ORNITHOPTERA ARUANA. 



Ornithoptera Aruana, Felder, Wien. Ent. Mon. III., p. 391. n. 32. (1859). 

 » » ,, Lepidopterologische Fragmente. p. 24. (1859). 



» „ Wallace, Trans. Linn. Soc. XXV., p. 3G. (1865). 



Papilio Aruanus, Felder, Reise Novara, Lep. I. p. 3. n. 1. t. 1. (1865), 

 0. Aruana, Salvin and Godman, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, p. 147. 

 P. Arruana, Kirby, Syn. Cat. Diur. Lepid. p. 517. (1871). 

 0. Aruana, P. H Gosse, Clasp. Organs in Certain Lepidoptera, Trans. Linn. Soc. Vol. II., 2nd. Ser. p. 282. pi. 

 „ Fickert, Ueber die Zeich. der Gatt. Orn. t. 705. figs. 3, 4. Taf. xx. (1889). 



[Mentioned also by Dr. F. Walker, in his Paper on Oriental Entomology, pt. ii., p. n. (188; 



, figs. 1-3. (1883), 



Mr. A. R. Wallace, " Papilionidse of the Malayan 

 Region," in vol. 25 of the Trans. Linn. Soc, tells us that the 

 numerous specimens of Ornithoptera which he obtained 

 in the various parts of New Guinea and the adjacent 

 islands exhibited so much instability of form, colouring, 

 and even of neuration, no two individuals being exactly 

 alike, that he felt compelled to include them all in one 

 variable species ; and he also considered that Pronomus, 

 Gray, from Cape York, Euphorion, Gray, from W. 

 Australia, Archideus, Gray, from N. W. Australia, and 

 Boisduvalii, Montrouzier, from Woodlark Island, should 

 all come into the same category. It is very difficult to 

 think that he was wrong. 



Consequently he refers to the form which he discovered 

 in the Aru Islands, [the home of the King Bird of Para- 

 dise (Paradisea regia), the Black Cockatoo (Microglossum 

 aterrimum), the Racquet-tailed Kingfisher (Tanysiptera 

 hydrocharis), the Paradisea apoda, the Spectre Butterfly 

 (Hestia durvillei), the Pale Peacock Butterfly (Drusilla 

 catops), the magnificent and rare Clear-wing Moth {Cocytia 

 durvillei), and multitudes of ravishingly beautiful things 

 besides,] as " 0. Poseidon, var. a (Wall), (0. Aruana, 

 Feld)," and remarks that "individuals from this 

 locality differ in the arrangement of the nervures ; in 

 some the 3rd subcostal nervure of the upper wings 

 branches from the same point with the upper discocellular, 

 in others considerably beyond it ; the points from which 

 the subcostal nervures branch also vary. The amount of 

 green colour on the median nervure and its branches 

 varies. In some specimens there is a spot at the anal 

 angle of lower wings beneath, agreeing with 0. Pronomus, 

 G. R. Gray ; but this is generally wanting." But the 

 var. was considered as of sufficient distinctness to merit 

 a specific description by Felder, under the name of 

 Arruana {Aruana it should have been), the most important 

 features of which I give below. 



$ . Wings silky green ; narrowly bordered with black. 

 Anterior wings above with a broad costal longitudinal 

 discal band or stripe ; a patch of velvety fuscus, sur- 

 rounded by black ; the median vein sparingly scattered 

 over with green atoms. Under sides, tawny black ; within 

 the cell an elongated patch of green, a subcostal stripe, 

 and without 7 widely separately greenish patches. Pos- 

 terior wings, over the discoidal cell sprinkled with blackish 

 atoms ; with a coppery golden spot on the costa (which 

 also appears on the under side), and 6 large black 

 submarginal spots. Under sides, diluted green ; the base 

 and 7 large spots opposite very black ; the subcostal and 

 discoidal veins are also margined with black ; anal angle 

 yellow. Thorax black and hairy, with a green centre 

 above, and red on the sides beneath. 



Abdomen yellow : the anal spot, and the lateral dots 

 are black. S . Wings on both sides tawny black. The 

 anterior with a subquadrate oblique cellular patch, and 8 

 exterior elongated separated marks ; the upper ones ashy 

 white, the lower of a more sordid colour. 



Posterior wings above, with greyish yellowish nervules ; 

 a small costal, with an apical sinuated spot sordid ashy 

 white, and 5 other posterior, large, elongated marks, 

 unconnected with the cell ashy white ; outside tawny 

 smoky ; the first cut off, and including a big yellow spot ; 

 each in the following group sinuated at the outer end, 

 ornamented in the centre with a small orbicular tawny 

 spot, the interior marginal one being rather narrow, and 

 embracing a somewhat rounded spot. Under side, with 

 fringed spots, the twin trigonal spots corresponding with 

 those on the upper surface, becoming yellow, and the 5 

 elongated patches belonging to the superior white group 

 somewhat diluted with, and on the contrary, on the outer 

 parts suffused with, a yellowish colour. 



Thorax, tawny black ; beneath on each side red. 



Abdomen ashy white, with basal twin spots red ; under 

 side yellow ; the ventral (or anal) spot, and 5 lateral (or 

 side) spots black. 



Hab. Islands of Aru. 



In examining different specimens of this species we meet 

 with many important deviations from the type, in both 

 sexes ; but first it will be best to specify those which are 

 presented in the examples from which our plate is drawn. 



<? Primaries. The green of the upper surface is a very 

 rich warm, inclining to golden. The posterior and ex- 

 terior marginal green bands are absolutely continuous with 

 each other, narrowest towards the base, broadest beyond 

 the anal angle, and narrow again at its termination within 

 g mm. of the terminal point of the costal band. The 

 upper edges of these two bands (or sections of one band 

 as they really are) are fairly straight ; not so irregular or 

 so sinuated as in other species (except Pronomus). The 

 green atoms are often numerous and broadly placed 

 along the under side of the median nervure, beginning at 

 9 or 10 mm. from the base, and extending the whole of 

 the rest of the length ; they are also broadly made to 

 define the entire length of the 1st to its junction with the 

 green band of the exterior margin, and likewise the 2nd and 

 3rd to where they enter the sericeous brown patch, also 

 the 2nd discoidal nervule, and the submedian nervure a 

 short distance along from the base, to be absent for an 

 equal succeeding distance, again to follow the remaining 



