Euchromia polymena (Linnaeus, 1758)

Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, ed. 10, vol.
1: p. 494, no. 35 (as Sphinx Polymena). Translated from the Latin original.

Polymena. 35. S[phinx] black, the wings with yellow spots: three on the
fore wings, two on the hind wings; the abdomen with two scarlet girdles.
Lives in Asia.
Head black (the antennae were missing). Frons white. Wings black: the
fore wings with 5 yellow spots, the middle one double; the hind wings
with 2 yellow spots. Abdomen blackish-blue: segment 1 scarlet; 2, 3 blue;
4, 5, 6 scarlet; 7 black.

Hampson, G. F. (1898). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the
British Museum, vol. 1, Syntomidae: pp. 297-299, fig. 137.

656. Euchromia polymena.

Sphinx polymena, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 494 (1758); Cram. Pap. Exot. i.
pl. 13. D; Moore, Lep. Ceyl. ii. p. 89, pl. 94. ff. 6, 6a; Hmpsn. Moths
Ind. i. p. 227; Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 118.

Male. Black; white patches on frons, shoulders, sides of thorax, and
coxae; vertex of head and thorax suffused with metallic blue; tegulae
crimson; abdomen with crimson bands on 4th and 5th segments; slight blue
bands on 2nd and 3rd segments, becoming white at sides; blue bands on
terminal segments. Fore wing with blue at base and on discocellulars; a
wedge-shaped golden-orange patch in cell; patches below base and end of
cell and four elongate spots beyond the cell between veins 3 and 7. Hind
wing with base orange; patches in and below cell and on inner area; a
large patch beyond the cell between veins 2 and 7.

Ab. 1. Wings with the markings very pale dull ochreous. - Sangir.
Ab. 2. Tegulae and bands of abdomen reddish orange. - Upper Burma.

Hab. Bengal; Bombay (Swinhoe); Nilgiris (Hampson); Ceylon (Yerbury);
Upper Burma (Watson); Andamans, Moore Coll.; Sangir (Doherty). Exp. 48
millim.

Subsp. 1. celebensis, Butl. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xii. p. 364 (1876);
Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 118.
polymena, var. butleri, Rober, Iris, i. pp. 202, 339 (1887).

Fore wing with the elongate spot above vein 5 reduced to a narrow streak.

Hab. Celebes (Wallace), type.

Subsp. 2. orientalis, Butl. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xii. p. 364 (1876);
id. Trans. Ent. Soc. 1888, p. 114, pl. 4. f. 6; Hmpsn. Moths Ind. i. p.
227; Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 118.
fraterna, Butl. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xii. p. 364 (1876); Kirby, Cat.
Het. p. 118.
laura, Butl. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xii. p. 364 (1876); Kirby, Cat. Het.
p. 118.
siamensis, Butl. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xii. p. 365 (1876); Kirby, Cat.
Het. p. 118.
formosana, Butl. Trans. Ent. Soc. 1888, p. 114, pl. 4. f. 7; Kirby, Cat.
Het. p. 118.

Abdomen with crimson bands on 4th, 5th, and 6th segments. - Manila;
Formosa; Burma, type.

Ab. 1. formosana: fore wing with the two orange patches below the cell
conjoined, though more or less indented by spots. - Formosa, type; Burma.
Ab. 2. Tegulae and bands of abdomen orange, the bands on 4th segment
interrupted by black lobes from the 3rd, uneven on the two sides. - Lower
Burma, 1 male.
Ab. 3. laura: with the orange patches below the cell of each wing absent.
- E. Indies, 1 female, type.
Ab. 4. fraterna: with the crimson band on 6th segment of abdomen
incomplete and only occupying its distal half. - Up. Burma; Moulmein,
type.
Ab. 5. siamensis: with a crimson band also on 7th segment of abdomen. -
Manila, 2 males, 1 female; Siam, 1 female, type.

Hab. Philippines, Manilla (J. J. Walker); Formosa (Hobson); Burma,
Moulmein (Clerk); Lower Burma and Tenasserim (Bingham, Watson); Siam
(Bowring).

Larva reddish, with red setiferous lateral tubercles; long dorsal tufts
of black hair on 2nd and 3rd and last two somites, and short dense medial
dorsal tufts. Food-plant, Convolvulaceae.
Cocoon thickly clothed with pale hair.

Hampson, G. F. (1914). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the
British Museum, Supplement vol. 1, Amatidae and Lithosiadae: p. 197.

656. Euchromia polymena, subsp. orientalis, insert:

Charida elegantissima, Wllgrn. Eugenies Resa, p. 369 (1861), which has
priority, it is probably a distinct species.
Euchromia elegantissima, var. diffusihelvola, Schultz, Philipp. J. Gen.
Sci. p. 29, pl. 1. f. 3 (1908).

Fore wing irrorated with yellowish especially towards termen.
Philippines, Manila.

Seitz, A. (1913). Euchromia. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of
the World, vol. 10, The Indo-Australian Bombyces and Sphinges: p. 85, pl.
12 d.

E. polymena L. (12 d). Wings with large, dull orange, somewhat
translucent spots. Collar, segments 1, 4 and 5 dark blood-red, segments
2, 3, 6 and 7 steel-blue, segments 1 to 3 silvery at the sides. Frons and
2 dots on the shoulders with intense silvery lustre. Throughout India
proper, as far as Ceylon and the Andamans, eastward to Burma.*) - ab.
laura Btlr. (12 d) has also the 6th segment blood-red instead of
steel-blue, and on the forewing the orange basal spot is either absent or
only indicated by a faint dot. - orientalis Btlr. which is the form of
Farther-India, has the abdominal segments 4, 5 and 6 red as in laura, but
the orange spots complete as in typical polymena. - ab. hainana ab. nov.
(12 e) lacks the silvery dot on the shoulder, and the orange spots on the
wings are more transparent, a feature which of course does not appear in
the figure. From Hainan. - In formosana Btlr. from Burma and Formosa the
two orange spots below the cell are united, but notched and constricted.
- fraterna Btlr. (Type from Moulmein) has the 6th segment not red
throughout, but only on the sides. - siamensis Btlr. has on the other
hand not only the 6th but also the 7th segment red. Siam. -
elegantissima Wallgr. which is the common form in the Philippines,
resembles a large spotted orientalis, but has the first segment orange
instead of red. An aberrative form is ab. diffusihelvola Schulze (Type in
the Museum of the "Bureau of Science" at Manila) in which the orange
spots are shaded with brownish, but at their margins pale yellow. Was
taken at Manila in December. - ab. egestosa ab. nov. (12 e) is a dark
aberration with greatly reduced spots. On the hindwing the basal spot is
altogether absent, the discal one reduced to a roundish dot. Philippines.
Type in Semper's collection at Frankfurt a. M. - celebensis Btlr. (=
butleri Roeb.) has only 2 abdominal segments red, and the upper portion
of the last band reduced to a fine line. From Celebes. - Larva red-brown,
1 1/2 inch in length when full grown, with reddish tubercles provided with
tufts of brown bristles. On the 1st, 2nd and last segment it has blunt
hair-brushes which have twice the length of the dorsal tuft on the
remaining segments.

*) In the Macleay Museum in Sydney there is a specimen marked "North
Australia" which is undoubtedly an error.