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POMPEOPTERA AMPHRYSUS. 



VARIETY, FLAVICOLLIS. 



Ornithoptera flavioollis, Druce, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 356. (No figure.) 

 Troides Amphrysus, abr. (c) Flavicollis, Walter Rothschild, Novitates Zoologies, n. 25, p. 231, Vol. II. (1895). 



Mr. S. B. J. Skertchly, in the Annals and Magazine of 

 Natural History, 6th series, Vol. IV., p. 210, in his paper 

 on " The Habits of Certain Bornean Butterflies," speaks 

 of 0. flavicollis as very common at one place on the river 

 Tinkyo, where he camped all May, 1888. This var. 

 according to the same authority is one of the earliest 

 butterflies on the wing in those wonderful forests in 

 Borneo, so that it evidently makes a long day. The 

 earliest butterflies do not begin to fly before 7 a.m., and 

 Ruficollis is one of them ; he retires latest also, does not 

 trouble himself about cloudy weather as is the manner of 

 some butterflies, and cares little about a shower of rain, 

 though he does not carry an umbrella — an indifference 

 which would certainly make a collector's mouth water and 

 his heart rejoice, if it were common to all lepidoptera 

 when he was on the war path ! The Hestias and some 

 others of the Danaince though they rise nearly as early, 

 and are nearly as restless or industrious, are not quite as 

 enterprising or brave, for Skertchly tells us they may be 

 seen, during cloud and rain, "pitched, often on an exposed 

 shrub, where, with folded wings, they patiently get wet; " 

 a habit possibly like that of the ass in standing with his 

 back to the storm while the pelting rain comes down, 

 looking very miserable, but probably under the impression 

 that he is keeping himself dry, or at any rate as dry as 

 possible under the circumstances. 



This var. of Amphrysus or Amphrisius is evidently very 

 common, as far as the <? $ are concerned;- for a great 

 number must have reached our collections. Of the ? S 

 so much perhaps cannot be said. 



Mr. H. Druce, in the proceedings quoted at the head 

 of this article thus describes Flavicollis, giving it specific 

 rank : — 



" $ . Upper side : Similar to 0. Amphrysus from Java, 

 but differs in the following respects : Anterior wing more 

 elongated, with the yellow markings at the end of the cell 

 smaller ; the posterior wing rather paler in colour, with the 

 black scallops and the black border much narrower. It is at 

 once distinguished from all other species by its bright 

 yellow collar. The neuration of the posterior wing differs 

 slightly from 0. Amphrysus. 



" ? . Anterior wing sooty black, with all the veins 

 broadly bordered with dusky white ; the marginal series 

 of black spots on the posterior wing are much broader 

 than in Amphrysus, almost reaching the discoidal cell ; 

 very like the posterior wing of 0. Miranda, Butler. 



" I have examined 35 6* 6* and $ ? of this species, and 

 they do not differ in any respect. Hab. Borneo. In 

 the colls, of H. Druce and O. Salvin." 



In the Plate [PI. 51] illustrative of this variety, I have 

 given (figs. 3, 4, 5), portraits of the two sexes, and also 

 (figs. 1,2) of the variety ruficollis $ of Butler. The latter 

 var. is placed first, as it appears to diverge least from the 



typical or parent form Amphrysus, as may be seen by a 

 careful comparison. In the females of ruficollis 1 find 

 little or no difference except in the colour of the collar, 

 but in flavicollis there are undoubtedly important differ- 

 ences, while the ? here figured is so unlike in many details 

 even the accepted form that it might ultimately merit a 

 new varietal name, if we were able to find a male to match 

 with it. 



$ . (Fig. 3). Anterior wings velvety black, with rich 

 golden lemon-yellow rays, greyish towards the outer 

 margin, within which are the chief nervules ; these reach 

 to within a short distance of the outer margin ; the upper 

 part of the cell, with part of the costa, of the same colour, 

 forming altogether an elongated oblique patch midway of 

 the upper part of the wings ; this encloses the black 

 nervures (very broadly black), and the 1st and 2nd pseu- 

 doneura, and an elongate cloud of black atoms within 

 the cell. 



Posterior wings intense silky yellow, more golden at the 

 hind margin, greener at the base. Wings delicately 

 scalloped or curved, with black incurved marginal spots, 

 a black marginal line, and an elongate black spot twice 

 the length between the 2nd and 3rd median nervules, 

 with yellow atoms dividing it midway ; the base brown ; 

 abdominal fold brown, with pearly kid-white on inner 

 edge, and a brown line to complete the shape of the fold. 



Abdomen primrose yellow, with a fleshy pale brown 

 dorsal stripe to within the 2nd anal segment ; subdorsum 

 slightly orange yellow : lateral dots minute ; anal valves 

 with two sharp crossed spine-like points, soft fawn greyish 

 white, with a slight black outline above. Thorax, on the 

 under sides with only a small patch of red near the base 

 of the wings : pronotal collar yellow, nearly shaped. 



The yellow of both surfaces of the wings shot with green. 

 The pseudoneura are prominent on the under side of the 

 anterior wings. The veins of all the wings very black 

 and exquisitely curved. Some of those of the posterior 

 wings curve round at the exterior margin, and become a 

 part of its thin black border. 



Length of costa 78, width of anterior wing 41, length 

 of posterior wing 48, and width 36 mm. ; of abdomen or 

 antennas 31, thorax with head 12 mm. ; width of thorax 

 12, of abdomen 12 mm. ; 



( 1st pair: femur, 11; tibia, 9; tarsi, 15 mm. 

 oflegs-Und „ „ 12; „ 12; „ 15 ,, 

 (3rd „ ,, 11; , 12; ,, 15?,, ; 

 width of abdominal fold 5 mm.,length 25 mm. Hab. Borneo. 



? . Anterior wings, pale umber brown, with brownish 

 grey rays and marks ; within the cell the same grey, 

 graduated from pale brown at the base to the purer grey at 

 the discocellular nervules and beyond, the effect being pro- 

 duced by graduated brown atoms, the Pseudoneura quite 

 prominent. Under surfaces similar, except that the brown 



