DOLESCHALLIA. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
563 
Wilhelmsland, which hardly differ among themselves, deviate quite considerably from dascon Godm. from British 
New Guinea. If one compares dasconides with fig. 3 in Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1880, pi. 56, it has the 
subapical spots on the upper side of the f. w. much broader and lighter blue; moreover, they flow together, 
forming a broad band, whereas dascon has seven single patches entirely separate from each other. Although 
Hagen reports that the ? is not at all scarce, I have only found one ? among nearly 100 cfcT, 20 of which 
are still in my collection; it differs from the cf in its superior size, and the somewhat lighter, and considerably 
narrower, transverse band on the f. w. Beneath the cfc? resemble I). hexophthahnos and the allies of IJ. 
lactearia, being as a rule deep sea-green, clouded and mottled with violet bronce-colour; the markings of fa. 
argyroides are almost obliterated. Six cdcf are light coffee-brown, one displaying the markings peculiar to 
basalis ; in one cP, remarkable for its rich silvery markings, the cell of the f. w. shows the typical nimbata- 
design. Known to me only from Astrolabe-Bay, but also found at Simbang. Smith reports that the collection 
made by Doherty on Humboldt-Bay contained a great number of specimens of this form. 
D. dascylus is at once distinguished by its beautiful, rich colouring and the most perfect sexual 
Dimorphism; at the same time it is more subject to geographical variation than any other DoJescliallia , and 
some forms might almost be considered as distinct species. In contradistinction to dascon, D. dactylus is 
also found on the smaller islands adjacent to New Guinea, where it is represented by the most highly specialized 
forms. In the ¥ the f. w. is mostly marked with a white, vertical, longitudinal band, appearing yellowish only 
on the upper surface of one single subspecies. Judging from the specimens contained in the Fruhstorfer 
coll, the great majority of the cfcT are black or coffee-brown, less frequently dark olive-green. The fa. basalis 
is not represented, neither is the nimbata- design which was noticed in D. dascon. The larva was discovered 
by Dr. Hagen. - phalinus Fruhst. In the cf the black distal border of the f w. is narrower than in the phalinus. 
remaining forms of dascylus and contains six minute, white and blue, subapical dots. This leaves room for an 
elongate black patch at the apex of the cell which reappears also in the ?. In the latter the median area of 
the f. w. which in dascylus Godm. is clear white over its entire length, is light yellow throughout, whereas 
in demades Frulist. it appears white only above the black spot before the apex of the cell, assuming only 
beneath a whitish-yellow tone, phalinus is one of those insular forms which almost deserve to rank as species, 
and if 1 treat it here as a local form, it is only because it represents dascylus in Waigeu, where it is very 
rare. — eudascylus Fruhst. (112 a cf, b ?); inferior in size to dascylus from British New Guinea. In cf both eudascylu 
wings have the basal half lighter fulvous and the patch placed on either side of the upper median much 
smaller, darker blue and pupilled with less white. The ? is easy to distinguish from the ¥ of dascylus by 
the smaller subapical dots, the black band crossing the apex of the cell, and the yellowish instead of white 
colour of the vertical zone on the f. w. The cf is beneath dark sea-green (137 c) or olive-coloured {fa. 
olivacea form, nov.) or red brown. Among 27 specimens, 10 represent the fa. argyroides. Smith reported it olivacea. 
from Humboldt-Bay under the name of comrii Godm., as a great rarity (2 cfcf, 1 ¥). According to Dr. Hagen, 
the larva is brownish-gray with lighter longitudinal stripes; head steel-blue, armed with two thorn-like spines, 
the segments provided with steel-blue, branching spines; altogether it does not greatly differ from the larva of 
D. bisaltick, only is rather more unicolorous. He reports also that the cfcf are between October and February 
quite common at Stephansort and Simbang, also on Astrolabe-Bay; but only two ?? are contained in my 
coll. — dascylus Godm. a. Salv. (112 a) is, as above said, remarkable for its large size and the prominent, light dascylus. 
blue submarginal patches on the f. w. as well as the darker brown-yellow basal half of the upper surface. In 
the ¥ the median band on the f. w. is chalk-white and only interrupted at the apex of the cell by a short 
streak which barely reaches the middle of the cell; beneath the white patches on the f. w. are larger than in 
eudascylus -¥¥ from Kaiser-Wilhelmsland. Milne-Bay, especially in November and December. — comrii Godm. comrii. 
a. Salv. discovered by Dr. Comrie during the expedition of Cap. Moresby in 1877, and stated by its authors 
to have come from British New Guinea; but this is an error because the species is represented there by 
dascylus. On the other hand, I find that the figure of the ¥ given by the authors of the type harmonizes 
exactly with a ? specimen in my possession from the Fergusson Islands, which had been visited by Comrie 
during the same expedition. It is basally still darker than the ¥ of dascylus , with a broader white, vertical 
band on the f. w. and, touching it distally, longish patches of blue. The under side is red-brown, as 
dascylus ?, laved with whitish. The cf may be said to be the most beautiful Doleschallia. The white as 
well as the light blue patches with white centre, increase in size and unite beyond the first median to form a 
square area, which is accompanied on the f. w. by two blue-violet subanal spots. The basal half of both wings 
is dark cocoa-brown, the black bordering of the h. w. is in neither sex very sharply defined, but shades more into 
the brown colour of the basal half. Fergusson, possibly also found on the other islands of the Louisiad Archipelago. 
D. rickardi takes the place in the Bismarck Archipelago either of D. dascylus or D. dascon. . Whether 
it deserves to rank as a species, can only be decided after the hitherto unknown ? has been examined. It 
differs from the two preceding species in the light blue trariscellular area on the f. w., located below a whitish- 
blue subapical band. F. w. black with a faint bluish iridescence; h. w. black. The under side is according 
to Honrath’s figure gray-brown, with a red-brown mesial band. Two not very sharply defined insular races 
are known: rickardi Sm. from Neu-Pommern and Neu-Lauenburg, in which the patches on the f. w. are rickardi. 
not white at the centre. — pfeili Hour. In cf the f. w. is principally marked with white instead of light blue, pfeili. 
