122 NYMPIIALID.E. NYMPIIALIN.^. HYPOLIMNAS. 



vein slightly deflexed. Upper disco-cellular iierviile very short, almost obsolete, arising from 

 the subcostal at al)Out [more than] one-third of the leny;th of the wing ; tniddle disco-cellular 

 short, curved obliquely outwards ; loxocr disco-cellular slightly curved, about three times 

 as long as the middle one, and uniting with the third branch of the malian nervure at a 

 little distance beyond its origin, closing the discoidal cell at a little more than one-third of 

 the length of the wing ; the third [median] branch is considerably carved beyond the discoi- 

 dal cell. HiNDWiNG, broad, nearly rounded ; costal margin much arc'ied ; outer margin some- 

 what longer than the costal, roundetl, and scalloped. Pnecostal nervure curved outwardly. 

 Costal nervure much curved, extending to the outer angle. Stfbcostal nervure branching at about 

 one-fifth of the length of the wing. Upper disco-cellttlar nervnle arising very close to the 

 base of the subcostal branch ; loit/er disco-cellular arishig at about the same distance from 

 the base of the upper disco-cellular, curved, and united with the median nervure exactly 

 at the origin of its third branch, closing the discoidal cell. Forelegs, of the male short and 

 pectoral, scaly ; feviora clothed beneath with rather long scaly hairs ; tibia and tarsus 

 scaly, the tibia slightly curved, the tarsus not more than one-third of the length of the tibia, 

 elonr'ate-ovate, exarticulate. Of the fe?nale considerably larger ; femnr and tibia similarly 

 clothed ; tarsus scaly, more than two-thirds of the length of the tibia, distinctly articulated, 

 tilt basal joint occupying nearly three-fourths of the whole tarsus, with two strong spurs at 

 its tip beneath; second, third, and fourth joints very short, obliquely trnncate, spined beneath 

 at the tip ; fifth joint minute, but witb similar spines Hindlegs, rather long, scaly j tibia 

 with two rows of short spines, and rather long tibiial spurs j tarsi with several rovj^s of shorter 

 spines beneath and at the sides ; clcnos moderate." 



" Larva cylindrical ; head with two erect spines, each of tbe following segments with 

 several shorter spines. Pupa robust ; hunched on the back ; abdomen-case spined," {IVeit- 

 ivood, 1. c. ) 



Mr, Wallace, in monogiraphing the genus in 1869, wrote : "Two of the commonest species, 

 £)iade/>ia\^=Hypoli»inas'\ bolina, Linnteus, and Z?. misippus, Linnoeus, have an immense range, 

 from Australia and the Pacific to India and Africa, but no other species of the restricted genus is 

 found in continental India, and all but two are inliabitants of the Austro-Malayan region, which 

 we may therefore look upon as the probable birth-place of the group. This genus, and those 

 which have been separated from it, furnish us with examples of almost all the anomalies of 

 variation. Some species present an amount of variation perhaps greater than any to be found 

 among butterflies ; others scarcely vary at all. The sexes are, in some species, absolutely with- 

 out a feature of their colouration in common ; in others, they are hardly distinguishable. In 

 a large number of species there is the most wonderful mimicry of other groups, so that they 

 have been mistaken for Danaidce and Acrc^ida, and there is, paliaps, nothing more striking 

 than the accurate manner in which some African species imitate the striped and spotted Acrcece, 

 which inhabit the very same districts. In the Eastern islands the protective mimicry has 

 sometimes caused tbe usual sexual characters to be completely reversed, which has led to 

 confusion in the determination of the species." {IVallace, 1. c.) 



The males of the two Indian species are among the most beautiful of butterflies, being black 

 on the upperside, with a large pale-centred patch of resplendent irridescent purple on each 

 wing, this colour, however, being quite invisible when seen from behind, though it is most bril- 

 liant when seen in front, ?.f., with the head of the insect turned towards the observer, "in 

 which position, as Dr. Schulte remarks, tbe male would be seen by the female when approach- 

 in" her," as Mr. Darwin has quoted. The two Indian species occur abundantly throughout 

 the country, and in the hills are met with up to 6,000 feet at any rate. 



Zey to tlie Indian spo&ies of Sypolimnas. 



A. Both sexes with the ground-colour black. Apex of bindwing on underside black. 



419. H. BOLINA, India, Malayaoa 



B. Male, ground-colour black with purple and white spots on the upperside ; apex of hindwing on underside 



ochreoiis. Female with ground-colour tawny, as in Danais chrysippus. i 



420. it. MibUTUS, .America, Africa, India, ftlalayaua, 



