LYCAENID.A. TARAKA. 59 
This is a somewhat common species in Sikkim at low elevations, and shows much variation 
in the extent of the white coloration of the upperside, one extreme being entirely black, while 
the other has the costa and outer margin of the forewing alone black, the black spots of the 
underside showing through by transparency on both wings. It occurs in Sikkim at low eleva- 
tions from April, if not earlier, to December. Mr. Doherty records it from Cachar and from 
‘the Chittagong Hill Tracts ; I possess several specimens taken near Shillong, and presented to 
me by the Revd. Walter A. Hamilton. 
The figure shows both sides of a female specimen from Sikkim in my collection. 
I append a description of a second species of the genus, 7. mahkanetra, Doherty, MS., 
which occurs in the Malay Peninsula.* 
The next genus, Megisba, Moore, has several peculiarities. According to my views it is 
monotypic, but other writers have increased the number of species in the genus to six. These 
additional species seem to mainly owe their origin to the fact that seasonal dimorphism largely 
obtains in the genus. Wherever there are two strongly marked seasons, a wet and a dry, the 
butterflies shew marked variations in coloration and markings, the individuals which are on 
the wing in the wet-season are very dark, have little or no white on the upperside of both 
wings, and all the markings of the underside very large and prominent ; while the individuals 
which fly in the dry-season, on the contrary, usually have a large patch of white on the upper- 
side of both wings (in some examples it isso large as to occupy more than half the surface), and 
the markings of the underside are small, inconspicuous, and many of them obliterated alto- 
gether. The second peculiarity of this genus is that its single species, AZ. malaya, Horsfield, 
shares with Macaduba ardates, Moore, the very unusual character of possessing tailed and 
tailless forms, and on these two forms two genera have been based, JZegisba, Moore, without 
tails, and Pathalia, Moore, with tails. Whether these forms represent distinct species or not no 
one can, I think, say with certainty ; a fuller knowledge of their earlier stages is required to settle 
the matter. The tailed forms have been named Pathalia malaya, Horsfield, P. sikkinta, Moore, 
and P. albidisca, Moore ; the tailless forms have been named A/egisha thwaitesi, Moore, M. gunga, 
Swinhoe, and JZ. hampsoni, Moore, MS. I have assumed here that Mr. Moore considers that 
the presence or absence of the tail to be of generic importance, though, as will be noted below, he 
has done much to stultify this view by mixing up the tailed and tailless forms in the two genera, 
The single species which I admit in the genus, FP. ma/aya, Horsfield, is a small butter- 
fly, averaging about an inch in expanse ; it is dark fuscous on the upperside, sometimes with, 
* Taraka mahanetra, n. sp., Doherty, MS. Hasitat: Padang Rangas, Perak. Expanse: Male, *67 of 
an inch ; female, over one inch. Description: ‘*Mace and FEMALE. UppeErsipE, both wings black, with 
a band across the wings, grey on the forewing, white on the hindwing, with its edge undefined ; on the fore- 
wing it extends from the inner margin, where it is widest, to the second median nervule, the upper part 
projecting outwards. Forew/g, discoidal cell crossed by two slightly paler bands, one medial, one termi- 
nal. Hindwing white over half its area, the extreme base and all the outer part black, a transverse dark 
streak across the end of the cell, and two or three similar ones on the disc; costa white from the base to 
the apex, hind margin whitish, the submedian nervure and first median nervule defined with grey, Cilia 
chiefly white, except apically on the forewing. UNDERSIDE, both wings pure white, curiously marbled with 
black and grey of various shades of intensity. Forew7ug with three spots in the cell, the basal one black, 
the outer two grey, three placed above these on the costa, and one _ black and conspicuous, in the interno-median 
imterspace opposite the middle one in the cell; the transverse discal band characteristic of the Lycenide is 
very irregular. composed of quadrate dusky spots ; it is confused apically forming a large mass of black 
and grey extending some distance along the costa, and reaching the extreme apex, but not the outer margin; 
between the second and third median nervules in the male (the second and first in the female), it is discal, 
but in the next space below submarginal; beyond the transverse band is a regular submarginal series of 
five black lunules, concave outwardly, the lowest large and diffused; the margin is broadly white, interrupted 
by a dark spot between the second and third median nervules. AHindwing white, with a number of black 
basal spots, a grey one across the end of the cell, one above the cell extending to the costa, a dot medially 
in the cell; transverse band with the three upper spots joined in an oblique series, united with a large dark 
apical mass, in which are the two upper submarginal lunules, enlarged and black; below this the transverse 
band is composed of quadrate spots placed irregularly and wholly separated; beyond these the marginal and 
submarginal areas are in the male suffused uniformly with grey, but in the female they are white; the sub- 
marginal lunules small but well-defined. Axfezne annulated with black and white, the club dark. Femora 
and ¢7b@ clothed with very long white hairs, the last three joints of all the ¢arsz black. PREHENSORES very 
simple. Seen from the side the zeus is tapering and acute at the apex, the upper edge horizontal, the 
lower sinuous, ascending to the apex. The c/asf resembles the head of a bird, the crown high and rounded, 
the beak bent down at the tip. In 7. hamada, Druce, the uncus has the lower edge horizontal, the upper 
rounded and sloping to the acute apex ; the clasps are rounded, with a hirsute projecting tubercle at the apex. 
In neither species have I observed any branches to the apex.” 
““ A male and a female taken in deep forest near Padang Rangas, Perak. Malay Peninsula.” (Doherty, MS.) 
