﻿POM PEOPTERA M I RAN DA. 



Papilio Miranda, j. ?, Butler, "Lepidoptera Exotica," I. p. 3, t. 1 (<r), (1869). 



n n w - F - Kirby, " Synonymic Catalogue of the Diurn. Lepid." p. 519 (1871). 



Ornithoptera Miranda, Druce, " Proc. Zool. Soc. Loud." p. 356, n. 1 (1873). 



» » W. F. Kirby, " Cat. of the Coll. of Diurnal Lepidoptera formed by the late W. C. Hewitson," p. 1 (1879). 



„ „ Oberthur, "Etud. d' Ent." IV., p. no, n. 9, bis. (1879). 



« Distant and Pryer, " Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist." (5) XIX., p. 172, n. 165 (1887). 



n „ Rev. F; A. Walker, "On Oriental Entomology," Part II., p. 15 (no date). 



Troides Mirandus, W. Rothschild, "Novitates Zoological," Vol. II., p. 227, n. 23 (1895). 



An inhabitant of Borneo. But though found in other 

 parts of this large island its range seems to be chiefly 

 confined, as far as we at present know, to the North-west 

 portion of the island, in the rich zoological province of 

 Sarawak (or between i° and 2° north latitude, and 109 

 40' to 111 40' east longitude), and also to the small 

 island of Labuan (which with Sarawak, are valuable 

 coaling stations for British ships), situated near the 

 north-west coast of Borneo, at a distance of about 30 

 miles to the north of the town of Borneo, in 5 22' north 

 latitude, and 1 15 10' east longitude. These districts may, 

 therefore, be regarded as the Metropolis of the species. 



The interior of Labuan, which is about 70 miles long, 

 and 7 in breadth, contains extensive tracts of swampy 

 jungle ; while the jungles and forests of the province of 

 Sarawak are also well watered by the river Sarawak and 

 its tributaries, as well as by the heavy rains which fall 

 both in Borneo and Labuan at certain seasons — one of 

 the consequences being that the insect fauna, at least 

 of Borneo, is exceedingly rich, enormous multitudes of 

 species having been discovered already (often of great size 

 and beauty), with a splendid prospect of a very large 

 future addition, when the island has been more fully 

 explored and examined. Its Ornithological glories are 

 also very numerous : and the same may be said of its con- 

 chological treasures, which number among them such a 

 fine shell as the sinistrorsal Helix Brookeana. The 

 mineral deposits of Sarawak are also rich in gold, copper, 

 iron, antimony, and coal. 



This large and striking insect is in many respects a 

 worthy rival of P. Magellanns by its beauty and size, but 

 especially for the remarkable rich purple gloss which may 

 be seen to overspread the central portion of the front 

 wings of the 3 , when viewed in certain positions — all the 

 more wonderful and beautiful because the wings are 

 apparently a dense black : for it is more difficult to 

 discover the exact position in which the gloss is visible 

 than it is in the case of P. Magellanus, chiefly because it 

 is not always equally intense in every example which I 

 have had the opportunity of examining : and indeed a row 

 of these butterflies might be viewed by any number of 

 superficial observers without this character being dis- 



covered or even suspected to exist. In some examples 

 this purple glances over the entire wing area, but it is 

 generally most dense at the middle of the wing ; and does 

 not occur on the under surface, as the opalescence does 

 in P. Magellanus. The hind wings in certain positions 

 have their yellow area shot with a delicate emerald green — 

 a feature common to the yellow of several other species, 

 notably P. Vandepolli and P. Honrathiana. 



If P. Magellanus may be regarded as the Royal Orni- 

 thopterus of the Philippines, P. Miranda will merit as 

 high a rank for Borneo, or at any rate will closely com- 

 pete with T. Brookeana* for beauty. 



I will first avail myself of Mr, Butler's original descrip- 

 tion of this species in his " Lepidoptera Exotica," and 

 afterwards add such additional observation as may seem 

 necessary. 



" $ . Alae anticae nigerrimae, certo situ nitide caerules- 

 centes ; striis tridecim (quarta elongato-lunulari) de 

 quarta submarginalibus, decrescentibus, flavidis ; ciliis 

 flavo interruptis ; posticae flavae nitidae certo situ minime 

 virescentes, margine bruni nigro, externo sex-elevato, ve- 

 nis nigris ; corpus nigrum, abdomine flavescente. Alae 

 anticae subtus regione apicali, sericea, striis supernis 

 albidus ; alster velut supra ; corpus thorace nigro, abdo- 

 mine flavo valvulis albides ; exp. alar. unc. 6, lin. 4. 



" 5 . Alae anticae supra brunneae venis nigris, striis 

 velut mari positis sed albidus ; posticae flavae nigroirrora- 

 tae, basi, margin, fasciaque maculari discum fere totum 

 obtegente, sericeo-nigris : corpus nigro fuscum collo flavo, 

 abdomine paulum pallidiore lateraliter flavo squamoso. 

 Alae subtus charateribus multo distinctioribus, aliter velut 

 supra ; corpus thorace nigro, abdomine flavo, hoc fusco 

 sex-fasciato ; exp. alar, unc. 7, line 5, Sarawak, Lowe $ 2 

 Brit. Mus." 



•It will be remembered that Trogonoptem Broohtana was first discovered in Sarawak 

 by Mr. A. R. Wallace, though it was subsequently found to be tolerably abundant 

 also in Sumatra. 



7" 



