roo 



THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS 



OF INDIA. 



(INCLUDING THOSE MET WITH IN THE HILL STATIONS 

 OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY). 



BY 



T. R. Bell, i.f.s. 



{Continued from page 487 of Vol. XXVI.) 



Pabt XXIII. 



29. Genus — Thaduka. 



"Allied to Mahathala, Moore. Fore wing : short, broad ; costa convex at 

 base, apex acutely angled ; exterior margin erect, scalloped ; posterior angle 

 lobular ; hind margin the same length as the costal, concave in the middle. 

 Hind wing : short, broad ; anterior margin convex ; apex and exterior margin 

 very convex, sinuous, with three prominent tails, the middle one longest ; 

 anal lobe large ; abdominal margin very concave above anal lobe .... Body 

 short, stout. Antennio uniformly thickened to the end. Palpi slender. 

 Legs short. Eyes naked." {Moore.) 



The above is taken from de Niceville's book. The author adds " This 

 is a very aberrant genus and, as far as I can ascertain, may be known from 

 all others occurring in India (except some species of Iraota, Moore) by 

 having three very distinct tails besides a large, anal lobe to the hind wing. 

 A single species of Thaduka only is known up to date and it occurs in 

 Upper Tenasserim." 



The above was written in the year 1890 or thereabout by de Niceville and 

 there is still only the one species in the genus. It has since been taken in 

 the Kanara District of Bombay, where it has also been bred from the larva 

 and egg. The original description was written by Moore from a female 

 and, until bred in Kanara, no males had been taken or seen. The larva is 

 similar to that of Arhopala centaurus and amanfes in shape, but the markings 

 are characteristic. The pupa is normal and the suspension is by the tail 

 and a body-band. The larva feeds upon the euphorbiaceous Trewia 

 nudiflora, a very large tree of damp places. 



183. Thaduka multicaudata, Moore. Male. Upperside : black, with the 

 basal area smalt-blue or silvery blue ; otherwise the colour of the wings is 

 blue with a very broad, black, borders covering all, but the basal, discoidal, 

 and submedian areas. Cilia and tails also black. Underside : dark vinous- 

 brown. Fore wing : with the outer half and lower portions paler, three 

 green spots in the basal half of the cell, a larger one at the end with a 

 brown dot inside it ; a discal band of six separate, square spots from the 

 costa to vein 2, the first two outwardly oblique, the third outside them ; 

 the next three, a little on the inner side of each other ; a submarginal series 

 of acutely angled marks. Hind wing : generally darker than the fore wing, 

 with three outwardly-curved, irregular bands of separated spots with pale 

 edges, antemedial, medial and discal, often very indistinct ; anal area with 

 some bronzy or bluish scales and a few similar scales near the base and 

 sometimes on other portions of the wing. — Female. Exactly similar in 

 shape, colouration and markings. Antennft black ; palpi black above, 

 two basal joints grey beneath ; head and body black above, brown beneath. 

 Expanse : 40 mm. to 48 mm. 



Egg. — Is similar in shape to that of Arhopala centaurus and amantes, i e., 

 it is dome-shaped, but broadest just above base. It looks, however, to be 

 turbanshaped and flat on top. And the reason for this is that there are two 



