COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 451 



14. Mycalesis subdita, Moore. — Male and female closely resemble 31. 

 [lolydecta. The male can bo discriminated by the sex-mark on the underside 

 of the forewing, this is brown or ochraceous brown as in perseoides, but very 

 much longer and broader, extending to, bat not going beyond, the transverse 

 band crossing tlie wings {vide fig. 7), Exp. 48-60mm. 



[labits. — The transformations of the species are not known. Jts 

 distribution is given as South India, Travancore and Ceylon. 



15. Lethe europa, F. — Male and female have the inner third of the 

 liiiidwing covered with long brown hairs, Male itpperside rich dark brown. 

 I'orewing with the oblique, short, white discal fascia of the underside showing 

 through, two obscure black spots or ocelli, followed by two prominent white 

 spots, the upper one double, some black markings margined outwardly with 

 pale dusky brown along terminal margins of both fore and hind wing and an 

 obscure subtevminal pale line on the latter. Underside very dark blackish - 

 brown ; the wings crossed sub-basally by a slender lilacine-white straight line, 

 followed on forewing by an oblique white discal fascia, and on both fore and 

 hindwing by a postdiscal series of large black ocelli and a terminal, somewhat 

 ochreous, narrow band bordered on the inner side by a more or less silvery 

 purple line. The series of ocelli on both wings margined inwardly and 

 outwardly by silvery purple lunular lines, on the forewing curved inwards, 

 on the hindwing curved outwards ; the ocelli on forewing confluent, black, 

 non-pupilled ; on the hindwing black with disintegrated silvery-speckled 

 irregular centres on the brown ground. Female similar : forewing on ujJjyerside 

 with an oblique broad white discal band, hindwing with a postdiscal incom- 

 plete series of black spots. Underside similar to that of male, markings and 

 ocelli larger, Exp. 62-76mm, 



Habits. — The larva and pupa are very similar to those of the next 

 species, L. dri/petis and the larva feeds upon bamboo. The butterfly 

 i.> found in the plains of Northern India, the lower hills of the Hima- 

 layas, Assam to Tenasserim, China and the Malay Peninsular, the 

 Western Ghats along the coast. It is a strong flier and is often seen 

 sitting on bamboo-leaves ; affects the jungles by the sides of rivers, 

 especially where the ground is flat. 



16. Lethe dry petis, Ile'jcits. — Male: «/)//c/w?e very dark vandyke-brown 

 forewing uniform ; hindwing with a postdiscal series of blind, black ocellar 

 spots. Underside brown ; forewing below vein 2 and terminal margin paler, a 

 broad band across the cell, the wing suffused with lilac medially and at apex, 

 l)earing an incurved postdiscal series of five blind black ocelli. Hindwing : 

 Nub-basal and discal narrow transverse lilac bands, the former sinuous, the 

 latter angulated on vein 4, and an arched postdiscal series of black, fulvous 

 ringed ocelli, some with disintegrated centres ; the wing medially suffused 

 lilac, the ocelli with lilacine lunules on both sides. Both wings with slender 



