﻿TROGONOPTERA BROOKEANA. 



Ornithoptera Brookiana, Wallace, Proc. Ent. Soc. Ser. 2, vol. iii., p. 104 (1855). 

 0. Brookeana, Hewitson, Exot. Butt, i., Orn. and Pap., t. i. f. t. (1855. 

 Papilio Trogon, Vollenhoven, Tijdschrift roor Ent. iii., p. 69, t. 6 (i860). 

 Ornithoptera Brookeana, Wallace, Trans. Linn. Soc, vol. xxv.. p. 40 (1866). 

 Papilio Brookeana, W. F. Kirby, Syn. Cat. Diur. Lep., p. 520 (1871). 

 Orn. Brookeana, Snellen, Lep. v., Midd. Sum., p. 24, n. 1 (1880). 

 Orn. Brookeana, 2 P. H. Gosse, Entomologist vol. vii., p. 156 (1881). 

 „ „ P. H. Gosse, Trans. Linn. Soc, 2nd Ser., vol. ii., p. 291 (1883). 



„ „ Distant, Rhopalocera Malayana, Text., vol. i., p. 330, Pis. xxvii. A f 4 ? ; xxvii. B. £. 1 6* , vol. ii. 

 Orn. Brookiana, 2 var. Eleanor, Dr. F. A. Walker, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., pt. i., March, 1889, p. 75. 



This noble insect was first discovered by Wallace in 

 the neighbourhood of the Simunjon Coal works, near 

 Sarawak in Borneo, and afterwards found to be fairly com- 

 mon in the island of Sumatra. The 2 was unknown for a 

 considerable period after, and still remains comparatively 

 rare in our collections, for reasons which may be given 

 later on. The rule that the 2 2 should be larger, differ- 

 ently shaped, and be adorned with little or none of the 

 wonderful colouring of the 3- $ of the Ornithoptera, is 

 here entirely departed from ; in Priamoptera the 2 2 are 

 all larger than their lords, their form differs as much as 

 if they belonged to a different family of butterflies, while 

 their colouring is generally as sober in tone as that of 

 many female humming-birds ; in Pompeoptera there is a 

 closer similarity in form, if not in size, and in colouring 

 with the $ $ , but no one would mistake them as belong- 

 ing to any other genus ; in JEtheoptera the contrast 

 between the sexes appears to have attained its maximum : 

 for while the 2 2 are richer in their colouring than those 

 of the first mentioned groups, they are nevertheless 

 completely thrown into the shade by their male com- 

 panions — the latter being certainly the most gorgeously 

 coloured butterflies which have yet been seen, though 

 they are of very moderate size, while their 2 2 are perfect 

 giants — suggesting the idea of huge moths rather than 

 butterflies. But in Trogonoptera the 2 2 are very nearly 

 as splendid as the $ S , and their form and size differ very 

 little if any in a series of each. 



The name which the Dutch desired to give this insect 

 would have been most appropriate, since it would be 

 impossible for anyone who had seen the wonderful 

 Mexican Trogon bird Pharomacriis respkndens (Gould) to 

 fail in noticing the extraordinary resemblance of the 

 markings and colour of the wings with some of the 

 feathers of that bird. As Wallace (" Malay Archipelago," 

 vol. i., pp. 58, 59) observes, " This beautiful creature 

 has very long and pointed wings, almost resembling a 

 Sphinx moth in shape. It is deep velvety black, with a 

 curved band of spots of a brilliant metallic green colour, 

 extending across the wings from tip to tip, each spot being 

 shaped exactly like a small triangular feather, and having 

 very much the effect of the wing-coverts of the Mexican 

 Trogon* laid on black velvet. The only other marks are 

 a broad neck-cloth of vivid crimson, and a few delicate 

 white touches on the outer margin of the hind wings." 

 But Mr. Wallace's name, in honour of Rajah Brooke, has 

 been generally accepted ; and will always probably be the 

 one by which it will be known. Although the most 



"One of the Tragonidre a family of Insessorial Birds inhabiting the old and new 

 worlds, but especially the latter. 



splendid species of the Trogonidse are found in the New 

 World, it is not impossible that in some past time some 

 islands of the Malay Archipelago were inhabited by a 

 species of the subfamily Harpactes closely resembling in 

 appearance the Mexican form, and living in company 

 with this Ornithoptera which had grown to resemble it 

 for a protective purpose — the species of butterfly surviving 

 the species of bird. However that may be the resem- 

 blance is, to say the least, very remarkable, especially if 

 we find the habits of the two forms in any way similar. 

 The first description of the 6* was written by Wallace in 

 Proc. Ent. Soc. Vol. iii, (1855). The second was by 

 Hewitson in the same year, the type of which is in his 

 collection row deposited in the British Museum. For 

 this latter reason I quote Mr. Hewitson's description : — 



" 6* . Upper side black, with a broad longitudinal band 

 of golden green from near the apex of anterior wing to 

 the inner margin of posterior wing. On anterior wing, 

 below the middle, divided into 7 hastate spots pointing to 

 the outer margin which they nearly touch. On the pos- 

 terior wing at the middle, divided by the nervures, which 

 are black. Abdominal margin with a fold, as in some of 

 the Papilios. Under side black ; anterior wing with line 

 of blue at base of costal nervure ; a longitudinal band 

 just below the median nervure, and composed of four 

 spots, the first commencing at the base blue and ending 

 green, followed (one between each of the median nervules) 

 by 3 large sagittiform spots pointing upwards. Posterior 

 wing with a ray of blue just below the costal nervure 

 near its base, and a line of grey triangular or diamond- 

 formed spots (the latter divided by the nervures), nearly 

 parallel to the outer margin. Each wing with a crimson 

 spot at the base, the body belted twice with crimson. 

 Abdominal fold larger than in most Papilios, when 

 unfolded half-an-inch across." 



The 2 was first described by the late Philip H. Gosse 

 in the Entomologist for 1881, vol. xiv., page 104; and as 

 the type is in his collection it will be best if I quote his 

 description : — 



2 . " Expanse (the upper wings being horizontal and 

 straight) exactly y\ inches (188 mm.), my largest $ being 

 7 inches." 



[This is evidently an abnormally large 2 , being 

 18 mm. larger than one in Dr. Fickert's collection ; and 

 14 mm. larger than the var. in that of Dr. Francis Walker.] 



<< — Form of wings as in S — the black less pure; in- 

 clined to smoke-brown; above, forewings as in the <?, 

 save that the triangular feather-like spots of metallic green 



mi 



