THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 477 



practically anywhere in India, (except in the eastern Himalayas and 

 Assam and does not extend to Burma), in desert Sind as well as in 

 the heavy rainfall regions, as for example, the Western Ghats in 

 Kanara in Bombay ; and it is just as plentiful there on the sandy 

 shore of the sea-coast as in the opeji parts of the jungles on the crest 

 of the ghats, o,000 feet above. The pupa is sometimes found in 

 withered leaves on the ground below the plant. It is attached by 

 the tail and fixed by a body-band. The foodplants of the larva are 

 varied and seem to depend upon the presence of ants more than 

 upon anything else. It has been found on Canthium narvijloriim, 

 Zizyphus rugosa smdjujuha, Allophyllus cobhe belonging to the families 

 RutacecB, Rhamnacece and Sctpindacece respectively and de Niceville 

 mentions having reared it on Clerodendron siphonanthus in Calcutta 

 {Verbenacece). The butterfly exists from the outer ranges of the 

 Western Himalayas where it is rare down throughout Continental 

 and Peninsular India but not in the Eastern Himalayas, Assam or 

 Burma ; Ceylon. It is said not to exist in desert tracts but it h 

 plentiful enough in Sind. 



177. Aphnseus iohita, Horsfielcl. — Male and female. Upperside : both 

 wings dingily fuscous clouded with Avhitish, fringed Avith hoarv-whitish ; darker 

 to black in the male. Fore wing: in the male, from base to middle shining violet ; 

 in the female with the fascipe of the underside, showing through, obsoletely 

 streaked. Kind wing : in the male, from base to middle shining violet ; in the 

 female, like on the fore wing, M-ith the fascife showing through, obsoletely 

 streaked ; a large, triangular, fulvous, anal patch in both sexes, bearing two 

 black lunules inwardly irrorated with silver ; an inner, larger, huiular ocellus 

 on the lobe. Underside : both wings j'ellow with fulvous or red, transverse fasciae 

 centred with dull silver ; in the male reddish-purple ; the marginal one simple, 

 sometimes circular ; the others with the medial, continuous or very little 

 interrupted dull silver line. Fore wing : Avith seven fasciae, two marginal 

 complete, the exterior unadorned ; the third and fourth shortened and con- 

 fluent beyond the disc ; the fifth complete, tending towards the anal angle ; 

 the sixth halved, terminated at the fuscous band of the paler, anal area ; the 

 seventh basal, smallest. Hind wing : with six fascias ; the two marginal, paral- 

 lel, the inner one complete and produced curvedly towards the inner margin ; 

 the third halved : the fourth and fifth complete, abruptly inflected up the inner 

 margin in the anal region : the sixth basal, short; the anal region deep fulvous 

 margin in the anal region ; the sixth basal, short ; the anal region deep fulvous, 

 bearing two small, black ocelli, the exterior, between the tails, oblong and 

 inwarelly increased by a silvery band, the innermost larger, angular, placed 

 on the lobe, bordered by a short, interior, silvery line. Antennae black, white- 

 banded at sides, with the club orange-tipped, long and gradual. Cilia of both 

 wings above and below greyish ; a fine, jet-black, anteciliary line to both 

 wings below; the tails black with orange base and white tip, the one at end 

 of vein 1 straight down, 5mm. long, the other 4 mm., at vein. 2 Head with 

 vertex yellowish, but collar black ; frons white centred broadly black with some 

 rusty hairs ; eyes white-rimmed. Palpi black above ; thorax bluish ; abdomen 

 black dorsally, lateraly red. Below : all very pale yellow ; inner margin of fore 

 wing Avith a long, broAvn fringe. 



The description is mostly in the Avords of Horsfield from de Niceville's Butter- 

 flies of India, Burmah and Ceylon. Horsfield is further quoted as saying " A. 



