﻿Genus POMPEOPTERA, Mihi. 



3 . Primary wings subtriangulate; costa arcuate — more 

 or less in different species of the genus ; anterior angle 

 always sufficiently distinct in boundary to prevent the 

 graduation of its outline into the outline of the posterior 

 margin ; posterior margin generally nearly straight or 

 slightly concave towards the middle, except in the case of 

 P. Dohertyi, where it is more irregular ; interior margin 

 somewhat curved in some species, or nearly straight in 

 others — P. Darsius for example ; the 3rd subcostal nervule 

 commences at a very short distance from the end of the 

 discoidal cell, (in some species exactly at the end of the 

 cell) ; the pseudoneura are generally fairly distinct on 

 the undersurface [the 1st commences at the base and 

 terminates just above the commencement of the 2nd sub- 

 costal nervule : the 2nd commences at the base, and runs 

 up midway of the cell to the 2nd discocellular nervule, 

 and passes over on to the disc (distorting it in its passage) 

 so as to form a wing-fold, which curves in its course to the 

 posterior margin : the 4th originates at the base of the 

 cell and unites with the 2nd at a short distance, while at 

 a fourth of its distance from the base the 3rd branches 

 off — and terminates at the 3rd discocellular nervule, while 

 the 4th ends near the origin of the 2nd median nervule] . 

 The veins of the wing are always sufficiently stout, but 

 are much more accentuated (i.e. rendered stouter and 

 more prominent by their black edging) when passing 

 through the grey-white adnervular rays in the species 

 where these are present ; the wings are either perfectly 

 black without any grey-white rays, or ornamented with 

 grey-white or creamy grey adnervular rays, which 

 are sometimes very broad and distinct, often co- 

 alescing along the outer margin of the cell, or 

 almost obsolete as in P. Pompeus, Iris, and Dohertyi ; fre- 

 quently also the grey area encroaches within the cell and 

 and slightly margins it at the distal end ; in P. Amphrysus 

 these rays are golden or creamy-yellow, instead of grey. 



The secondary wings are rounded and strongly dentate 

 (less strongly in P. Dohertyi) ; the veins are always well 

 pronounced, generally very robust, but very delicate 

 and graceful in curve and outline in such species as 

 P. Amphrysus and its varieties, and P. Andromache ; the 

 wing is always velvety-black and yellow on both surfaces, 

 except in P. Dohertyi, which is entirely black, and P. 

 Amphrysus which is almost entirely yellow — the amount 

 of yellow or black varying in every species, and frequently, 

 within definite limits, in the different individuals of a 

 species : in one species P. Magellanus the yellow area on 

 both surfaces in certain positions appears as a glorious opal- 

 escent glow of blue and emerald: in others, P. Andromache 

 for example, with a delicate suffusion of emerald or pea- 

 green : [in P. Miranda the black of the anterior wing is in 

 some lights suffused with a purple glow] . The abdominal 

 margin is concave with a submarginal fold or pouch filled 

 with a closely-packed and enormous quantity of ochraceous 

 downy hairs, (Androconia), which, if drawn out by the 

 needle would suffice to form a large heap on the wing. 

 This pouch in new specimens is usually closed, or only 

 faintly to be traced by a light line down the submedian 

 fold ; in older examples the pouch often appears some- 

 what open, and much of the contents has disappeared ; 

 the shape of this fold varies a little in different species, 

 as may be seen by a reference to the Plates illustrating 

 the different species described in this volume. 



Head of moderate size ; eyes always very prominent ; 

 palpi invisible ; antennae more or less arched and very 

 gradually thickening towards the club. 



Thorax moderateby robust ; the pronotal collar red, 

 except in P. Amphrysus, when its var. Flavicollis departs 

 from the normal character. In some species this red is 

 either entirely absent, or almost concealed by the black 

 hairs of the neck ; the sides of the thorax, with a few 

 exceptions, with red or coccineous pectoral spots or marks, 

 varying in extent in the different species, but absent when 

 the red collar is absent ; legs long and slender, and differ- 

 ing little from those of Ornithoptera. Abdomen rather 

 slender : anal valves more delicate and pointed than in 

 Ornithoptera or Trogonoptera : often yellow, some- 

 times yellow and black ; or yellow and brown : sometimes 

 nearly entirely brown, and in P. Honrathiana entirely 

 black ; length of abdomen generally equal to the length of 

 the antennae. 



Type of the genus, 0. Helena, Linnaeus. 



? . Anterior wings sub-triangulate ; costa arcuate — the 

 outline being only slightly curved till near the anterior 

 angle or apex, when the curvature becomes more promi- 

 nent ; posterior margin nearly straight, or only slightly 

 indented; interior margin nearly straight, but slightly 

 curved in some species of the genus ; the 3rd subcostal 

 nervule commences at a short distance from the end of 

 the cell, but the distance varies a little in some examples 

 of the same species, [in P. Amphrysus, Minos, Iris, Plato, 

 Hippolytus, Cerberus, Vandepolli, Darsius, &c, it originates 

 quite at the end of the cell] ; the pseudoneura are fairly 

 distinct on both surfaces in most of the species, but in 

 several they are very prominent and strongly accentuated, 

 — P. Pompeus, Ruficollis, and Nereis for example, and 

 their number and position are the same as in the $ , the 

 discoidal cell is rather more than half the length of the 

 wing, and its width slightly varies in the different species — 

 being a little more than i-5th of the greatest width of the 

 wing ; the nervules are always, or nearly always, very 

 stout, and specially strong near the base of the wing : 

 the nervules are more delicate, but are always prominent ; 

 the adnervular grey, or grey-brown rays are generally 

 very conspicuous in most of the species, sometimes be- 

 coming so broad as to occupy collectively a considerable 

 area of the wing : this grey is in some species continued 

 within the cell, either as a series of thin light borderings, 

 or a light patch of an irregular shape occupying some- 

 times are much as i-3rd of the cell : the grey rays 

 generally margin all the veins from the submedian nervure 

 to the 2nd subcostal branch [in P. Amphrysus these rays 

 are suffused with yellow] ; colour of the wings generally a 

 more or less warm sienna-brown, or a dark brownish- 

 black. 



Secondary wings : costa generally much rounded ; pos- 

 terior margin dentated ; abdominal margin incurved or 

 concave ; the discal area either orange-yellow or a brilliant 

 golden-yellow — of greater or lesser extent — with a discal 

 band of black or brown conical, or subcorneal, spots or 

 marks ; the yellow also occupies a part of the cell ranging 

 ' from a mere blotch of yellow to sometimes nearly 2-3rds 



7 



Vol. II. 



