The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...

—chap, xiil] THE AUSTRALIAN REGION. 435Nymphalidse, have the anterior wings elongated, with the apexoften acute, and, what is especially remarkable, an abrupt bendor shoulder near the base of the wing. (See Malay Archipelago,3rd Ed. p. 281, woodcut.) No less than 13 species of Papilio, 10Pieridse, and 4 or 5 Nymphalidse, are thus distinguished fromtheir nearest allies in the surrounding islands or in India. Insize again, a large number of Celebesian butterflies stand preeminentover their allies. The fine Papilios adamantius, hlumei,and gigon— are perfect giants by the side of the closely-alliedforms of Java ;while P. androcles is the largest and longest-tailed,of all the true swallow-tailed group of the Old World.AmongNymphalidse, the species of Ehinopalpa and Euripus, peculiar toCelebes, are immensely larger than their nearest allies ; andseveral of the Pieridse are also decidedly larger, though in a lessmarked degree. In colour, many of the Celebesian butterflies differfrom the nearest allied species ; so that they acquire a singularityof aspect which marks them off from the rest of the group.The most curious case is that of three butterflies, belongingto three distinct genera (Ccthosia myrina, Messaras mceonides,and Atella celebensis) all having a delicate violet or lilac gloss inlines or patches, which is wholly wanting in every allied speciesof the surrounding islands. These numerous peculiarities ofCelebesian butterflies are very extraordinary ; and imply isolationfrom surrounding lands, almost as much as do thestrange formsof mammals and birds, which more prominently characterise thisinteresting island.Of the Coleoptera we know much less,but a few interestingfacts may be noted. There are a number of fine species ofCicindela, some of peculiar forms ;and one Odontochila, a SouthAmerican genus; while Collyris reaches Celebes from theOriental region. In Carabidse it has one peculiar genus, Dicraspeda; and a species of the fine Australian genus Catadromus.In Lucanidae it has the Oriental genus, Odontolabris. In Cetoniidaeit has a peculiar genus, Sternoplus, and several fine Cetonice;but the characteristic Malayan genus, Zomaptera, found in everyother island of the archipelago from Sumatra to New Guinea,is absent—an analogous fact to the case of Ceyx among birds.