For the purpose of insuring accuracy in comparisons with other islands,
I shall confine myself to those groups which are best known, or which
I have myself carefully studied. Beginning with the Papilionidae or
Swallow-tailed butterflies, Celebes possesses 24 species, of which the
large number of 18 are not found in any other island. If we compare this
with Borneo, which out of 29 species has only two not found elsewhere,
the difference is as striking as anything can be. In the family of the
Pieridae, or white butterflies, the difference is not quite so great,
owing perhaps to the more wandering habits of the group; but it is still
very remarkable. Out of 30 species inhabiting Celebes, 19 are peculiar,
while Java (from which more species are known than from Sumatra or
Borneo), out of 37 species, has only 13 peculiar. The Danaidae are
large, but weak-flying butterflies, which frequent forests and gardens,
and are plainly but often very richly coloured. Of these my own
collection contains 16 species from Celebes and 15 from Borneo; but
whereas no less than 14 are confined to the former island, only two are
peculiar to the latter. The Nymphalidae are a very extensive group,
of generally strong-winged and very bright-coloured butterflies, very
abundant in the tropics, and represented in our own country by our
Fritillaries, our Vanessas, and our Purple-emperor. Some months ago I
drew up a list of the Eastern species of this group, including all the
new ones discovered by myself, and arrived at the following comparative
results:--
Species of Species peculiar to Percentage
Nymphalidae. each island. of peculiar Species.
Java..... 70...... 23.......... 33
Borneo.... 52...... 15.......... 29
Celebes ... 48...... 35.......... 73
The Coleoptera are so extensive that few of the groups have yet been
carefully worked out. I will therefore refer to one only, which I have
myself recently studied--the Cetoniadae or Rose-chafers--a group of
beetles which, owing to their extreme beauty, have been much sought
after. From Java 37 species of these insects are known, and from Celebes
only 30; yet only 13, or 35 percent, are peculiar to the former island,
and 19, or 63 percent, to the latter.
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