20 



INSECTS OF SAMOA. 



of the species from Tutuila, but it might easily be overlooked. There is a 

 specimen in the British Museum labelled Togatabu (apparently the only record 

 of the species from Tonga), and it also occurs in Fiji. 



The flight is lazy and floating, resembling that of a Danaida, but much 

 weaker. The insect has, however, a habit of keeping fifteen to twenty feet above 

 the ground, which renders it much less easy to catch than it otherwise would be. 



The eggs are laid in batches of about 80 on the upperside of a leaf 

 of Passiflora samoensis Exell, and are barrel-shaped and cream-coloured, with 

 about 20 inconspicuous longitudinal ridges broken by numerous shallow 

 transverse lines ; diameter 0*77 mm., height 0"87 mm. The egg stage lasts 

 at least five days. 



The larvae (PL IV, fig. 10) are blackish, with head, legs and spines black ; 

 spines long, slightly branched, one pair on thorax, penultimate and last segments, 

 three pairs on all the other segments. They feed in companies, and the pupae are 

 often found together in fair numbers. Before starting to devour the leaf, the 

 young larvae eat a large part of the egg-shell ; they then begin on the leaf, eating 

 either surface. The larval stage lasts about a fortnight. 



The pupae (PI. IV, fig. 11) are placed in rows on a stem of the creeper ; 

 they are creamy-white in colour, with mid-ventral and paired dorsolateral and 

 spiracular broad broken black bands ; these bands are composed of a rounded 

 blotch, enclosing a yellow spot, on each segment of the abdomen ; eye, leg and 

 proboscis-sheaths black, wing-sheaths white, striped longitudinally with black ; 

 on the thorax the dorsolateral black bands are replaced by a pair of narrow 

 black lines placed mid-dorsally, and fused together posteriorly. The duration 

 of the pupal stage is ten days. 



Early stages were found in May, June and July. 



6. Melanitis leda solandra (F.) 



Papilio solandra Fabricius, 1775, Syst. Ent. p. 500 (taken " in Insula 



Otaheity "^Tahiti). 

 Melanitis leda var. solandra ; Butler, 1874, p. 279. 

 Melanitis leda ; Fraser, p. 148. 



Waterhouse, 1904, p. 494. 

 Swezey, 1921, p. 604. 

 Melanitis taitensis ; Butler, 1883, p. 409. 

 Melanitis leda taitensis ; Schmeltz, p. 183. 



Rebel, 1910, p. 419. 



