386. 



MELITyEA SELENE. 



The small pearl- bordered Fritillary. 



Order Lepidoptera. Fam. Papilionidae. 



Type of the Genus, Papilio Euphrosyne Linn. 



MELiTiEA Fab., Sam., Hors., Curt. — Argynnis Lat., Och. Pa- 

 pilio Linn., Haw. 



Antennce inserted on the crown of the head, close to the eyes, 

 rather long and slender, composed of about 35 joints and termi- 

 nated by an abrupt spoon-shaped club (1). 

 Maxilla spiral, nearly as long as the antennae. 

 Labial Palpi approximating, porrected obliquely and forming in 

 profile a beak much longer than the head, lanceolate, triarticu- 

 late, thickly clothed with scales and hairs, apical joint indistinct 

 (4); basal joint short and curved, 2nd very long stout and ven- 

 tricose, 3rd much smaller than the 1st elongate-ovate (4 a). 

 Eyes rather large and naked. Head transverse and obtuse (7). Thorax 

 ovate. Wings rather narrow, superior somewhat elongaie-trigonate, 

 inferior suborbicular, extending beyond the abdomen. Feet similar 

 in the sexes ; anterior imperfect, short slender and hairy (8) ; the 

 tarsus shorter than the tibia, attenuated, composed of 4 or 5 joints, 

 the basal one being long the apical one pointed (b) ; intermediate 

 and posterior tibioe spurred. Tarsi 5 -jointed terminated by Claws 

 and Pulvilli. Eggs unknown. 



Larvae pubescent, with rows of thick spines and 2 lo7ig ones close to 

 the head. 

 Pupag suspended by the tail, head case and back tuberculated (A). 



Sklene Fab. Ent. Syst. 3. 147. — Curt. Guide, Gen. 77o, 2. — Silene 

 Haw. 34. 41. 



Bright fulvous. Antennse black spotted with white, underside 

 and tips orange. Wings with the base and nervures black : cilia 

 spotted alternately with pale ochre and black : superior wings 

 with 1 1 large black spots on each, extending beyond the middle ; 

 towards the posterior margin is a row of 6 black spots, the mar- 

 gin has a black indented fimbria bearing 8 fulvous spots. Inferior 

 wings similarly marked. Underside, superior wings pale fulvous, 

 the costa and apex straw-colour, the latter with a large ferrugi- 

 nous patch, the black spots of the upper side appear beneath, 

 excepting at the posterior margin which is more or less straw- 

 coloured, with 6 black V-shaped marks: inferior wings bright 

 ferruginous variegated with pale yellow ; an irregular yellow 

 fascia at the base forming 4 spots, 2 or 3 of them silvery and 

 margined with black ; across the centre is a curved and sinuated 

 yellow fascia margined with black, bearing 3 silvery spots, 

 leaving a ferruginous fascia with a large round black spot in the 

 centre, sometimes freckled with ferruginous and grey ; beyond 

 the middle are 3 large silvery marks and further on a line of irre- 

 gular black spots, the posterior margin has 7 silvery triangular 

 marks, the internal edges forming black Vs. 



In the Author's and other Cabinets, 



