﻿POMPEOPTERA DOHERTYI. 



Ornithoptera (Pompeoptera), Dohertyi, Rippon, Annals and Mag. Nat. Hist.. Vol. II., p. 295. 1893. 



This most important and interesting novelty, discovered 

 by Mr. Doherty in the Island of Salibobo or Lirung, one of 

 the Talautse Islands* may ultimately throw much light 

 on the phylogenetic history of the genus Ornithoptera 

 inasmuch as it may be regarded as one of the transitional 

 forms, some of which have probably long since perished, 

 which would enable us to link together in a natural series 

 all the many nominal species which we find it necessary 

 to admit into its subgenus Pompeoptera, and even to sug- 

 gest, on the side of the female at least, a closer relation- 

 ship with the true Ornithoptera than at one time might 

 have seemed probable. 



We owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Doherty for the 

 faithful and admirable work he has for a long time been 

 doing among the islands and islets of the Malay Archi- 

 pelago. In this respect he has been rapidly entitling 

 himself to be regarded as a second Wallace. The nov- 

 elty which is now before us appears to me to be one of 

 the most useful contributions to the Rhopalocerous fauna 

 which he has been enabled to send to us. 



I have therefore had much pleasure in dedicating 

 this new species to him, partly at the suggestion of Mr. 

 Elwes, and partly because I think it is right to give what 

 honour we can to those who faithfully spend their health 

 and energies in difficult regions of the earth, for the pur- 

 pose of discovering those lovely things which furnish us 

 with fresh materials for one of the most delightful studies, 

 and with an increased knowledge of God's works. 



S . Primaries an intense silky black, almost like a bur- 

 nished black, with a faint green gloss in certain lights, 

 which gives it an exceedingly rich appearance. The grey 

 discal rays which enclose the nervules are so obscurely 

 represented as to be scarcely visible except when the 

 light is transmitted from the underside. The veins are 

 all well expressed, being somewhat lighter on the dark 

 and much darker on the light parts of the wing; the 

 costa is also of the same tint, especially near the apex 

 when viewed opposite the light ; the costal outline is 

 nearly straight to two thirds of its length or at the _ ter- 

 mination of the costal nervure when it curves consider- 

 ably to the apex, which is so much rounded as to pass 

 insensibly into the posterior margin ; the outline of the 



•There seems to have been a misunderstanding as to the exact nomenclature and 

 position of the Islands in which Mr. Doherty discovered this and other species of 

 Lepidoptera; for. in a letter of his, he says, " I see the Proc. Zool. Soc, 1892, calls 

 Sangir and its surrounding islets the 1 Talautse Islands,' following a blunder of 

 Forbes. There is no other name for this group than the Sangir Group ; and some 

 people call Sangir ' Groot Sangir,' to distinguish it from the others. 



•• The other islands lie in deep sea, 100 miles East, and have a wholly different 

 fauna. Their Malay name is Talaut, the local name Talaur. and some old English 

 charts call them Tulur. My new Ornithoptera is from Lirung or Salibobo, one of 

 this latter group." 



To Mr. Doherty's remarks I would add that, according to James Wyld's chart, 

 these islands are called the Salibabo group, and are situated about 75 or 80 miles 

 nearly due east from the Sangir group, with a slight inclination north. In another 

 of his charts they are called the Talautse Islands, but the distance is about the same. 

 They appear to be distant from the nearest point of Djilolo about 30 miles, and from 

 Morty Island, rather less— being situated N. of the former, and North with a slight 

 inclination E. of the latter : they are also about 70 miles S. of Mindanao with an 

 eastern inclination. The seas bounded by Borneo, the Philippines, Celebes, and the 

 curve extending from Java to Papua, or New Guinea, are simply crowded with 

 islands and islets : all, or nearly all, of which may be expected to furnish us in the 

 future with many more valuable novelties in every department of zoology, and 

 probably many new forms of Ornithoptera. The Researches of Wallace, Doherty, 

 and others have probably done little more than to provide us with a good hope of 

 many wonders yet to be revealed. 



posterior margin curves somewhat irregularly, with an 

 outward trend much greater in proportion at the ter- 

 mination of the second and third median nervules than at 

 any other part, not excepting the apex ; it is very delicately 

 and equally sinuate along its entire outline, with very fine 

 reddish-ochreous fringe-lunules between the veins as usual. 



Secondaries entirely glossy black, slightly greenish or 

 bluish according to the position in which they are viewed ; 

 the veins sufficiently defined in a lighter tint ; the abdom- 

 inal marginal sexual pouch or fold is a faintly redder black ; 

 the posterior margin regularly and sufficiently scalloped, 

 and without the white fringe-lunules. Hence the entire 

 upper surface of the wings is absolutely immaculate. 



Under surface of primaries velvety or silky black, less 

 dark and more glossy towards the posterior margin ; 

 within the discoidal cell, at the termination of the third 

 pseudoneurus, are a few scarcely visible grey atoms ; the 

 discal grey rays enclosing the nervules are strongly defined 

 in a slightly greenish grey, rendered darker by a graduation 

 with black atoms towards the cell ; the rays between the 

 third and fourth subcostal nervules are only faint streaks 

 of grey, and only one occurs on the upperside of the 

 third median nervule ; the posterior margin almost 

 entirely outlined by the white fringe-lunules, which at the 

 apex slightly encroach upon the costa ; veins strongly 

 defined. Secondaries a deep silky black ; the abdominal 

 fold or pouch browner, with a fringe of delicate hairs as 

 long as the width of the pouch ; the discoidal cell 

 immaculate ; between the first and second subcostal ner- 

 vules is a subquadrate patch of yellow atoms ; between 

 the second subcostal and third median nervules a broad 

 discal band of lemon-yellow, forming four subrectangular 

 patches of unequal length, strongly divided by the 

 nervules, the first broadly indented from the direction of 

 the cell, sinuate without, the second indented outwardly 

 and enclosing an elongate black spot, which nearly 

 divides the yellow area, the fourth lunate without and 

 sharply indented above ; viewed obliquely with a side 

 light this yellow band becomes a rich emerald-green, 

 not unlike the green of the typical Ornithoptera ; the hind 

 margin is without the ochreous fringe-lunules. 



Head: antenna black; eyes chesnut-brown; haustellum 

 silky black. Prothorax with a crimson collar; thorax 

 above velvety black, beneath deep black, with lateral 

 crimson spots ; legs black. Abdomen pale brown, 

 bordered with piceous brown ; the first segment entirely 

 piceous brown, the subanal segment also of the 

 same colour, margined with creamy white ; the anal 

 valves creamy white, with the usual dorsal black ter- 

 mination ; laterally the abdomen is of a creamy ochreous 

 white ; subdorsal slightly yellower at its junction with the 

 metathorax, more ochreous near the anal valve, the first 

 and second segments well divided by black ; the lateral 

 black dots fairly large. 



The space of wing enclosed by the two branches of the 

 precostal nervure is more equal in width than is usual 

 till it reaches its junction with the subcostal nervure, 

 when, of course, it becomes narrower. This is really a 



67 



