Page images
PDF
EPUB

colouration. Using these characters, I divide the Malayan Papilios into four sections, and seventeen groups, as follows:

Genus ORNITHOPTERA.

a. Priamus-group.

c. Brookeanus-group.

b. Pompeus-group.

Genus PAPILIO.

} Black and green.

Black and yellow.

A. Larvæ short, thick, with numerous fleshy tubercles; of a purplish colour.

a. Nox-group. Abdominal fold in male very large; anal valves small, but swollen; antennæ moderate; wings entire, or tailed; includes the Indian Philoxenus-group.

b. Coon-group. Abdominal fold in male small; anal valves small, but swollen; antennæ moderate; wings tailed.

c. Polydorus-group. Abdominal fold in male small, or none; anal valves small or obsolete, hairy; wings tailed or entire.

B. Larvæ with third segment swollen, transversely or obliquely banded; pupa much bent. Imago with abdominal margin in male plaited, but not reflexed; body weak; antennæ long; wings much dilated, often tailed.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

C. Larvæ subcylindrical, variously coloured. Imago with

abdominal margin in male plaited, but not reflexed; body weak; antennæ short, with a thick curved club; wings entire.

1. Erithonius-group.

Sexes alike, larva and pupa

something like those of P. Demolion.

m. Paradoxa-group. Sexes different.

n. Dissimilis - group. Sexes alike; larva brightcoloured; pupa straight, cylindric.

D. Larvæ elongate, attenuate behind, and often bifid, with lateral and oblique pale stripes, green. Imago with the abdominal margin in male reflexed, woolly or hairy within; anal valves small, hairy; antennæ short, stout; body stout.

o. Macareus-group. Hind wings entire.

p. Antiphates-group. Hind wings much tailed (swallow-tails).

q. Eurypylus-group. Hind wings elongate or tailed.

Genus LEPTOCIRCUS.

Making, in all, twenty distinct groups of Malayan Papilionidæ.

The first section of the genus Papilio (A) comprises insects which, though differing considerably in structure, having much general resemblance. They all have a weak, low flight, frequent the most luxuriant forestdistricts, seem to love the shade, and are the objects of mimicry by other Papilios.

Section B consists of weak-bodied, large-winged insects, with an irregular wavering flight, and which, when resting on foliage, often expand the wings, which the species of the other sections rarely or never do. They are the most conspicuous and striking of eastern Butterflies.

Section C consists of much weaker and slower-flying insects, often resembling in their flight, as well as in their colours, species of Danaidæ.

Section D contains the strongest-bodied and most swift-flying of the genus. They love sunlight, and frequent the borders of streams and the edges of puddles, where they gather together in swarms consisting of several species, greedily sucking up the moisture, and, when disturbed, circling round in the air, or flying high and with great strength and rapidity.

Geographical Distribution.-One hundred and thirty species of Malayan Papilionidæ are now known within the district extending from the Malay peninsula, on the north-west, to Woodlark Island, near New Guinea, on the south-east.

The exceeding richness of the Malayan region in these fine insects is seen by comparing the number of species found in the different tropical regions of the earth. From all Africa only 33 species of Papilio are known; but as several are still undescribed in collections, we may raise their number to about 40. In all tropical Asia there are at present described only 65 species, and I have seen in collections but two or three which have not yet been named. In South America, south of Panama, there are 150 species, or about oneseventh more than are yet known from the Malayan region; but the area of the two countries is very different; for while South America (even excluding Patagonia) contains 5,000,000 square miles, a line encircling the whole of the Malayan islands would only include an area of 2,700,000 square miles, of which the land-area would be about 1,000,000 square miles. This superior

richness is partly real and partly apparent. The breaking up of a district into small isolated portions, as in an archipelago, seems highly favourable to the segregation and perpetuation of local peculiarities in certain groups; so that a species which on a continent might have a wide range, and whose local forms, if any, would be so connected together that it would be impossible to separate them, may become by isolation reduced to a number of such clearly defined and constant forms that we are obliged to count them as species. From this point of view, therefore, the greater proportionate number of Malayan species may be considered as apparent only. Its true superiority is shown, on the other hand, by the possession of three genera and twenty groups of Papilionidæ against a single genus and eight groups in South America, and also by the much greater average size of the Malayan species. In most other families, however, the reverse is the case, the South American Nymphalidæ, Satyridæ, and Erycinidæ far surpassing those of the East in number, variety, and beauty.

The following list, exhibiting the range and distribution of each group, will enable us to study more easily their internal and external relations.

Range of the Groups of Malayan Papilionida.

[blocks in formation]

Guinea, (Celebes, maximum)

3. Brookeana-group. Sumatra and Borneo... 1

11

[ocr errors][merged small]

Papilio.

4. Nox-group. North India, Java, and Philip-
pines

[ocr errors]

5. Coon-group. North India to Java...
6. Polydorus-group. India to New Guinea

and Pacific

5 species.

2

7

7. Ulysses-group. Celebes to New Caledonia 4
8. Peranthus - group.
India to Timor and
Moluccas (India, maximum)

9. Memnon-group. India to Timor and Mo-
luccas (Java, maximum)

10. Helenus-group. Africa and India to New
Guinea

11. Pammon-group. India to Pacific and Aus

[merged small][ocr errors]

12. Erectheus-group. Celebes to Australia

13. Demolion-group. India to Celebes

9

10

[ocr errors]

11

[ocr errors]
[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

14. Erithonius-group. Africa, India, Australia 1
15. Paradoxa-group. India to Java (Borneo,

[blocks in formation]

16. Dissimilis-group. India to Timor (India,

maximum)

17. Macareus-group. India to New Guinea 18. Antiphates-group. Widely distributed 19. Eurypylus-group. India to Australia Leptocircus.

20 Leptocircus-group. India to Celebes

[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

This Table shows the great affinity of the Malayan with the Indian Papilionidæ, only three out of the twenty groups ranging beyond, into Africa, Europe, or America. The limitation of groups to the IndoMalayan or Austro-Malayan divisions of the archipelago, which is so well marked in the higher animals, is much less conspicuous in insects, but is shown in some degree by the Papilionidæ. The following groups

« EelmineJätka »