﻿^THEOPTERA VICTORIA v. Rubianus. 



117 



Troides Yictoriffl, Rubianus, Rothschild, " Novitates Zoologies," Vol. XI., page 654 (1904). 



6* . Anterior wings differ from those of the type form 

 (figured on Plate 2IA of Vol. I. of this work) in the following 

 particulars : — the green of the wings is of a deeper and 

 bluer colour, especially towards the costa. This colour 

 is more graduated into a rather warmer tint towards the 

 lower part of the wing ; the subapical patch is much 

 smaller than in Regincs and blue green shaded into 

 yellow green on the outer side ; also strongly intersected 

 by the black veins. 



Posterior wings : bluish green graduated into a lighter 

 golden green ; not modified by scaling as in the type, or 

 at least very sparingly ; the lemon yellow submarginal 

 band (with its three golden orange enclosed spots seen in 

 the type) is entirely absent in this form ; the black outer 

 marginal band is considerably broader than in the type. 

 The left hind wing and right fore wing have fiery orange 

 and violet reflections when viewed against the light, and 

 around the sexual brand the black is shot with an 

 opalescent blue and violet silky sheen. 



Under surface with all the green marks of the fore 

 wings nearly as darkly green as above, and more blue 

 towards the costa. 



Under surface of the posterior wings golden green, 

 somewhat darker than in the type form, much warmer 

 golden towards the abdominal margin ; with no golden 

 internervular submarginal spots as in the type, and the 

 submarginal black spots at the terminals of" the veins 

 much larger than in the type, and of fullest width united 

 to the fringe ; the costal marginal black also wider than 

 in the type. 



Thorax, head, and antennae intensely black ; abdomen 

 rich buff, with a central longtitudinal faintly pink stripe, 

 lateral rows of 4 black marks, and beneath 2 lateral and 

 a central subdorsal black stripe extending from the base 

 to the end of the anal valves. 



Length of costa, 71 mms. ; greatest length of the 

 posterior wing, 54 mms. ; greatest width, 37 mms. ; length 

 of antennae or abdomen, 32 mms. ; of thorax with head, 

 21 mms. 



Length 

 of Legs 



1st pair: femur, 12; tibia, 10; tarsi, 14 mms. 

 2nd „ 10; ,, 14; 17 



3 r d >> >> x 3'» »> !2; ,, 17 



Habitat: Rendova, Solomon Islands (Meek). 



When viewed from a distance againt the light the upper 

 green surface of this form- appears a deep olive blue 

 green ; if seen obliquely in the same position it appears, 

 like all the ornithoptera, a rich cupreus red, with a silky, 

 almost metallic chitonous sheen around the sexual brand. 

 This variety is remarkable as being a distinct departure 

 from the patterns of the others forms of Victoria?, and 

 especially from the absence of the yellow submarginal 

 band of the hind wing — facts that would almost warrant 

 its being given full specific rank, that is as species are made. 



I am indebted to the liberality of the Hon. W. Roths- 

 child for the loan of his unique specimen, and type. 



S . Anterior wings very dark smoky brown, darkest 

 towards the base; with an outer submarginal band 



of 8 large warm gray internervular spots of diverse 

 shapes, the largest being between the 3rd median and 

 sub-median veins ; an inner transverse band of discal 

 large gray marks and spots, sub-lunate without, — the 

 lowest, between the median and sub-median veins, 

 becoming very narrow at its lower part, then widening 

 and re-uniting with the gray area that fills 2-3rds of the 

 inner marginal space from the base. Within the cell is 

 a basal patch of gray, scaled with greenish yellow on the 

 black to 1 -3rd, and a large creamy gray patch from 

 midway of the cell to near its distal end, broadly indented 

 from the distal end by a wedge of black ; the base of the 

 interior or inner margin is also scaled like the base of the 

 cell. 



Posterior wings black or fumous brown ; base of cell 

 and above it scaled with golden gray ; the disc creamy 

 gray, with an extra band of internervular conical large 

 black marks, two of them separated from the black veins, 

 and lunate towards the outer margin by the gray 

 sub-marginal marks that follow ; the gray extends also to 

 the inner, or abdominal margin ; the first 4 veins are 

 broadly black, and the outer margin very broadly black, 

 as it is entirely a continuation of the discal black of the 

 wings. 



Under surface of anterior wings : with all the markings 

 as above, except that the discocellular mark is edged with 

 chrome yellow at its basal end. The basal patch is 

 yellow and faintly scaled, and there are 2 internervular 

 yellow stripes between the first 3 subcostal branches. 



Under surface of posterior wings : all markings nearly 

 the same as above, except that the basal patch is rather 

 more extensive and chrome yellow, and the upper and 

 lower divisions of the discal light area are of the same 

 yellow, graduated into the gray ; a small black dot is 

 found also in the subcostal yellow division, and the yellow 

 suffuses the gray submarginal mark between the 1st and 

 2nd subcostal nervules. 



The thorax, head, atennse and base of the abdomen 

 are black ; the abdomen above creamy buff white, 

 becoming yellow at the sides and subdorsum, and the 

 usual lateral black dots replaced by a continuous broad 

 black line united with the subdorsal black ; the lower 

 yellow articulations strongly divided with black, and a 

 subanal black mark. 



Length of costa, 101 mms. ; of outer or hind margin, 

 70 mms. ; and of anterior or inner margin, 55 mms. 

 Greatest length of posterior wing, 75 mms. ; greatest 

 width 46 mms. Length of abdomen or antennas, 37 

 mms. ; and of thorax with head, 24 mms. 



Habitat : Rendova, Solomon Islands (Meek). 



In the Tring Museum. 



The pattern of Rubianus is sufficiently distinct from 

 that of the females of the type form ; but the greatest dis- 

 tinctness from the type of Victorias is in the S , as I 

 have shewn above. Even the outer margin of the anterior 

 wings of Rubianus is more equally curved from the 

 apical angle to the base of the interior margin than in the 

 type Victories. 



