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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 paf/e 769 of Vol. XXVI. ) 

 Part XXIV. 

 36. Genus — Rapala.. 



Eyes hairy ; body robust ; palpi shorter than in Virachola, second joint 

 more laxly scaled. All the species are red, blue or brown on the upperside ; 

 the undersides are pure ferruginous, ochreous, ochreous-brown, buff-grey 

 or oreenish-grey, rufous-brown, lavender-grey, vinous-red, chrome-yellow, 

 often varying in tint, with a short band, discocellular and another postme- 

 dial completely across both wings and curving round to the anal margin 

 on the hind wing, this band never very broad. They also, all, have a lobe 

 and a thread-like tail to vein 2 on the hind wing. There are 20 Indian 

 species some of which extend to the Malay Peninsula, Nias and Sumatra 

 but none beyond. The Andamans and Nicobars, Assam, Barma and 

 Ceylon are here taken as India. 



The species of Rapala are all robust, fast-flying insects, fond of flowers 

 and occasionally coming to water. The larva are abnormal in shape being 

 provided with a subdorsal and dorsoventral row of fleshy, erect, tubercular 

 teeth of no great length ; the pupa is more or less normal. The larvte of 

 some species seem to be attended by ants, of others they are not. They 

 all as far as is known, feed upon flowers. Three species are dealt with 

 here : schistacea, mruna ( = orseis ) and melampus, the first two blue-glossed 

 on the upperside, the third red. The transformations of all three have 

 oeen described. 



191. Rapala melampus, Cramer. — Male. Upperside: scarlet. Fore wing: 

 with the costal and outer marginal bands black, of moderate width, gra- 

 dually increasing from the base to the apex, then gradually narrowing on 

 the outer margin to the hinder angle; veins finely black. Hind wing : 

 with the costal space pale dusky ; outer, marginal line finely black; anal 

 lobe black ; with some ochreous scales above on the inner side and a few 

 scattered, metaUic-greenish scales on the outer side ; tail black, tipped 

 with white. Cilia black with greyish white tips. Underside: pale purplish- 

 brown ; markings a little darker than the ground colour, with whitish 

 edp-es. ' Fore wing : with the hinder, marginal space pale ; a double, dark 

 line at the end of the cell ; one on each side of the discocellulars.; a nar- 

 row, nearly straight, discal line of conjoined, lunular marks from near the 

 costa to the submedian vein, the third from the costa displaced a very little 

 outwards: indications of a series of submarginal marks. Hind wing: with a 

 dark double line at the end of the cell ; a discal band of conjoined, lunular 

 marks as in the fore wing ; the latter straight from the costa to rein "2, 

 then curvin"- inwards in two angles to the abdominal margin one-third above 

 the anal angle ; a subterminal series of indistinct, lunular marks ; anal 

 lobe black with some pale whitish-grey scales above it and between it and 

 a black spot in the first interspace ; terminal line of both wings dark 

 brown, with a white thread on its inner side in the hind wing. Antennae 



