﻿58 



very striking character, the nearest resemblance to which 

 is found in the male of Pompeoptera hephcestus so far as I can 

 discover ; it is also nearly as rectangular in the female. 



Expanse of costa 69 millim. ; width of upper wing 57 ; 

 length of hind wing 44, width 31 ; length of abdomen or 

 antennae 31 ; of legs, first pair, femur 12, tibia g, tarsi 1? ; 

 second pair, femur 12, tibia 12, tarsi 15 ; third pair, femur 

 11, tibia 13, tarsi 15 millim. 



? . Primaries : costa equally arched but more rounded 

 at the apex, the outline insensibly passing into the pos- 

 terior margin, which is not so irregularly curved as in the 

 male ; inner margin nearly a straight line. Wings light 

 fuscous brown : within the discoidal cell are faint atomic 

 indications of grey markings somewhat like those of the 

 female of P. haliphron ; the grey discal rays very indistinct 

 except those enclosing the first and second median nervules 

 (which are fairly though faintly defined), broadly separated 

 by the brown margins of the nervules ; the pseudoneura are 

 only just visible ; posterior margin with whitish fringe- 

 lunules. Secondaries slightly darker fuscous brown ; 

 within the cell a faint ochreous rufous-yellow spot close to 

 the discocellular nervules ; four very short narrow rufous- 

 yellow discal marks, the first 6 millim. long, close to the 

 second discocellular nervule, the second the same length 

 from the cell, the space between the second discocellular 

 and first median nervules broadly incurved and (on the 

 right wing only) enclosing a small brown dot ; the third 

 7 millim. long from the cell, indented two thirds its length, 

 enclosing a brown spot (on the right wing) ; the fourth 

 5 millim. long from the cell, indented (on the right wing 

 only about half the size) ; extremely faint indications of a 

 submarginal band of small spots ; the submedian area of 

 wing is clouded pale reddish ochreous, meeting an anal, 

 angular, ochreous, sublunate spot, from which two rays 

 run partly up the abdominal margin ; margin sufficiently 

 scalloped, with ochreous fringe-lunules. 



Under surface : primaries the same colour as above ; 

 the grey rays and discocellular markings similar but much 

 broader, a brighter ochreous red at the outer margin, 

 greenish grey towards the base and confluent between the 

 second discoidal and second median nervules ; the marks 

 within the cell are formed of microscopic atoms, and are 

 divided into three submarks — the first broad, one third of 

 the cell in length, the second very narrow and divided by 

 the second pseudoneurus, the third or lower one nearly as 

 broad and long as the first and divided by the third pseu- 

 doneurus ; the marginal fringe with a nearly continuous 

 row of ochreous lunules. Secondaries same colour as 

 above, but slightly darker ; a large discocellular pale spot 

 clouded with atoms close to the discocellular nervules ; the 

 discal marks corresponding with the four on the upper 

 surface are much paler and extend much further down 

 between the nervules — the first is partly pure and partly 

 formed by atoms, the second is indented with brown, 

 modified by atoms, the third much larger and with a 

 large brown indentation, and the fourth very long, but so 

 interrupted with brown modified by atoms as to form an 

 ochreous ray close to the nervules extending nearly to the 

 marginal border ; outside the third median nervule is also 

 an ochreous atomic ray close to the nervule, almost has- 

 tate, followed by a second longitudinal stripe extending 

 lower down nearly to the outer margin ; the submedian 

 nervule and the abdominal margin have similar ochreous 

 stripes as above, but more prominently developed ; there 

 is a broad submarginal band indicated by narrow ochreous 

 stripes and cuneiform spots, so meeting and enclosing the 



brown areas between the nervules, especially from the 

 second subcostal and third median, as to give them 

 almost the appearance of arches, the bases of which are 

 the fringe-lunules of the posterior margin. 



Head : antennas deep black ; eyes chestnut-brown ; 

 haustellum black. Thorax and prothorax dark brown, 

 with crimson collar; lateral crimson spots, and subdorsal 

 with less black. Abdomen pale fuscous brown, with 

 lateral borders of reddish ochreous ; subdorsal the same, 

 with strongly outlined or entirely fuscous brown segments ; 

 anal tuft dark brown. 



Expanse of costa 82 millim. ; width of upper wing 61 ; 

 length of lower wing 51, width 45 ; length of antennae or 

 abdomen 31, of thorax with head 21. The legs, all but 

 one, are absent from the specimen. 



By my acquisition of a good series of the <? , and a few 

 examples of the 2 since the above description was written, 

 I am able to show that this species is subject to a series 

 of variations of a definite and fairly constant character ; 

 it evidently being possible to meet with a good many 

 examples of each type of variation. These types of 

 variation are two in number in the $ , and three in the ? , 

 and they almost approach the appearance of dimorphison 

 or trimorphison. A reference to the two plates accom- 

 panying this description will make my meaning plain. 



: In the coloured plate, fig. 3, and in the plain plate, figs. 

 1 and 4, represent the first type of variation in the $ . 



I The upper surface of the wings in all specimens is im- 

 maculate black ; but the under surface of the hind wings 

 has a broad, yellow band of varying width. This band 



! differs little in any of the examples of this type. In fig. 

 9 of the coloured plate, and figs. 2 and 3 of the plain plate, 

 the yellow band is narrower, more irregular in outline, 

 and always more or less interrupted by the black — some 

 of the divisions being rendered almost obsolete by the 

 black atoms, or by a few yellow atoms on the black. 



The 3 types of variation in the female are also fairly 

 constant. The coloured plate, figs. 4 and 5, and the 

 plain plate, figs. 7 and 9, exhibit the first type. The 

 1 upper surface of the hind wings has only a small discal 

 I patch of light colour close to the nervures, divided by the 

 i nervules, and also slightly encroaching within the cell, 

 with a row of submarginal small spots, divided by the 

 J nervules ; in fig. 7 of the plain plate these spots are 

 I absent. The under surface of these wings with a similar 

 I plan of markings, but larger— the submarginal spots of 

 the coloured fig. forming quite an arched band. The 

 2nd type of variation is seen in the plain plate, figs. 5 and 

 8. The upper surface of wings is quite immaculate, and 

 the under surface of all the wings with a more extensive 

 series of light markings, the light rays of the upper wings 

 filling the greater part of the disc. Fig. 10 is a smaller 

 example of this type, with less pronounced markings. 

 The 3rd type is seen in fig. 6 of the plain plate. The 

 under surface of the Primaries has nearly the whole of the 

 disc and i-3rd of the cell whitish ; the secondaries with 

 slight discal and cellular marks— the former as white 

 lines enclosing the nervules to about midway from the 

 cell to the outer margin ; and a broad submarginal 

 mottled band of ochreous whitish of great beauty. 



The 1 st type of variation in the S allies the species 

 with Pompeoptera iris, Robur; the 2nd type gives the black 

 markless S a dark and unspotted 2 . 



[Pompeoptera Dohertyi, p. 2.] 



