THE COMMOy BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAIMIS OF INDIA. AA.i 



rests with the wiugs halt-opened in the heat of the day, is fond oi 

 flowers and frequents damp places on roads sometimes and may be 

 found restinii:, nnmhed in the early mornings of the cold weather, 

 on grasses and Imshes, when it can be easily caught in the lingers. 

 When resting thus it has the wings closed and is qiiite a conspi- 

 ('U01JS object because of the light-grey underside then exposed, 

 especially when it is covered, as often happens, with dew, 



137. Zizera gaika, Trimen. — Male, Upperside : dull violet-blue, which 

 changes to a brighter tint of violet in certain lights. Fore wing : the costa 

 very narrowly, the tenueu much more broadly dull brown ; this edging to 

 the termen in most specimens decreases in width from apex to tornus, and 

 is outwardly followed by an anteciliary darker brown line. Cilia brownish 

 anteriorly, posteriorly brownish at the base with the apical portions white. 

 Hind wing : the ground-colour brighter than on the fore wing, the costal 

 and terminal margins much more narrowly edged with brown, which edg- 

 ing is merged in the anticiliary dark brown Ime, Cilia brown along their 

 basal halves, white apically. Underside : grey. Fore wing : a dusky brown 

 luuular line on the discocellulars ; two subcostal spots above the cell, one 

 on either side of the discocellular lunule ; two more, subcostal, further 

 along diagonally one above the other ; a very strongly curved discal series of 

 five spots, of which the posterior three are somewhat lunular in shape and 

 placed obliquely en echelon, the next above these round, the anterior spot 

 hook- shaped : both the subcostal spots and the spots of the discal series are 

 blackish, each narrowly encircled with white ; beyond these are inner and 

 outer subterminal dusky lines; which anteriorly are continuous, posteriorly 

 somewhat broken and macular, followed by a very conspicuous, jet-black, 

 anteciliary, slender line. Cilia greyish white, traversed by a medial, trans- 

 verse, blackish-brown line. Hind wing : with the following small white 

 encircled black spots : one basal — a sub-basal transverse series of three, 

 followed by a highly curved series of eight spots that curve across the disc 

 of the wing to the costa and along the latter towards the base ; discocellu- 

 lars with a dusky short lunular line as on the fore wing ; terminal markings 

 and cilia similar, but the outer and broader, subterminal line more broken 

 and macular than on the fore wing. Antennte black, the shafts ringed 

 with white ; head, thorax and abdomen dark brown, with a little violet 

 pubescence on the head and thorax ; beneath : palpi, thorax and abdomen 

 greyish white. — Female. Upperside : glossy brown without any violet tint 

 whatever ; the anteciliary darker brown lines on both fore and hind wings 

 well marked. Underside : y^ixy similar to that of the male, the ground- 

 colour a shade darker, the markings slightly larger and more prominent. 

 Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the latter three 

 without a trace of violet or blue on the upperside. Expanse : male and 

 female, 20--2li mm, 



Eyy. — Turban-shaped, the top depressed in centre ; the surface covered 

 with fine, sinooth, raised, irregular reticulations forming irregular-sized 

 pentagons and hexagons ; the ridges or lines more or less semi-circular in 

 transverse section. Co/owr blue-green, B: 0"3mm, 



Larva. — Normal in shape, somewhat long-slender, the second segment 

 semi-circular in shape, narrower than segment o ; the anal segment sud- 

 denly somewhat narrower than the preceding 13th, square at extremity ; 

 the gland on segment 11 and organs on segment 12 present; the former 

 mouth-shaped, transverse, with two small tubercles behind it; the latter 

 circular, protruding at will, each, a rather long, cylindrical, translucent- 

 looking white cylinder. Surface of body somewhat oily looking; some 



