Book Description

Excerpt from The Journal of Entomology, Vol. 2: Descriptive and Geographical The genus Iphias (Boisduval) has hitherto consisted of but two species, both known since the time of Linnaeus. Having myself discovered in the Moluccas two new species allied to I. leucippe, and finding that I. glaucippe consists of several distinct varieties, each one inhabiting a limited district, I propose to point out the characters distinguishing these, and make some remarks on the habits and distribution of this interesting genus. The species of Iphias are all large and handsome butterflies, frequenting the skirts of forests and the margins of streams in forest districts. The males often settle on the ground in damp and muddy places, in company with many Papilionidae and Pierid . When thus resting, with wings erect, they are at once distinguishable from all around them by the peculiar attitude they assume, the upper wings being depressed between the lower pair, so that its basal half is completely hidden by them. As probably a consequence of this, we find that this basal half of the upper wings is always pale in colour on the under side, and devoid of the characteristic markings of the exposed portions. The females fly rather low, in woods and thickets, and, seldom coming out into the open grounds, are therefore less frequently captured. The three species found in the Moluccas are all scarce insects, whereas that which inhabits the western islands of the Archipelago and the continent of India (I. leucippe) is much more abundant, and is one of the most striking and beautiful of the insect ornaments of these regions. When in fine condition; the red patch on the upper wings has iridescent violet reflexions, which are still more conspicuous in the superb I. leucippe of Amboyna. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."