing, broadly and strongly, and irregularly 

 indented. The black also occupies nearly the basal half 

 of the cell, all but a small portion of the costal, sub-costal 

 spaces, and the space below the 1st subcostal branch ; in 

 the area of black in the latter region is a reddish yellow 

 mark deeply curved on each side ; and between the 2nd 

 subcostal and the discoidal branches is a large orbicular 

 sub-marginal black spot. The under surface is similar, 

 except that the dentations of the marginal black border, 

 and the orbicular spot are subdued by light atoms, the 

 last but one enclosing a small black spot surrounded by 

 the light atoms ; there are also whitish suffusions on the 

 yellow between the nervules extending from the hind 

 margin towards the base ; the yellow of both surfaces of 

 the wings is redder and richer than in the 6* . 



Thorax, black reddish-brown ; collar, crimson-scarlet ; 

 head black, eyes reddish-brown ; antennae black. Under 

 side of thorax brown, with pectoral crimson patches. 

 Abdomen smoky silky-brown ; lateral parts whitish 

 ochraceous ; subdorsal more yellow, with a row of 6 lateral 

 black dots ; anal tuft, red ochraceous. 



The pseudoneura on the upper wing are fairly promi- 

 nent. 



Length of costa 86 mms. ; width of upper wing 42 mms. 

 Length of lower wing 54 mms., width 40 mms. Length 

 of abdomen or antennae 30 mms. ; thorax with head 

 30 mms. 



* On the Phenomena of variation and Geographical Distribution as illustrated by the 

 Papilionidffi of the Malayan Region. 



45 



