COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 'A 



white bar ending in four spots at outer end and a more or less complete series 

 of white terminal spots, lliudwing : colour paler, thi-ee black marks on dis- 

 coccllulai-s • an incomplete series of white spots on a terminal narrow black band. 

 Onderside has the ground-colour of the hindwing and a triangular area at apex 

 of the forewing ochraceous. Antennae black ; head and thorax black spotted 

 with white ; abdomen ochraceous above, whitish below. Male sex-mark as in 

 D.plexippus. Exp. 70-84 mm. 



Larva. — Cylindrical ; shape the same as that of D.plexippus. Here also the 

 tentacles are on segments 3, 6 and 12, the pair on the first one moveable, and 

 longest, the others fixed ; last segment ending in a rounded edge with a shiny 

 black boss on it dorsally. The head is roundish, nearly as broad as segment 2. 

 the face rather flat with a slightly depressed central line, clothed with not 

 very short, erect, black hairs rather sparsely ; black in colour with a marginal 

 thin white band, another one inside and parallel to it, both ending at jaws, 

 a white triangular clypeus and a white labrum. Spiracles longly oval, black, 

 on the yellow spuacular band. The surface of body clothed as well as the 

 tentacles with sparse, short, erect, black haii's. Colour is dark chocolate-brown 

 or black with a yellow spiracular band and a dorso-lateial row of large yellow 

 spots ; a small carmine spot at base of tentacles 6 and 12, tentacles Sand 12 

 growing out of the yellow spots ; segment 2 banded black and white ; the 

 yellow spots are wanting on segments 2 and 13, 14 , between each pair of 

 yellow spots are 3 or 4 white bands over dorsum, starting from the spiracular 

 band on each side : this band is composed of continguous spots shaped like 

 molar teeth, the fangs pointing upwards, or like drops. Legs, prolegs black 

 with a white band on the bases of the latter. L. 38mm ; B, 7mm. ; H. 6mm. 



Pupa. — Is the same shape as that of D. plexippus ; the ridge on segment 7 is 

 here composed of a double row of beads, close together ; the cremaster is a 

 short, narrow oblong with the booklets at extremity and ventral extensor 

 ridges. Spiracles longly oval, the colour of the pupa, rather large ; those of 

 segment 2 mere slits. Surface of pupa smooth and shiny. Colour green ; 

 cremaster and extensor ridges black •, ridge of segment 7 gold in front, black 

 behind ; head-points gold, shoulder tipped with gold and a subdorsal gold spot 

 on hinder margin of thorax. L 18'5mm. ; L. from front to ridge 15mm. ; B. 

 at segment 7 : 8mm. 



Habits. — The egg is laid singly on the underside of the leaf where 



the larva lives ; eats the egg as its first meal, then the substance of 

 the leaf leaving the top cuticle ; afterwards from the edge in the 

 ordinary way. Wanders to pupate, proceeding as does D. plexippus : 

 (luite normally. The imago is perhaps the strongest of the Danaines 

 on the wing. It is found everywhere in India from the driest desert 

 reirions to those of heaviest rainfall, but is scarcest in the forest-clad 

 hills. It extends westward to North Africa and Greece in South 

 Europe, eastwards to China and Celebes. In fact, it has the same 



