SCHOENBERGIA MERIDIONALIS. 



Troides Meridionalis, Rothschild. 



Since the article on page xix descriptive of Mr. Roth- 

 schild's Troides Paradiseus v. Meridionalis was printed, 

 a marvellous $ form closely allied to Paradisea came to 

 hand — a unique example of certainly the most extraor- 

 dinary Ornithoptera or even Papilio that has yet been 

 discovered. This butterfly was accompanied by another 

 specimen or two of the supposed variety Meridionalis 

 described on page xix. ; and there could be no doubt that 

 here were the two sexes of an entirely new species, whereby 

 the ? would have to be raised from the rank of a 

 variety of Paradisea to that of the consort of the new form, 

 which will for the future be called Schoenbergia Meridionalis. 

 It is highly probable that distinctive S 3 of one or both 

 of the other ? varieties of Paradisea described on pages 

 xix. and xx. may yet be found ; but however peculiar 

 their forms may be, they are sure to be allied to the type 

 form of Paradisea. We need never to be surprised if new 

 and wonderful butterflies yet are discovered in New 

 Guinea, and its adjacent islands. It is a land of surprises 

 in Zoological revelations. As will be seen by reference 

 to the figures on Plate IVb, the most novel character of 

 this insect is the peculiar and graceful form of the tail, 

 which is quite unlike that of any other known butterfly 

 or moth, and seems to suggest to us on a small scale one 

 of the singularly graceful and delicate wiry plumes which 

 adorn certain Birds of Paradise. 



$ . Anterior wings sub-scalene-triangulate ; the pos- 

 terior margin irregular in outline, proceeding convexly 

 from the apex to near the end of the 2nd discoidal nervule, 

 from whence it is slightly concave to midway of the 1st 

 and 2nd median nervules, then convex to nearly midway 

 of between the 3rd median branch and the submedian 

 fold, from whence it is again concave to the posterior 

 angle ; the interior margin is nearly straight from the 

 posterior angle to the base of the wing. The costa is 

 strongly arcuate ; the positions of the veins about the 

 same as in Paradisea. Wings deep velvety black and 

 golden green, the veins passing through black areas are 

 invisible, those in the green are black and deep emerald 

 green ; a thin green costal line extends from near the base 

 to not quite half the length of the costa ; a golden green 

 band, broad at the commencement near the apex, and 

 gradually narrowing to a fine line to within about 5 mms. 

 of the base — this band is broadly intersected by black so 

 as to form a small green patch united faintly by green 

 atoms to its band, and this band encloses the greater part 

 of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th subcostal nervules and part of 

 their parent stem, and a part of the band terminates within 

 the discoidal cell ; a broad area of golden green occupies 

 the disc from the submedian nervule to the 2nd median 

 branch, from thence as it proceeds up the wing becoming 

 more restricted in width till it becomes narrow and irregu- 

 lar, is interrupted by the black and loosely united to the 

 subcostal green band ; a narrow, curved portion of this 

 green area also encroaches within the cell over the median 

 nervure — thereby causing the black to assume the form of 

 a broad band almost in the middle of the wing extending 

 from the base, through the cell, broadest towards the 

 outer margin, and united with the black of the outer 

 margin by the narrow line of black which divides the green 

 costal band from the discal green area ; the posterior 



margin is broadly black from the apex to the anal angle, 

 thence continuing 3-4th along the interior margin, but 

 interrupted at 2-3rds of its length by a small golden green 

 patch ; the remainder of the inner margin to the base is 

 a continuation of the discal green ; all the black parts are 

 softened into the green by black atoms or scales ; the outer- 

 marginal fringe is a faint golden green. 



Summarised, the wing area may be described as con- 

 sisting — (a) of a moderately narrow black subcosta, 

 (containing a short green line) this black continuing down 

 the submargin, and along 3-4th of the sub-interior margin, 

 interrupted by one small green patch on that inner mar- 

 gin ; (b) a green subcostal band, rather broken up at near 

 the apex, where it is broadest, and diminishing to a thin 

 line at near the apex ; (c) a broad band of black nearly 

 occupying the middle of the wing and slightly united to 

 the submarginal band of black ; (d) a discal area of golden 

 green, from the base, slightly within the cell, and almost 

 united submarginally with the subcostal band ; the outer 

 marginal fringe green. 



Posterior wings : long and narrow ; costa moderately 

 arcuate ; only 4-7ths of the length of the interior margin 

 of the upper wing ; the posterior margin strongly incurved, 

 or concave nearly to the commencement of its caudle 

 prolongation, proceeding the rest of the way to the 

 anal angle beyond the tail as a more or less straight line ; 

 the abdominal margin somewhat convexly curved ; the 

 tail is a threadlike prolongation of the 3rd median nervule, 

 with a small twisted leaf-like spatule, followed by a short 

 hair-like point : the leaf-like spatule has the nervule 

 passing through it like the midrib of a leaf. Colour of 

 the costa, the base, the posterior margin (very narrowly), 

 and a part of the abdominal margin to the submedian 

 nervule golden emerald green — but the green only appears 

 on the abdominal margin as stripes of green from the base 

 continued by atoms within a longitudinal band of brown- 

 ish black ; a thin line of golden green is seen also outside 

 the black, proceeding inward from the anal angle. All 

 the veins are conspicuously a rich emerald green, faintly 

 black near the outer margin, all narrowly bordered by 

 emerald green ; the precostal nervure and base partly 

 black and partly green ; the rest of the wing, i.e., the 

 cell, and the disc, are a semi-diaphanous silky yellow of 

 intense brilliance — forming altogether by the intervention 

 of the veins and 8 silky yellow divisions, large and small ; 

 the thread-like tail is bronze black faintly edged with 

 green on one side ; and the leaf-like spatula is emerald 

 green bordered with the brown black, and slightly dusted 

 with black atoms. The neuration is arranged on a similar 

 plan to that of Paradisea, only more exaggerated. 



Under surface of the anterior wings : The upper half 

 of the disc deep brown black, with a band of golden 

 emerald green irregularly occup}nng portions of the inter- 

 nervular spaces from the subcostal nervule to the 1st 

 median nervule. This green area comprises 7 divisions 

 or patches — the first being a thin subcostal line, the 2nd 

 extending from the upper side of the cell half-way to the 

 apex : the 3rd from the cell more than i-3rd towards 

 the apex, followed after a black interval by a narrow stripe 



