THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA. 4r>l 



tho posterior margin of each sognient : tho backing brown-rose line some- 

 times obsolete in its miildlo ; a long, triangular, rose-brown mark, broadest 

 at anal margin, dorsally on segments li*-14. L; 10mm ; B : 3mm. 



Pupa. — The pupa is of the ordinary shape of Nacaduha, Castaliun, etc. It 

 has the thorax rather long and somewhat compressed, very little dorsal 

 constriction and none laterally at segment 4 ; it is broadest about the 

 middle owing to the wings being slightly swollen there, and it is highest, 

 near the hinder margin of the thorax ; the head is bowed. Segment 2 is 

 fairly broad, sliglitly convex transversely, with the front margin straight, 

 tho hinder margin slightly convex backwards with a slight tumiditylatorally ; 

 the frons of head is inclined towards ventral line and the vertex is just 

 visible beyond the margin of segment 2 ; the dorsal line of thorax is in the 

 same plane as that of segment 2, ascending gently to just beyond the 

 middle when it again descends very gradually to hinder margin which is 

 a strongly convex curve tending to be pointed in the dorsal line ; the 

 angle between it and the wing is curved, deep and open. The surface of 

 the pupa is somewhat shining and quite smooth except for a clothing of very 

 fine hairs which are with ditiiculty visible even with a lens ; there is a 

 very slight, dorsal and lateral depression on each abdominal segment; the 

 segment-margins are slightly prominent; the proboscis not visible between 

 the wings beyond the middle of the part vvhere they meet where only 

 the legs and antennre appear, the clubs of the latter being hidden under 

 the front margin of segment 9 ; some minute tubercles at the lower, lateral 

 anghi of segment 2. Spiracles of segment 2 indicated by narrow, nearly 

 linear, slightly raised light ovals ; the rest are very small, nearly round, 

 all slightly raised, on little swellings, light in colour up to segment 6, 

 blackish after that. Colour of the pupa is light reddish-brown with a 

 yellow tinge. L : 7mm. ; B : 2*omm. 



Ilaliits. — The eggs are generally laid on the flower-heads, either 

 on a bud or on a full-blown floret, sometimes on the stalk of the 

 head ; the larva usually feeds on the stamens of the full-blown 

 flowers among which it is sometimes quite hidden from view. 

 The caterpillars are attended by ants of the genera Gamponotus and 

 Prenolcjns, though never very assiduously. The pupation takes 

 place amongst the withered stamens of flowers which fall to the 

 ground, sometimes amongst those of fresh ones — all flowers of 

 Acacia arabica, the foodplant upon which the larva has been found, 

 fall quickly. The attachment of the chrj^salis is normal but 

 light; by the tail and a body-band. There is a slight abnormality, 

 however, characterizing this stage of this particiilar insect which 

 consists in the fact that the pupa is generally enclosed in a cocoon 

 formed very lightly of silks woven all round. This cocoon does not 

 hide the contents completely for the form can be seen througli it 

 and it is perhaps formed more with object of keeping the withered 

 (or otherwise) florets together than anything else. The first 

 specimens of the butterfly were bred, in company with Azaiius 

 uranus in Sind, in September of the j'ear 1904; and, thence- 

 forward, many more were reared. It is a truly open-country 

 insect and is found in all the drier parts of India, eschewing the 

 regions of heavy rainfall where, for that matter, its foodplant is 

 either veiy scarce or altogether absent. It is more than probable 



