NYMPHALID.E. NYMrilALlN/E. VANESSA. 229 



521 . PyramoiS iadica, Ileibst. (Plate XVIII, Fig. 74 ? ). 



Papilio atalanta indica, Herbst, Naturs., Schmett., vol. vii, p. 171, n. 64, pi. clxxx, figs. 1,2(1794); 

 Pyrameis indica, Lep. Cey,, vol. i, p. 50, pi. xxvii, fig. 2 C1881) ; P. atalanta, Cramer (7tec Linnaeusj, Pap. Ex., 

 vol. i, pi. Ixxxiv. figs. E, F (1775); Hamadryas decora calliroe, Hiibner, Samml. Ex. Schmett. (1806-16); 

 Pyrameis calliroe, Hiibner, Verz. bek, Schmett., p. 33, n. 272 (1816) ; P. callirho'e, Horsfield and Moore, Cat. 

 Lep. Mus. E. I. C, p. 138, n. 279 (1857) ; id., Moore, Proc. Zool. Soc. Load., 1865, p. 761 ; Venessa vulcania, 

 Godart, Enc. M^th., vol. ix, p. 320, n. 55 (1819*. 



Habitat : South Portugal, Andalusia, the Canaries, the Himalayas, Assam, Naga Hills, 

 Bombay (Swinhoe) ; Nilgiris, Ceylon, Penang {Ilors/ield and Moore) ; Amurland, China and Japan. 



Expanse : 2-3 to 3'o inches. 



Description : Male and female. " U pperside, forezuino black, with a broad medial 

 oblique irregular red band, the lower [inner] portion of which is traversed by three irregular* 

 sliaped black spots ; basal area and posterior margin golden-brown ; an oblique subapical 

 series of white quadrate spots and an outer series of small dentate spots. Hindwing golden- 

 brown, with a marginal red band, [inwardly] bordered by black spots and traversed by a row 

 of black spots and outer lunular line." {Moore, \. c.'wx Lep. Cey.) Underside, y^r«y?«o- 

 with the costa basally striated with black, two black spots at the base of the cell divided by 

 a white line, a short narrow blue line beyond the end of the cell, the apex ochreous bearing 

 two obscure ocelli divided by the upper discoidal nervule, other markings much as above. 

 ■Hindwing brown, beautifully marked, marbled and irrorated with white, grey, darker brown, 

 black, &c., the veins white on the basal half of the wing. A conspicuous oval white 

 ring-spot in the middle of the cell, with a larger one enclosing a black space beyond, a submar- 

 ginal series of five cordiform spots, the two divided by the third median nervule with blue 

 centres, the margin marked with a blue irregular line and other grey, black and ochreous 

 ill-defined bands. Cilia throughout white, spotted with black at the end of the nervules. 



F. iWiira is a common species wherever its food-plant, the nettle, is found. It occurs 

 commonly in the Himalayas up to considerable elevations. Colonel Swinhoe records it from 

 "Bombay, several examples in 1877, not ob.served since." In Ceylon it is "rarely seen 

 imder 4,000 feet elevation. Settles on pathways or open ground. Very swift of flight. Larva 

 feeds on nettle, Urtica neilgherriensis" ( Mackwood). " Found [in Ceylon] at all times 

 in forest land, Central Provinces, 3,000 to 6,000 feet. Darts about rapidly and settles 

 on the ground. Commonest at the highest elevation" {Hutchison). I possess a curious 

 aberration taken in the Dehra Dun in July, 1S79, by Colonel Buckley, which almost exactly 

 agrees with a variety of the European P. atalanta figured by Herbst.* The European 

 "Red Admiral," P. atalanta, differs from P. indica in having the red oblique band across 

 the forewing much narrower and very even in width throughout, the basal area darker, 

 merging into uniform black outwardly, the black colour not broken up into spots at the inne r 

 edge of the red band as in P. indica ; the spots beyond the band larger and pure white. 



The figure shows both sides of a female Masuri specimen in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 



Genus 81.— VAITESSA, Fabricius. (Plate XVIII). 



Vanessa, Fabricius, 111. Mag., vol. vi, p. 281, n. 12 C1807) ; id., Latreille, Enc. M^th., vol. ix, p. 10, 

 (1819) ; id., Felder, Neues Lep., p. 12, n. 23 (1861) ; id., Lep. Cey., vol i, p. 48 (1881) ; id., Godman and Salvin, 

 Biol. Cent. -Am., p. 214 (1882) ; Polygonia, Eugonia, and Inachis, Hiibner, Verz. bek. Schmett., pp. 36, 37 

 (i8i6); Grapta, Kirby, Fauna Bor. Amer., vol. iv, p. 292 (1837I; id., Felder, Neues Lep., p. 12, n. 2a 

 (1861) ; Grapta and Vanessa, Doubleday, Gen. Diurn. Lep., vol. i, pp. 195, 198 {1848) ; Comma, Renniei 

 Consp., p. 8 (1832) J Hamadryas) , Hiibner, Tentamen, p. i (1806). 



"Head, of moderate width, densely clothed with Ion g hairs ; ^jt'j, more or less oval, 

 densely hairy ; palpi, porrect, ascending, projecting considerably beyond the forehead, scaly 

 and densely hairy all round. First joint scarcely two-fifths the length of the second, sub. 

 cylindric, much curved ; second joint more or less swollen beyond the mi ddle, thence tapering 

 to the apex, which is obliquely truncate ; third joint fully two-fifths the length of the second, 



• Pap., pi. clxxx, figs, s, 6. 



t This name w.is the first applied to species of the genus, and following the Uuv of strict priority, should be 

 used for it. 



