NEPTIS. By H. Stichel. 175 



N. pryeri Btlr. (=; arhoretonim Oherth.) (53b) resembles the preceding species on the iipperside. The piyeii. 

 wings fairly broad; the transverse band on tlie hindwing nearer the base of the wing, narrower, with a second 

 distinct white band of spots between it and the margin of the wing. Characteristic on the underside are a 

 number of small black basal spots. Fringes white, interrupted with black at the ends of the veins. Varies 

 inconsiderably, ?$ generally with more abundant whitish spots in the distal area of the forewing. Differences 

 which miglit justify the separation of TV. arboretorum from China as a special race are wanting. — Japan, Corea, 

 Ussuri and Amurland; China (Shanghai, Kiu-kiang, Kiangsi, Moupin). 



N. alwina Brem. and Grey is larger, apex of the forewing more pointed, dusted with white, otherwise similar alwina. 

 to the preceding in markings; forewing bears in the cell a white longitudinal stripe which is several times indented 

 anteriorly and very broad, especially on the underside, and an interrupted discal as well as an oblique 

 subapical row of spots. Underside dull I'eddisli l)rown, white markings [)artly with diffuse edges. Eastern 

 China, Corea. — dejeani Oberth. (5.3b), from West China (Ta-tsien-lu, Tsekou), is in the markings of the upperside dejeani. 

 on the whole similar to the preceding, but the spots on the forewing are larger and the median band of the 

 hindwing broader, the spots of the outer band larger and almost continuous. The underside differs more 

 conspicuously, the white markings being so much broadened that it appears as if white were the ground-colour 

 and the brownisii places a pattern of bands and spots. — A larger race is known from Mongolia and Japan 

 under the name of kaempferi Orza (53c). In this form the spots on the forewing are proportionately small, kaempferi. 

 tliose in tlie outer row on the hindwing lunate, obsolete anteriorly, and the transverse band narrow. 



N. speyeri Stgr. (53c) is more simjily marked and smaller; the middle row of spots on the forewing is speyeri. 

 absent; in this characteristic it resembles liicilla, but in the cell there is a broad, continuous, white streak, twice 

 constricted; on the hindwing there is a distinct, white Submarginal band of spots. Breadth of the band and 

 size of the spots somewhat variable; the 9 is as a rule more abundantly marked with white than the (J figured. 

 The underside is characteristic in that there are more sharply defined reddish brown bands of spots in the dull 

 russet-red ground-colour, these being especially distinct between tlie white median and marginal bands of the 

 hindwing. — Amurland, Ussuri, Island of Askold. 



N. philyra Men. (53c) is again ratiier larger, otlierwise very similar to tiie preceding on the upperside, philyra. 

 but the cellular streak of the forewing exhibits no constrictions and is usually slightly diffuse at the end. The 

 cJ(J are apparently as a rule a little smaller and more abundantly spotted with white than the $?, especially 

 the subapical spots on the forewing being stronger and the spots at the hind margin larger; the transverse band 

 of the liindwing is placed ratlier-nearer the base, and in the ^ curves basad anteriorly; the submarginal liand of 

 spots is farther away from the margin. Ground-colour of the underside dirty russet-red with a rather indistinct 

 reddish brown shading. Amurland, Ussuri. — excellens Btlr. is a form from Japan which but slightly differs excellens. 

 from the preceding. It has the appearance of being somewiiat more abundantly white, especially the smear 

 situated below the larger costal spot of the forewing and but feebly developed in the preceding form is more 

 distinct; at the edge of the forewing there appear some white smears and the band of the hindwing is a little 

 broader. Rare at Nikko, Asamayama, Niigata, in July, a mountain insect. 



N. philyroides Stgr. (53 c) is distinguished from the preceding by there being 2 — 3 more small whiii^ philyroides. 

 spots at the costal margin of the forewing between the apex of the cell and the white subapical spots; more- 

 over, the forewing bears a row of distinct submarginal spots, the cellular stripe is stronger, the discal spots 

 more broadly ovate, the submarginal band of spots on the hindwing situated nearer the margin and a little 

 more curved. Ground-colour of the underside dull ochre-yellow. In spite of these differences we have per- 

 haps only to do with a variety (seasonal form) of the preceding. Larva in June on Corylus mandshurica 

 Maxim. — Amurland, Ussuri, Corea. 



N, hylas has a series of more or less constant local and aberrational forms (seasonal and mountain 

 varieties) in a large portion of its area, which are partly very problematical, and whose names have hardly 

 any value except that we can infer from them the habitat. We consider the Chinese form as the nymotypical 

 representative of the species, in opposition to our former views*). Of this three forms may be distinguished: 

 a) hylas L. (= leucothoe L. ex parte, acidalia Web., eurynome Westw. and others) (53d, as acidalia); it is hylas. 

 fairly large, with abundant white markings, the subapical spots on the forewing often isolated, underside 

 ochreous yellow, the white bands edged with black, a distinct double row of spots along tiie distal margin 

 of the hindwing; b) sangaica Moore, presumably a spring-form, it is smaller, with fewer white markings, the sangaica. 

 submarginal band appearing to be rather dulled in the hindwing, the ground-colour on the underside light 

 red-brown, the bands witiiout black edges; c) acerides Fruhst., the extreme of the direction of development acerides. 

 of the preceding, and scarcely distinguishable from specimens of the species found in Austria- Hungary. 

 China, Formosa. — Only slightly different from the Chinese race is the North Indian one, which, though 



♦) Cf. Stichel, in Int. Entomol. Zeitschr. Guben, vol. 1 (1907), p. 325. The reason for the change of view will be 

 given in vol. 2 of the same magazine. 



