Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PAPILIONIDÆ AND PIERIDÆ. HAWKS, PARROTS, AND PIGEONS
.
Per cent. of peculiar Species. Per cent. of peculiar Species.
Indo-Malay region
56
54
Philippine group
66
73
Celebes
69
60
Moluccan group
52
62
Timor group
42
47
Papuan group
64
74
These large and well-known families well represent the general character of the zoology
of Celebes; and they show that this island is really one of the most isolated portions of the
Archipelago, although situated in its very centre.
But the insects of Celebes present us with other phenomena more curious and more diffi-
cult to explain than their striking individuality. The butterflies of that island are in many
cases characterised by a peculiarity of outline, which distinguishes them at a glance from
those of any other part of the world. It is most strongly manifested in the Papilios and the
Pieridæ, and consists in the forewings being either strongly curved or abruptly bent near the
base, or in the extremity being elongated and often somewhat hooked. Out of the 14 species
of Papilio in Celebes, 13 exhibit this peculiarity in a greater or less degree, when compared
with the most nearly allied species of the surrounding islands. Ten species of Pieridæ have
the same character, and in four or five of the Nymphalidæ it is also very distinctly marked.
In almost every case the species found in Celebes are much larger than those of the islands
westward, and at least equal to those of the Moluccas, or even larger. The difference of form
is however the most remarkable feature, as it is altogether a new thing for a whole set of
species in one country, to differ in exactly the same way from the corresponding sets in all
the surrounding countries; and it is so well marked, that without looking at the details of col-
ouring, most Celebes Papilios and many Pieridæ, can be at once distinguished from those of
other islands by their form alone.
The outside figure of each pair here given, shows the size and form of the fore-wing in a
butterfly of Celebes, while the inner one represents the most closely allied species from one
of the adjacent islands. Figure 1 shows the strongly curved margin of the Celebes species,
Papilio gigon, compared with the much straighter margin of Papilio demolion from Singa-
pore and Java. Figure 2 shows the abrupt bend over the base of the wing in Papilio miletus
of Celebes compared with the slight curvature in the common Papilio sarpedon, which has
almost exactly the same form from India to New Guinea and Australia. Figure 3 shows the
