THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 139 



they may be seen, however, sucking up moisture from damp places 

 in the hot weather. The foodplants of the larva are Pongamia 

 glabra, the Indian Beech ; Derris scandeois ; Xylia dolahriformis ; 

 Abrus frecatorius ; and various other leguminous plants; also, 

 according to de Niceville, Heynea trijuga of the Meliacece. The 

 range of Curetis thetis is : the whole of India ; Ceylon ; the 

 Andamans and Nicobars ; Assam ; Burma to Sumatra and 

 Java. 



Plate H, figures 56 and 56a are good pictures of male and female 



Curetis tJietis. 



163. Curetis bulls, Doubleday and Hewitson. — Male. — Upperside: fore 

 wing : velvety-black, an elongate, broad, medial, patch dark orange-red, 

 that extends from base outwards for about three-fourths the length of the 

 wing and tills the area from v6in 1 to the middle of the cell ; in some speci- 

 mens diffusely spread below vein 1 near base, but there shaded with dusky 

 black ; the outer margin of this red patch unevenly rounded. Hind wing : 

 brownish-black, a large orange-red spot above vein 3 to near apex, in- 

 wardly extended into the cell to near the base of the wing and posteriorly 

 diffuse below vein 3, but in the cell thickly overlaid with dusky-black 

 scaling and posteriorly shaded with long brown hairs that in certain lights 

 take a golden tint; above the cell extended from the base of the wing to 

 the inner margin of the orange spot is a prominent broad streak of a shade 

 darker than the ground-colour ; abdominal fold pale pinkish-brown. Under- 

 side: silvery -white with sparsely scattered minute black dots. Fore wing : a 

 discal and inner subterminal series of sometimes very indistinct, somewhat 

 lunular, black markings that form broken, anteriorly convergent bands, 

 which are continued over the hind wing to the tornus ; beyond these, on 

 both fore and hind wings, succeeds an outer, subterminal series of minute 

 black dots, in most specimens very indistinct. Antennte, head, thorax and 

 abdomen dark brown ; sides of the abdomen golden brown ; beneath : palpi 

 (third joint only, the tip of second joint black), thorax and abdomen white. 

 Female. Upperside : more or less as in the male, but the dark orange- 

 red medial patches replaced by white and much larger. On the fore wing 

 this white patch extends above the cell, the discocellulars closing which are 

 prominently marked by a black tooth, and posteriorly it reaches the dorsal 

 margin. On the hind wing the white patch is very large and in some speci- 

 mens very diffuse. Both fore and hind wings are shaded at the base by 

 dusky scales and in many specimens the markings of the underside are 

 plainly visible by transparency ; the broad, black streak above the cell on 

 the hind wing is present in some, absent in other specimens. Underside : 

 ground-colour and markings as in the male, but much more prominent. 

 Expanse : Male and female, 46-50 mm. 



Larva and pupa. — The species has been bred in Kanara in the year 1894 

 on the flowers of Ouyeinia dalbergioides, Benth., known to commerce as 

 Chittagong Wood, a moderate sized or large tree which bursts out into 

 profuse pinkish-white blossom, before the appearance of the leaves, in the 

 hot weather. The caterpillars and pupse did not difl'er much from those 

 of Curstis thetis as far as memory serves, but it was before the days when 

 the writer was much interested in the subject. The specimens of the 

 butterflies are, however, still quite perfect and are the only ones that have 

 ever been seen in Kanara. 



Habitat. — Himalayas from Kumaon to Bhutan ; Central India ; Pachmari; 

 Southern India : the Wynaad, Kanara ; Assam ; Sylhet ; Upper Burma ; 

 Maymyo, 3000'. 



