1(58 miOPALOCERA MALAYANA. 



nervule aud a minute spot on facli side of third iiudian iKrvule ; two narrow submarginal bluish-grey 

 fasciie, bordered on each side with fuscous. Tosterior wings reddish ochraceous, crossed by a broad white 

 fascia, commencing at costal nervure where it is broadest, aud terminating near the internal nervure where 

 it is narrowest, and which is inwardly straight and anteriorly margined with fuscous ; it is outwardly notched 

 at upper subcostal nervule, and then rounded to submedian nervure, where it is somewhat prolonged towards 

 ana! angle, and there contains an angulated Ijlack spot, and also an irregular black spot situate between 

 tlie costal nervure and upper subcostal nervule; a basal black spot before the precostal nervule, a 

 submarginal series of small bluish-white spots placed between the nervules, and submarginal fasciae as on 

 anterior wings, liody above concolorous with wings, and with the head spotted with white ; body beneath 

 fuscous, spotted with white ; legs fuscous, greyish white beneath ; palpi (excluding apices) white beneath. 



Female. Wings above reddish ochraceous. Anterior wings with rather less than apical half, 

 beginning at base, gradually widening across apex of cell and narrowly terminating at posterior angle, 

 black, containing a waved series of five white spots placed between the nervules, the first smallest and 

 linear, the second and third subquadrate, fourth and fifth more or less rounded ; this series is preceded by 

 about two small subcostal white spots and followed by a waved series of four small subapical white spots, the 

 two uppermost largest; two submarginal series of small bluish-white spots, not distinctly extending beyond 

 the third median nervule, and fringe alternately greyish. Posterior wings with a large central black spot 

 beneath the costal nervure, and a marginal black fascia preceded by some small paler and indistinct 

 spots, and containing a series of lunate ochraceous spots placed between the nervules, bluish at anal 

 angle; fringe as on anterior wings. Anterior wings beneath as above, but with the apex beyond the 

 transverse spots ochraceous and not black ; posterior wings with the disk whitish ; a basal spot and a 

 central subcostal spot as in male, and a black spot at end of cell ; a broad white marginal fascia containing 

 three waved black lines, and preceded by a series of small white spots. 



Exp. wings, S 62 to 70 millim. ; ? 72 to 85 millim. 



Hab. — Africa; Senegal; Congo; Gabon (Mabille) ; Angola (Monteiro — Druce*); Natal; Damaraland 

 (Trimen) ; Delagoa Bay (coll. Dist.) ; Abyssinia (Antinori — Oberthurt).— Madagascar (Boisduval).— Ceylon 

 (Moore). — Nicobar Islands; Nankowri (Wood-Mas. & de Nic.) — Malay Peninsula; Province Wellesley (coll. 

 Dist.) — Sumatra (Snellen). — .Java ; Batavia (Snellen). — Celebes (Snellen). — Siam ; Chentaboon (Druce t). — 

 Formosa (Brit.Mus.) — America; Florida (Edwards §). — Cuba (Lucas). — Antigua (coll.Hewits.) — Trinidad.il 



Males of this species differ in size and also in the shape of the white markings, as the 

 two Province Wellesley specimens here figured (Tab. XII., figs. 9 & 11) sufficiently testify. 



This species in its female sex affords one of the best and strongest examples of 

 " mimicry," it being a true and startling mimic of Baiiais chrijsipinis, a protected species which 

 is found with it in its different habitats, excluding America, where, however, it is evidently an 

 introduced species. IT According to Boisduval, ** this resemblance is even found at first sight, 

 in the larva) of the two species, which in South Africa feed upon the leaves of the Oleander. ft 



- Proc. Zool. Soc. 1875, p. 400. f Auual. del Mus. Civ. di St. Nat. di Geuova, vol. xv. p. 167, n. 49 (1880). 



! rroc. Zool. Soc. 1874, p. lUO. 



j ' Papilio,' vol. i. p. 30 (1881). This species is recorded as D. boliiia, but as Dnu-y's figure is referred to, no 

 iiiisapprelieusioii cau arise. 



II Mr. Meldola informs me he has received the species from Trinidad. 



*l Mr. Meldola (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 5, vol. i. p. 157), in communicating some notes fi-om that excellent observer 

 Frit/. Midler, and in reference to this fact, observes that it is "quite conceivable" that the mimicked species (D.cltrijsip2}iis) may 

 have become altogether extinct. On the other hand, it seems more probable that the Hypoliiinias is an introduced species 

 than to suppose that such a widely distributed Danaid should have become extinct over such a wide area, in which other 

 tawny species of the genus find an extensive and congenial home, the food-plant {Asclepias) being the same for the different 

 species. Moreover, we have record of the migratory habits of this Hi/polimnas. Mr. Newman (' Entomologist,' vol. iii. p. 226) 

 recorded the species under the name of D. holina, Boisd., as having reached a ship during a cyclone, about six hundred miles 

 from the West Coast of Africa, and two hundred miles from the Cape de Verd Islands. 

 ■•■■- Faun. Ent. Madag. p. 40. ff Trimen, Rhop. Afr. Austr. p. 155. 



