332 • AUSTRALIAN RUOPALOCfJRA : LYC.ENID.E, 



^. Upper side black, with white central areas. Foreiving 

 with costa almost straight, apex acute (much more so than in 9), 

 outer margin nearly straight (convex in ^) ; three subcostal 

 nervules, first subcostal entirely free from costal nervure, a black 

 costal margin, apex and outer margin, the medial conical white 

 patch extending obliquely from near middle to inner margin; 

 base brown. Hindwing coloured as in fore wing, except that the 

 central white patch extends from near middle to costa, forming a 

 continuation of the white patch of the fore wing. 



Underside silvery-white, with light black lunular external 

 margins. Forewing, pale black costa and outer margin a pale 

 brown streak at end of cell, and four black costal spots. Hind- 

 ioing with black outer margin, three subbasal spots, an apical and 

 an anal black spot. 



The distinction between the sexes is that the apex is more 

 acute, the outer margin of the forewing and the anal angle more 

 pronounced in the male than in the female; otherwise the sexes 

 are similar. This species should correctly be referred to the genus 

 Megisba, Moore, of which the type is J/, malaya, Horsf. The 

 insects of this genus, which probably contains a single very 

 variable species, may be anything from wholly black to white 

 with black margins on the upperside; while on the underside the 

 markings are much more constant, but are usually darker and 

 larger according as the white of the upperside decreases in size. 

 The species is represented by individuals with or without a tail 

 to the hindwing. The expanse in both sexes is about 20 mm. 

 Though convinced that the Australian species is only one of the 

 many forms of the type of the genus, I prefer, however, for the 

 present not to sink Miskin's name ; of all the forms which 

 de Niceville sinks under M. malaya ours is closest to M. albidisca, 

 Moore.* 



Though the species is one of our blackest Lycaenids, yet it is the 

 tvhitest form of the genus, and the name nigra is rather out of 

 place. J/, malaya is recorded all through the Indo-Malayan 



* Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Vol. liii. Pt. ii,, p. 21, 1884. 



