SYNOPSIS OF THE FAMILIES'. 19 



The secondary divisions into subfamilies are far less clearly marked, and it is difficult to 

 find distinctive characters of sufficient importance to maintain some of these divisions. The 

 characters given in the table are merely a few of the moie important, the remaining characters 

 being detailed in the body of the work. 



In the subfamilies of the t^ympkalida ihs mos\. important test is the structure and clothing of 

 the labial palpi, but even the palpi are not uniform throughout the genera of each subfamily ; each 

 division naturally may be expected to embrace, in addition to the more typical genera, abei^- 

 rant forms showing approaches to other types, and with these there is sometimes consider- 

 able difficulty in determining their affinities. The characters given in the table, taken as a 

 whole, will usually be sufficient for identification. 



Thz Danaina form a well-marked group, and, as far as the Indian genera are concerned, 

 no doubt has ever been raised as to the propriety of retaining each and all of them in their 

 present places ; their nearest allies are the American subfamily HeliconirKz, which latter have 

 no representatives in Asia. 



The SatyrincEy too, form a well-marked group, mainly distinguished structurally by the 

 long hairs of the palpi. This character is not fuily developed in all the genera, but no genera 

 are included among the Indian Satyrina, the position of which in the present subfamily has 

 been considered doubtful. One or more of the neivures of the forewing are often, if not 

 always, much dilated at the base ; the dilation of the costal nervure occurs also in Elymnias 

 and in some genera of Nympkalina, but the dilation of the subcostal and median neivures is, 

 where it occurs, characteristic of the Satyrina. The Satyrina are found in all parts of the 

 world, but are most numerous proportionally in temperate climates. 



The ElymniincE in this arrangement are restricted to two very closely allied genera, which, 

 with the exception of a veiy few east African species, are entirely Asiatic, and the bulk in- 

 habit the Malay Archipelago. They are very closely affined to the Satyrines, but differ 

 in the clothing of the palpi, and in the presence of a pra£discoidal cell in the hindwing. 

 Westvvood included them with Eurytela, Ergolis and Hypanis, (whicli also have the costal nervure 

 dilated at base) as a separate subfamily under the name of Eurytelida, and there is a 

 good deal to be said in support of this arrangement ; the latter genera are now included 

 among the NymphalincE, and they form a link between that subfamily and the Satyritice 

 and ElymniituE. 



The MorpkincE include several genera {Amathusia, Zeuxtdia, Enispe, and Discophora) 

 which were included by Westwood among the A'ymphalina, and also one genus, Xanthotcenia, 

 which Kirby even now includes among the A'ymphaltncE. The genera which should compose 

 this subfamily, and even the right of this to the rank of a subfamily at all, have been frequently 

 disputed. Horsfield and Svvainson grouped it with the Satyrince ; some of the American 

 group have a prsediscoidal cell, showing affinity for the Elymniime, and some American 

 genera have the discoidal cell in the hindwing closed. These American forms are included in a 

 separate subfamily, Brassolince, which has no representatives in India. But the characters given 

 in the tabic will define the Indian genera, and, though numerous divergencies in structural detail 

 exist even among these, the group is clearly a natural one. 



The AcraincB contain only two Indian species, which were formerly considered to represent 

 different genera, but now are included in a sint;le genus. About fifty species are found in 

 Africa, one in the Malay Archipelago, one in Australia, and between twenty and thirty in 

 America. So far as the Indian species are concerned, this group is abundantly distinct. 

 The American Heliconince are closely related to this group. 



The Kymphalincz embrace ihe widest differences of form, outline, and even structure, 

 the long and distinctly clubbed antennje and the protruding dilated palpi being the most constant 



