182 



RHOPALOCERA MALA YANA. 



been recorded from Ceylon, the Andaman or Nicobar Islands ; but from the Malay Peninsula, 

 Terinos extends eastwards through the Malayan Archipelago to New Guinea. 



Two species are here tigured and described, both of which appear to be conhned to this 

 fauna. Auotlier proposed species, described from Singapore* (T. viola, Wall.), I take to be 

 synonymic with the second here enumerated. 



a. Posterior irijifia not aunhiic. 



1. Terinos robertsia. (Tab. X., tig. 7 <? .) 



Irrinos Robertsia, Butler, Aud. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 3, vol. xx. p. 400, t. 8, f. 2—1 (18G7); Traus. Liuu. 

 Soc. ser. 2, Zool. vol. i. p. 544, ii. 2 (1877); Wall. Trans. Eut. Soc. 1809, p. 842. 



Male. Wings above dark violaceous; anterior wings with a large dark brownish silky patch, ^Yhicb 

 occupies about apical half of wing, but not extending above the discoidal nervules, except at outer margin, 

 where it is continued to apex, it also extends along inner margin to base ; posterior wings with a similar 

 but smaller silky patch broadly occupying apex and extending from costal margin to the lower subcostal 

 nervule ; two large white submarginal spots separated by the upper median nervule and a third almost 

 obsolete spot between the second and third median nervules; narrow waved darker marginal and submarginal 

 fascife ; fringe greyish. Wings beneath of a steely-bluish colour, crossed by a number of dull reddish fascia, 

 of which five narrow and much waved cross both wings from base to a little beyond cell ; these are followed 

 by a broader and less waved fascia, which on anterior wings is succeeded by a macular fascia, of which the 

 upper spots are outwardly pointed, and one marginal and two narrow submarginal fascite which become 

 fused at apex, and there contain a small white spot placed between the fourth and fifth subcostal nervules ; 

 on posterior wings the central broad fascia is followed by one broader and more irregular, which contains 

 a series of castaucous spots placed between the nervules, one marginal and two submarginal fasciae, 

 between which the colour is greyish-white, aud the inner one of which is waved and at about centre 

 dentate, thus enclosing some apparently large angulated greyish-white spots. Body above concolorous 

 with wings ; beneath, with the femora, greyish ; tibire and tarsi ochraceous. 



Female. I only know this sex by the description and figure of Mr. Butler. His diagnosis is as 

 follows : — " Ala3 supra fuscre ; area basali maculis sex anticis discalibus intequalibus inter venas positis 

 plagacjue posticis discali purpureis nitidis ; anticre fasciis duabus obscurioribus jequidistantibus fuscis 

 transversalibus : postica3 maculis albis velut in mari, hmulisque alteris contiguis marginalibus albidis." 



Exp. wings, ,? and 2 G3 to 73 millim. 



H.U!. — Malay Peninsula ; Penang ; Province Wellesley (colls. Dist. and Saiier) ; Perak (Townsend — 

 coll. Dist.) ; Malacca (Pinwill — Brit. Mus.) : Ayerpanas (coll. Pioberts) ; Singapore (Wallace). 



Although I have captured, received, and examined a large number of the males of this 

 species, I have not as yet seen a female specimen. Judging from Mr. Butler's figure, it is 

 rendered very distinct from the other sex by the possession of a broad central dark fascia on 

 the upper surface of both wings. 



* I have recently received a kindly worded remonstrance from Calcutta, that I have not iuchided some species which 

 have by more than one author been ascribed to the fauna of Singapore. My reply must be the foUowing : — There is little 

 doubt, that formerly, aud before the biological value of an exact habitat was appreciated, much geographical error was 

 recorded on faulty or hasty information. Many insects collected in Borneo and sent home from Singapore have had the last 

 locality asserted as their habitat, and it becomes necessary, in the absence of specimens from that island, to require some 

 con'oborative testimony. The insertion of an erroneous species in a fauna is calculated to do infinitely moie harm to 

 biological science than the non-insertion of a true but unjjroved member of that fauna. 



