THE COMMON JJi TTERFLIEIS OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 1U1> 



brownish-black, the latter edging aft are enclosing a postdiscal, subterminul 

 blue lunule, and lines in interspaces 1, 2 and 3 ; rest of the wing whitish, with 

 no hairs on the disc, flushed and overlaid especially at base with metallic 

 blue. Hind wing: costa and termen broadly fuscous or brownish black, the 

 rest of the wing whitish flushed with metallic blue as on the fore wing which, 

 however, does not spread to the dorsal margin ; a discal. curved, medial series 

 of fuscous spots ; a transverse, incomplete, postdiscal series of white, sagit- 

 tate lunulas followed by a subterminal series of spots as follows, superposed 

 on the brownish-black terminal border : two dark-brown geminate dots 

 margined inwardly and outwardly with white ; a large, black spot crown- 

 ed broadly with ochraceous inwardly and edged slenderly with white on the 

 outer siile in interspace •', and anterior to that a transversely-linear, dark - 

 brown spot encircled with white in each interspace. Cilia of fore wing 

 brown, of hind wing white traversed by a transverse medial brown line. 

 Underside : ground colour and markings as in the male. Antennae, head 

 (frons white and brown), thorax and abdomen similar to those of the male 

 Eyes in both sexes hairy. Expanse : Male and female. 27'38nim. 



Lavca. — Normal. Head hidden under segment 2, small, round, labrun\ 

 white, dark fuscous-brown in colour ; segment 2 tumid round margin with a 

 large, central, dorsal depression ; the whole body depressed-looking, the 

 whole margin of body somewhat tumid-looking ; front of larva — front of 

 segmont 2 that is — rather square ; segment 2 is, on the whole, trapeze- 

 shaped, the longest side being the hinder margin ; the anal segments slopes 

 gently to the somewhat broadly rounded extremity ; body thickest in middle. 

 Surface dull, covered all over with little, brown, spine-like hairs which have 

 got several, still smaller branch-spines at their bases, the apex above these 

 branches being simple — these hairs and their branches very distinct on 

 segments 2, 3 where they are somewhat more densely crowded than else- 

 where ; a row of simple hairb round the margin of body. Spiracles oval, 

 nearly round, flush, white. Colour of the larva green with a dorsal, brown 

 line dilated on segments 4, 6 and on segments 10-14; a short, diagonal, 

 whitish, subdorsal line on all segments and an indistinct, spiracular line or 

 pair of lines besides ; the larvae may be plain apple-green, the anal end 

 tipped black. li : ll'Smm. ; B : 4 mm. or a little more. 



Pupa. — Normal in shape ; like that of Nacaduba or Lampides besticus. 

 Broadest about segment 5, highest at segment 8 ; narrowing gradually down 

 to the front end which is truncated and somewhat narrow and to the 

 posterior end which is rounded ; /lead hidden under segment 2 from above 

 all but a small strip of the vertex which is not hidden because of a triangular 

 sinus in the middle of the front margin ; the thorax is slightly humped and 

 the hinder margin is somewhat sharply rounded in dorsal region ; 

 shoulders evenly rounded. Surface minutely wrinkled and covered with 

 minute, erect hairs or bristles hardlj^ visible except under a lens and then 

 only when looked at sideways. Spiracles of segment 2 linear-oval, raised, 

 whitish-yellow in colour ; the rest are nearly circular, raised, whitish. 

 Colour creamy, marked sparsely with blackish specks, a dorsal and supra- 

 spiracular row of black spots, one to each segment ; a black dorsal streak 

 on segment 2 and a crooked black line on the dorsal margin of each wing 

 about segment 4, o. L : 9mm. ; B : 8*5 mm. ; B at segments 2-2 mm. 



Habits. — The egg is laid on the flowers, leaves or stalks and 

 even on bits of rubbish close by the plant ; the larva generally lives 

 on the flowers, pods or young parts which it eats. The pupation 

 takes place on the surface of the ground or, practically, anywhere 

 and the fixing is, as usual, by the tail and a body-string. Many 



