296 NYMPIIALID/E. NYMPHALIN^E. PROTHOE. 



"This beautiful insect is not uncommon in Sumntia. It has the habit of settling with 

 closed wings on sticks or the trunks of trees, with which the peculiarly shaded markings of its 

 underside harmonize so as to render it difficult to detect." ( IVallaa, 1. c.) 



59'- Prothd© regalis, Butier, 



p. regnlis, Butler, Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist., fifth series, vol. xvi, pp. 53, 54 and 306, n. 53, pi. viii, fig. 

 I, tnak (1885). 



Habitat : Manipur. 

 Expanse : 3*2 inches. 



Description : Male. "Upperside, Iwlh 7uings with the basal third and body olive-green. 

 Fo/Tuing crossed obliquely from the middle of costa to the third fourth of the inner margin by a 

 broad silvery-blue belt, the external edge of which is irregularly notched and only separated by a 

 blackish submarginal streak from three large spots of the same colour upon the middle of the 

 external border ; veins slenderly black, terminating in blackish spots, two of which are 

 placed between the above-mentioned blue spots ; two white spots followed by a blackish 

 streak upon the costal part of the blue belt ; a large triangular black spot closing the discoidal 

 cell ; apical area chocolate-brown ; three subapical spots, the upper two large, placed obliquely, 

 bluish, with white centres, the third submarginal, bluish, small. Hindwin^ with the 

 middle of the wing blue- black ; apical area and external border chocolate-brown ; two linear 

 apical blue dashes and a blue line along the base of the cilia. Underside, /w««m^ whitey 

 brown, slightly tinted with greenish towards the base and with lilacine along the external 

 border ; markings very similar to those of P. frUiickii, but the outline-spots on the discoidal 

 area filled in with dark olivaceous, with no trace of an oblique white band, and with all the 

 internervular submarginal markings cruciform. Wiidwiiig with the basal half as in P. fratickii, 

 excepting that the discoidal spots are filled in with dark olivaceous ; external half considerably 

 darker, its inner half greyish olivaceous, enclosing a series of oblong internervular black 

 patches, which are sinuated in front and bounded by reddish crescentic borders ; imme- 

 diately beyond these reddish crescents is a submarginal series of eight unequal black-edged 

 bronze-green spots, with brighter green borders, these spots are irrorated and more or 

 less suffused with blackish ; from apex to second median nervule is a series of gradually 

 increasing marginal black spots, edged externally with pink, the last two crossed by a 

 red stripe ; a large bright olive-green semi-circular spot, with black inner border and 

 bluish-white outer border at outer extremity of first median interspace, and a large 

 black spot, crossed by a red A'shaped marking, and bordered along its infero-exterior 

 border with grey, at extremity of interno-median area ; a triangular black and red spot at 

 extremity of abdominal fold." 



"On the upperside this beautiful species may be at once distinguished from /'. //vjw^X'/j 

 of Java by the broader, more irregular, and greyer blue belt across the forewing, the absence 

 of a white band on this belt, the blue marginal spots, and the blue or bluish subapical 

 spots ; the hindwing also has blue instead of white marginal dashes at apex, and the 

 external border and apical area are chocolate-brown instead of purplish brown." (^Butler, 

 I.e., p. 306). 



I have never seen this species, which appears to be quite distinct. I give below* some 

 further remarks on it by Mr. But:ler, which may prove useful. 



*rrotho'e regalis, Butler. " Oblique belt very broad, covering nearly half the wing, three spots of the same 

 colour at middle of extern.il harder, only separated from the belt by a blackish submarginal stripe Hind- 

 wing decidedly shorter and less caudate [than in Z'. /ru^/C/i?/] ; apical markings blue, prevalent colouring on 

 external area greyish oliv.iceous, black and green." • r u u 1 • 



" P. regalis is duller in colouring than P. angelicti, and corresponds with P. unifornns [the habitat of 

 which is unknown], in the absence of white on the blue belt ; it, however, differs from Z'. /raw/t;/, P. w«i- 

 forinis and P. angelica in the great width of the blue belt, the blue marginal spots on the forewing, the shorter 

 and less caudate hindwing, the cruciform character of the black submarginal markings on the underside of 

 the forewing, the filled-in discoidal markings on both wings, the inner half of external area of hindwing on the 

 underside being greyish olivaceous crossed by oblong black patches with reddish exterrijal borders, the shorter 

 green and black submarginal arched spots, and several other characters, 1 have seeu only one male of this 

 very distinct species." {Butler, 1. c, pp. 53. 54') 



