444 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



21. Genus — Amblypodia. 



De Niceville describes the neuration of the forewing as being similar only to 

 that of Iraota among the Lyccenidce because of the conformation of the basal 

 portion of and origin of vein 5 which he says is given off from vein 6 near the 

 base of that vein, whence it is bent down, forming a false discocelular nervule, 

 before tm-ning off to the outer margin. Also vein 8 in the forewing is wanting in 

 the female, present in the male. There are two species recognized of which only 

 one, anita, concerns these papers. It is an extremely variable species in colour 

 though never in shape ; some of the males are brown without any purple shade 

 on the upperside, others nearly uniform purple with, in both cases, a black 

 border, also variable in width and even ; the females are sometimes also uniform 

 brown with a much broader black border or have a basal patch of, sometimes, 

 quite briliant blue, most extensive on the upper wing. And these varieties 

 may all be bred from the same batch of eggs. The imdersides of the sexes 

 are alike and resemble dead leaves in their shading and the presence of a " mid- 

 rib " from the ajjex of fore wing to the anal angle of hind wing. A. anitais quick 

 and strong of wing but never flies far ; it rises, flies a short distance and then 

 drops amongst the foliage ; it is slow to rise and walks about when settled ; it 

 settles on leaves, stalks, twigs, &c., and keeps the wings closed over the back. 

 The larva is somewhat abnormal and very brightly coloured ; the pupa is stout 

 and normal in shape. The habitat of the genus is throughout Continental 

 and Peninsular India (except in the desert tracts, the Panjab and North Western 

 Provinces) ; Assam ; Bm'ma ; the Malay Peninsula ; Java, Luzon ; the Anda- 

 man Isles (but not in the Nicobars) and Ceylon. 



166. Amblypodia anita. — ^Male. Upperside: dark violet-purple with very 

 little gloss, the colour obscuring the marginal black border . Fore wing : no 

 fringe of hairs on inner margin ; costa and outer margin with a moderately broad, 

 blackish band, generally broadest on the outer margin. Hind wing : the costal 

 band broad, the outer, marginal band narrow, in most specimens a mere line : 

 anal lobe marked with dull red. Cilia black; tail stout with a black fringe. 

 Underside : rufous-brown. Fore wing with a subbasal, black, transverse line; 

 a mark on the discocellulars a thin black line from before the apex to the hinder 

 margin beyond the middle, followed by a postdiscal series of indistinct, discon- 

 nected, Imiular, black marks or spots which are not always, however, visible ; 

 and sometimes, indications of a submarginal series ; sometimes, aho, the subapi- 

 cal, costal area powdered with black scales. Hind wing : medial, outwardly- 

 curved, black line and an indistinct, outwardly-curved, discal series of black 

 dots marked with white points, both in continuation of the two lines on the 

 fore Wing ; a series of submarginal, similar, black dots and subbasal marks ; 

 the ground-colour of the wing varying in tone in different specimens. — Female 

 Upperside : dull violet, sometimes quite brow*n. Fore wing with broad, costal 

 and outer, marginal, blackish-brown borders. Hind wing : generally uniform 

 dull violet-brown or brown without any borders ; anal lobe as in the male. 

 Underside : varying in shade from oclu-eous grey to violet-brown, the outer 

 half lighter ; markings as in the male but some of the darker colom-ed examples 

 have a hand of suffused whitish marks in connection with the discal line. 

 Antennae black, the tip orange ; head and body above and below concolouroua 

 with the wings. Expanse : 45 mm. 



Egg. — ^Is of the ordinary, depressed, hemispherical sJiape, or very widely 

 dome-shaped, broadest about half way up. Surface moderately shining ; 

 covered with hexagonal (sometimes pentagonal), very regular, large cells, about 

 six from apex to base and about twenty-four round the broadest part ; seven 

 surromiding the apical micropyle iriegularly smaller ; the walls coarse, mostly 

 triangular in cross-section, sometimes rounded : with an erect spine at each in- 



