28 NYMPHALID.E. NYMPHALIN^. ATELLA. 



and beginning of June. I found one chrysalis, but not the larva ; the chrysalis was loose in 

 the middle of a low plant." ( iVote by Major Howlaitd Roberts, 1. c). 



There is a single very old specimen of this species labelled " Afghanistan," in the Indian 

 Museum, Calcutta. Major J. W. Yerbury, writing from Campbellpur in the Punjab, states 

 that '^ Melitaa robertsi is an uncommon butterfly here, but on one spur running down to the 

 river Huron, I took in two days five specimens ; the spur was covered with loose round stones 

 and with scarcely any vegetation. It has a weak flight, but owing to its hugging the ground 

 is at times difficult to catch " He has also taken it at Attock. 



It is a very pale, sparsely-marked, species, and easily distinguished from the other Indian 

 species of the genus. 



Genns 50.— ATELLA, Doubleday. (Plate XX). 



y}/^//.i, Doubleday, Gen. Diurn. Lep., vol. i, p. 165 (1848) ; id., Moore, Lep. Cey., vol. i, p. 61 {1881) ; 



id., Distant, Rhop. Malay., p. 173 (1882) ; Phalanta, Horsfield, Cat. Lep. E. I. C, pi. vii, fig. 5 (1829). 



" Head, broad, hairy, the hairs on the crown long. Eyes, prominent, nearly round. Palpi, 

 divergent, ascending, rising considerably above the forehead. Basal joint very short, curved ; 

 second long, broad anteriorly, very much swollen, scaly and hairy, the outer side of the anterior 

 surface with a fringe of very long hairs, the back with a short tuft towards the apex ; third joint 

 not one-seventh the length of the second, acicular,* scaly. Antennce, fully three-fourths the 

 length of the body, terminating in a short but rather gradually thickening club rounded at the 

 apex, with its articulations more distinct than the rest. Thorax, short, rather stout, ovate, hairy. 

 .,4A/c7/«£f«, short, rather stout. Forewing, subtriangular, the a^^"^ slightly rounded ; costal margin 

 considerably arched, one-half longer than the outer margin, which is equal, or nearly so, in 

 length to the inner, and, like this last, slightly emarginate. Costal nervure stout, extending 

 but little beyond the end of the cell. Subcostal nervure slender, lying close to the costal, until 

 this latter curves upwards to the costa : first subcostal nervule arising shortly before the end 

 of the cell ; the second at rather a long distance beyond it ; the third at about one-third the 

 distance between the second and fourth ; the Jourth about midway between the second and 

 the apex, terminating on the costa just above the apex. Discoidal cell short, but little more than 

 one-third the length of the wing. Upper disco-cellular nervule &yi\.reme\y short ', middle disco- 

 cellular curved, rather more than half the length of the lo7Der disco-cellular, which is slightly 

 curved, and anastomoses with the third median nervule at its origin, or shortly beyond it. 

 Third median nervule moderately curved. Hindwing, obovate ; the margins all nearly equal 

 in length ; the outer margin sinuate, sometimes prolonged into a short tail at the termination 

 of the third median nervule. Frcscostal nervure simple, short, curved outwards. Costal 

 nervure considerably curved at its origin. Upper disco-cellular nervule slender, directed 

 almost immediately outwards ; lower disco-cellular short, slightly curved, very slender, 

 almost atrophied, uniting with the median nervure opposite to the origin of the second 

 median nervule, or with the base of the third median nervule, which is but little curved. 

 Forelegs, of the male clothed with long delicate hairs. Tibia shorter than the femur, 

 cylindric. Tarsus shorter than the tibia, nearly cylindric, tapering to a point at the apex. Of 

 they^w^/^ scaly and hairy. Tibia shorter than the femur, spiny within towards the apex. 



Tarsus shorter than the tibia ; the first joint longer than the rest combined, curved, spiny 

 within and armed, as are the three following joints, at the apex with a stout spine covered 

 by a tuft of hair at the base of the following joint ; fourth and fifth joints transverse. 

 Middle and hindlegs, with the tibice shorter than the femora, spiny externally and 

 laterally, the lateral spines longest ; spurs long and stout. Tarsi about one-fourth longer than 

 the femora, rather densely spiny all round ; the spines of the upper surface slenderest, the lateral 

 ones the longest, those of the lower surface arranged in two regular series : first joint exactly 

 equal to the rest combined ; second, third and fourth progressively shorter ; fifth of equal 

 length with the third. Claivs rather short, curved, compressed. Paronychia bilaciniate : the 

 outer lacinia as long as, and broader than, the claw, which it quite covers ; inner nearly 

 strap-shaped, slightly tapering, very little shorter than the outer one, Pulvillus two-jointed 

 as long as the claw ; the second joint broad." 



• For explanation of acicular, see page 21. 



