THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF TEE PLAINS OF INDIA. 473 



it is straight in jehana. Head black, the frons broadly white at sides and the 

 vertex also white ; eyes bordered white ; antennaae, orange, palpi and 

 abdomen black above, the first speckled with white, the abdomen with bluish 

 hairs at base and on thorax ; beneath all pure white. Exjjanse : male, 29 mm ; 

 female, 34 mm. 



The species has not been bred and is very scarce in Bombay as far as is 

 known. De Niceville gives the distribution as Jati'na in Ceylon ; Lucknow, 

 Poona, Bombay, Mhow, and says that he had specimens from Masuri, Bhola- 

 ghat, ]\Ialda, Barrackpur, Orissa, the Shevroy Hills and Ratnagi. To which 

 may now be added Kanara District. 



27. Genus Aphn.5:tts. 



"The gemis is a most compact one and no one can fail instantly to recognise 

 any species belonging to it, all having a facies peculiarly their own. In the 

 great number of species the males have the upperside most beautifulljr glossed 

 with rich, irridescent blue, which is only visible in certain lights. In no female 

 does this coloration occur. The male has no secondaiy characters. In the 

 ■case of species which have no blue coloration in the male, the male can be 

 known by its more pointed fore wing, with the outer margin nearly straight ; 

 the female having the apex more rounded, the outer margin convex and the 

 wings generally broader. All the species luive the underside traversed by several 

 hands, usually of a darker colour than the ground, often outwardly defined with 

 black, bearing a medial, metallic-silvery line. The anal angle is jiroduced into 

 a lobe which is usually marked with orange on both sides and bears two black 

 spots. All the species have two tails besides and the abdomen is striped. The 

 flight of all the species of the genus is immensely rapid and can barely be fol- 

 lowed by the eye, but they seldom fly far and frequently settle with closed 

 wings on low-growing flowers and bushes. In Sikkim males may be taken 

 in large numbers sucking up moisture on damp spots in the partially dried-uji 

 beds of streams, &c. Species of the genus appear to occur almost everywhere ; 

 in the plains they are fomid even in the desert tracts as well as in the regions of 

 heavy rainfall and jirofuse vegetation ; in the Himalayas they occur throughout 

 the outer ranges up to an elevation of 8,000 feet." Thus de Niceville. They 

 also occur on the sandy sea-shores within a few feet of high water-mark. 

 The above italics are not de Nic;''ville"s. The undersides are the chief charac- 

 teristic of the insects and, once seen, cannot be mistaken. The outer bound- 

 aries of the bands are always very distinct and generally differently coloured 

 to the ground and the silver middle line is always a striking featm-e — a glance 

 at the figures of Aphnoeus mdcanus, 52 and 52a of Plate G will give a good 

 idea of this. The larva is also a type by itself. It is rather oblong in form 

 with the dorsal line straight, tlie head never completely hidden under segment 2, 

 the surface covered with a clothing of minute disc or star-topped hairs or 

 tubercles and a few somewhat scattered hairs round the body and the mouths 

 of the organs on segment 12 prolonged into short, permanently exserted cylinders. 

 All of them are attended by ants as far as is known and probably have many 

 different foodplants. The genus "is particularly well represented in Africa " 

 (Distant), " one or two occur in Persia and Asia Minor, about 20 have been 

 recorded from India, several occur in the Malay Archipelago. Mr. Moore has 

 recorded six from Ceylon." (de Niceville). i)e Niceville says " 30 have been 

 recorded from India " but he himself only enumerates 23, some of which 

 are rather doubtful ; so, presumably, he meant 20. 



176. Aphnaeus vulcanus, Fabricius. — Male (PI. G., fig. 52) and female 

 (PI. G., hg 52-a). Upperside : both wings fuscous fringed with hoary, some- 

 what shot with violet in the male. Fore wing : with four abbi'eviated, un- 

 equal, undulate, fulvous bands. Hind wing : with a fulvous, anal patch marked 



