6o NYMPHALID^. NYMPHALIN/E. HERONA, 



British Museum," giving as synonymy " Heslina mena, Moore, MS.," and remarking that 

 "this insect was named by Mr. Frederick Moore, of the Indian Museum." As his descrip- 

 tion differs considerably from Mr. Moore's, I give it in full. 



"Upperside. Foiaving pale greenish; nervures, end of cell, and a submarginal band 

 along the hind margin broadly rich brown ; two indistinct inner submarginal bands of brown 

 scales. Hindwing pale ochreous, nervures rich brown ; a submarginal row of brown lunules 

 between the nervures along the hind margin. Underside, foreivltig pale greenish ; end of 

 cell, base of nervures, an indistinct band of scales between the nervures just beyond the cell, 

 and an indistinct submarginal row of spots along the hind margin brown ; termination of 

 nervures fulvous. Hindiving pale ochreous ; nervures brown ; a submarginal band of 

 indistinct brown spots between the nervures along the hind margin ; front margin darker 

 ochreous. Bodv brown above ; beneath rich brown ; head and thorax streaked with ochreous. 

 Tibice and tarsi of forelegs, and tarsi of middle and hindlegs alternately brown and white. 

 Antenna: black." (Butler, 1. c.) 



Mr. Butler kindly informs me tl at H. mena is a good species, that it is nearest allied to H. 

 zella, differing from the female of that species in its " greater size, absence of first discoidal 

 bar in primaries [ = forewing], three series of spots (the first subconfluent with ground-colour) 

 on external area. Hindwing white (or cream-coloured) with black veins and submarginal 

 lunules." [Butler, in epis.) 



On the 22nd May, 1879, I took a single specimen of a Hestina, which, misled by the 

 general aspect and outline of the wings I took for a female, and described and figured it (I.e.) 

 as the female of H. zella ; on closer examination it turns out to be a male, and it probably 

 belongs to the present species H. mena. It corresponds with Mr. Moore's description of H. 

 mena in size, and in every other point specified except as regards the melanism of the hind- 

 wing ; in typical H. mena the black outer border of the hindwing on the upperside has 

 almost entirely disappeared, leaving only a series of ill-defined lunules near the margin. 

 In my specimen the outer half of the hindwing is black, bearing a submarginal series of green- 

 ish-white spots, largest on either side of the second subcostal nervule and diminishing towards 

 the anal angle, followed by an incomplete series of much smaller marginal spots of the 

 same colour ; in fact its markings are identical with that of H. fersiinilis, female, but the 

 black outer border is wider, and the submarginal spots are elongate. There is nothing else 

 by which to distinguish it from H, tnena as described ; but it is abundantly distinct from H- 

 persimilis. In the absence of a good series of specimens it must be retained as H. mena for 

 the present, but if it is really the same, then H. mena is as variable in the male in respect 

 to the relative extent of the pale markings as H. perswtilis is known to be in the female. 



The absence of the discoidal bar in the cell of the forewing and the more elongate cha- 

 racter of the pale markings on the border give this species a very different aspect from that 

 of H. persimzHs ; it mimics with wonderful fidelity in shape, colour and markings, the com- 

 mon Metaporia caphusa, Moore, (an insect belonging to the sub-family Pierincx), and also 

 in its slow and sailing flight. The similarity is still further heightened by the hindwing being 

 tinted with yellow on the abdominal margin on the upperside, and much more prominently 

 on all the pale markings of the underside, especially on the abdominal fold, which is clear 

 bright yellow, while the dark ground is far more extended, covering the whole of the median 

 and submedian interspaces. H. persimilis on the other hand presents the general appearance 

 of D. (Paranlica) a^lea ; there is no trace of yellow tinting on the hindwing, the underside 

 of which is whitish with a well defined and rather narrow darker border, the veins on the 

 basal half being defined, but scarcely at all bordered with blackish. 



Genus 59— HERONA, Westwood. (Plate XVIII). 

 Hercna, "Westwood, Gen. Diurn. Lep., vol. ii, p. 293 TiSso). 

 "Body, robust; wings, large; forewing subangulated below the apex ; hindwing deeply 

 scalloped, and marked with tranverse pale bars. Head, rather small, especially in the female ; 



