METAPORIA. By J. Rc.beh. -tl 



Graeser bred the larva of hijijiia in Amurlaml and sent winter-nests to Germany, where the larvae 

 thrived. They feed on Berberis aniurensis and sinensis and resemble (according to Butler) the larvae of 

 Ardiiih. They are covered with a short furry i)ile, !)eing flesh-colour and bearing jjeautiful black s])ots on 

 the black and at the sides; head, prothorax and anal segment black; the pile ferruginous on the 3., 4. and 

 12. segments, grey on the head and the prothorax, and testaceous red on the other rings. Pupa very 

 similar io that of cruffti'i/i, many specimens not distinguishable fi-om (■/•(/^^'7/'-pupae : ground-colour creamy, 

 the black dots and stipples often united to form streaks. The butterflies in June, being common. 



A. bieti Oberth. (17 cj must be treated as a distinct species on account of the much narrower cell bieti. 

 of both wings. In o"" especially the apex of forewing, in ? the whole surface, but especially at the distal 

 margin and along the veins strongly dusted with black, but there occur also ?? with entirely transparent 

 dark wing-membrane. The o"" is bright yellow on the underside of the hindwing (with the veins narrowl)- 

 edged with fuscous), the ? being less yellow. Together with li'qipia in Central and West China (Ta-tsien-lu), 

 not rare. Specimens in which the black dusting is still more am]>le, especially on the underside of the 

 hindwing where it extends over the whole surface, are named b\' Oberthur ab. fumosa (17 d). — martinet! fumosa. 

 Oberf/i. (17d) is probably also a form of bieii or htppia ; in the shape of the hindwing it resembles more martineti. 

 our riatacfii. while in colour it agrees better with hippia, the veins-streaks being deep black, l)ut very 

 narrow, especialh' in the apical area of forewing. A. bieti reaches as far as Yunnan (South C<hina), entering 

 here the Oriental Region. Blackish and yellow specimens occur sometimes commonly, sometimes rarely 

 among the typical individuals. 



A. davidis Oberth. (17 d). While the underside is rather similar to that of the preceding, the davidis. 

 upperside approaches alread\' the /'/?;/.s-type, there being in the cf a broad, black, white-spotted band along 

 the distal margin of the forewing, not being continued on to the hindwing. In the ? this band may become 

 strongly widened, occupying sometimes even the whole of the forewing, there remaining only a series of 

 spots or streaks below the cell and another row before the outer margin. Distributed from Amdo through 

 West and Central China. 



Whether A. venata Leech {— davidina Oberth.) (17 e) is the spring-form of davidis, we are not able venata 

 to decide. But as all the known .l/ior/r^ - species have only one brood, we doubt it. A. venata is smaller, 

 the vein -streaks are closer together, the cell of the forewing is narrower and that of the hindwing rather 

 considerably shorter. In the o'' the hindwing above is pure white, the vein-streaks shining slightl}- through 

 from beneath; in the ? the white-spotted marginal band sends out black streaks which extend as far as the 

 cross-veins, the black colour being never so sharply marked as in davidis. Underside bright lemon-yellow. 

 South -West China. " . 



2. Genus: Metaporia Btlr. 



Large or medium-sized butterflies with stiff wings, their flight being sailing as in De/ias. The 

 generic differences from Ajiofia are slight, referring mainly to the shape of the antennae, which have no 

 distinct club, but are gradually incrassate, and to the 4. subcostal branching off at a short distance from 

 cell ; palpus porrect. The butterflies have more markings than the species of Aporia, the arrowhead-shaped 

 spots present in most species, especially on the hindwing, being characteristic. Like the pi-evious chiefly 

 Palaearctic, but also represented by several species in the adjacent districts of India. 



M. procris Leech (=; halisca Oberth.) (17 e). Hitherto only the cT known with certainty, being lemon- procris. 

 yellow above and beneath, which colour has disappeared in worn specimens (Leech). On both wings there 

 penetrates in between the veins a submarginal I'ow of arrow-spots, which are most distinct on the upperside 

 of the forewing, where the}' are occasionallj' united to a dentate band, being distinct also on the underside 

 of the hindwing. — Ta-tsien-lu and Ni-tu, in the mountains at a considerable altitude, in Juh'; ajjpears to 

 be very rare. 



M. Ihamo Oberth. (17e). Of this form from East Tibet only ?? are known, which have the appearance lliamo. 

 of being strongly melanotic specimens of procris. Whether /haiiiu is the normal ? of the preceding, not 

 occurring in a paler colour-form, or whether it represents, like our Pieris bnjoniae, the procris ?? only at 

 higher altitudes, cannot be decided till a more abundant material is available. 



M. soracta Moore (18a). On the forewing a broad, black, luniform spot is contiguous with the soracta. 

 cross-veins. Underside yellowish white, with the same markings as the upper and with short arrow-streaks 

 at the distal margin of the hindwing. The species is widely distributed in North -West India, entering the 

 Palaearctic Region in Kashmir. The butterfly is on the wing in May, being an exclusive inhabitant of the 

 forest, avoiding open grassy localities. The larva feeds, according to Moore, on Berlieris ///ciiDii ; grey on 

 the back, a blackish interrupted stripe above the legs, dorsad from it a white and then a light grey stripe: 

 head dark grey : body with single small hairs. The pupa slender, of the usual shape and colour. 



