142 AUSTRALIAN RIIOPALOCKllA : LYC.KSID.K, III., 



Peninsula; and a further searcli will no doubt bring to light 

 some form of P. lujJax on Darnley Island. 



Megisua, Moore (Plate iii., fig. 28). 



Lep. Cey. i. p. 71, 18S1; de Niceville, Butt. Ind. iii. p. 60, 1890: 

 Pathalla^ Moore, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, liii. pt. 2, p. 21, 1884. 



" In Megisha the costal nervure terminates about opposite to 

 apex of cell; first subcostal nervure is bent upwards not far from 

 its base towards costal nervure, the costal nervure having the 

 appearance of being bent down to meet it, but the two veins are 

 free, though they approach towards each other ver}^ closely in 

 the male, not quite so closely in the female" (de Niceville, /.c). 



This genus, the type of which is M. malaya, Horsf., is dis- 

 tributed through India, Ceylon, Burma, Sumatra, Java, Borneo 

 and X. Queensland; and probably contains a single verj^ variable 

 species of which both tailed and tailless forms occur. In India 

 five forms have been descrilDed, all of which have been placed by 

 de Niceville under the type species. 



Megisba nigra, Miskin (Plate ii., figs. 3-4). 



Lycaena nigra^ (9) Misk., Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, 1890, 

 36: J/, nigra, {$) Waterh., Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, 1902, 

 p. 331. 



(J. 9-10 mm. (average 10). XJ p p e r s i d e. — Forevnng black, 

 with a white central area extending from median nervure to inner 

 margin. Cilia brownish-black. Ilindicing black, with a larger 

 white-centred area extending often from just below cell to costa, 

 leaving base and apical area black. Cilia brownish-black. In 

 no Australian specimen that I have seen, has a tail been present. 



U n d e r s i d e. — Forewing silvery-white, a pale brownish 

 costal margin with four (sometimes five) almost black equi- 

 distant spots very close to costa about middle; apex pale brown, 

 outer margin marked by a faint white line external to which are 

 greyish cilia and internal to which is a pale brownish-grey margin, 

 through which runs a white lunular band; somewhat internal to 



