LEMONIID.E. NEMEOBIIN/E. ABISARA. 319 



Genus 94.— ABISARA, rdder. (Platk xxiv). 



A6,-sn>^,Fe\deT,Wien.Ent. Monatsch., vol. iv, p. 397 (i860) ; id., Bates, Journ. Linn. Soc, Zoology, vol. ix, 

 p. 413 (i868) : id., Moore, Lap. Cey., vol. i, p. 68 (1881} ; id. {pari), Distant, Rhop. Malay., p. 188 (1883) ; Sas/ita, 

 Hewitson, Ex Butt., vol, ii, Sospita pi. i (1S61). 



" Genus confounded among English authors with TaxHa, Doubleday ( T. fylla, diirga), 

 to be distinguished by the smaller head, distinct collar, more slender antennai and 

 shorter palpi." {Felder, 1. c.) 



FOKEWING, triangular ; costal margin gently arched, oiikr margin straight or slightly 

 convex, imwr margin nearly straight, equal in length to the outer margin, afex pointed. 

 Costal nervnre short, reaching the middle of the wing ; subcostal nervure giving off its first and 

 second branches close together before the end of the cell, the third nearer to the origin of 

 the fourth than to the end of the cell, the fourth reaching the apex of the wing ; discoidal cell 

 broad, short, the disco-cellular nervules being emitted at less than half the length of the wing 

 ixom[\\Qh'i.%Q ; upper disco-cellularnei vide wanting, ««VW/^ and loiver disco-cellulars of equal 

 length, together forming a complete arch, and the lower joining the median nervure after 

 the^'ori'-in'' of the second median ^^Qx^^x\(t^, submedian nervure %\\^\\^ sinuous. Hindwing, 

 subovat^e;m^<^/w«/-^°m strongly arched at base, thence nearly straight, outer margin evenly 

 rounded and slightly scalloped in the male, slightly angled at the termination of the third 

 median nervule in the female {A. fylla), more strongly scalloped aud produced into a long 

 tail at termination of third median nervule {A. neophron and allies), or, least of all scalloped, 

 but the wing strongly angled at the third median nervule [A. echerius and allies). Prcecostal 

 nervwe sit^ple, curved outwardly, costal nervure short, reaching the middle of the costa, 



SDOtS 



Its and streaks Foreimn^ with a submarginal black line becoming macular anteriorly, the inner margin 

 Wdlv shinin- fuscous. ///W^wX- with the extreme margin black, then a pnk line, then a bbck line, then 

 an ochreons iTne, and lastly a black line. Female differs from the male on the upphrside in benig of a paler 

 shade of crimson. ^^,-..7t//«^ with the inner margin straight, not lobed, a very indistinct paler fascia towards 

 the aoeK Hindimn^ with no glandular patch below the costa, a submarginal even black line replacing the 

 black diffused patches in the male e-xtending on to the forewing as far as the first median nervule, otherwise as 



in '^^^j^^^^-^^g specimens of both sexes of this most lovely insect in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, from Perak. 

 Lnxita tanita. Taxila tanita, Hewitson, Ex. Butt., vol. ii, Taxija pi. i, text (1S61) ; id., Druce, 

 Proc Zool Soc Lond., 1873, p. 347, n. 4 ; id., Kirby, Cat. Diurn. Lep.. p. 2S6. n. 5 ( 1871) ; Abisa^a tamta, 

 ?.-?;nt Rho^MXV D 102 n S pi xviii,^^^ Abisara {Laxita) tamta. Butler, Irans. 



fi^tn Soc Lond.f Zoolog^'second'^ series,' vol. t/p. 546, n. 4 (1877) ; Taxila orphna, Doubleday, Hewitson 

 («TBoisduval), Gen. Diurn. Lep., vol, ii, p. 422, n. 7 {fa, ts pi. Ixix, hgs. 6, female; 7. ^"alc (1851). 

 HABrTAT: Province Wellesley, Malacca, Singapore, Borneo Expanse: i's inches Description : Male 

 Upperside, -^<./A «.:X-^- pale crimson, the margin narrowly black Forewi.ig^ with the _ interspaces streaked 

 wiXa darker shade. The disco-cellular nervules defined with a black line. Htnaw, ng ^^^^.\. a discal series of 

 Hark red streaks between the veins. Described from Hewitson's figure. "Female. Upperside, both u^,ngs 

 bHoht purplish-red. Fore^^ing with the margins, the base, and a bro.d basal streak between the third 

 median nervule and the submedian nervure pale fuscous. Hindunns with the margins (costal and abdominal 

 mSs broadly) and some broad streaks situated in the cell and between the nervules pa e fuscous. 

 UNDFrsiDn.M«'/«?^ bright purplish- red. /r,^.W«.- with upper and apical blue streaks in cell the lasc 

 mrr^hied outwardly with black, and with some blue and black d.scal spots of which the largest and most 

 prominent are two beyond the cell, and two divided by the second median nervule ; two faint blu^h submarginal 

 linear fascia, which become obsolete at apex, and the costal margin broadly fuscous near base. Hmd^nng with 

 some transverse series of black and blue spots at base, some large elongate b ack submarginal spots wi h blue 

 ce^res betwern the nervules, and blue and yellow submarginal linear fascis between winch the colour is 

 fuscous; posterior margin fuscous. Body pale fuscous; /<>,». pale obscure ochraceous. (Distant Vc) 



I have not seen this species. Mr. Distant quotes the figure of the female of this species in the Genera 

 nf DiurnarLiDidoptera" as applying to L. ianita, but it differs materially from both his figure and description 

 of ?hat"ex He appearsloh^ve reversed the sexes, and to have described from the figure the female as a male. 

 Laxita ielesia. Taxila telesia, Hewitson, Ex. Butt., vol, ■^^,Jaxila pi. i,. figs. i. 2, mate (^ZM ; idem, id , 

 TonrnLnn Soc Lond., Zoology, vol. viii, p. 149(18651; id., Kirby, Cat. Diurn. Lep, p. sSo, n. 7 (1871). 

 terrx Perak, Su. atia, Borneo. Expanse: i"? inches. Description: ''Male. Upperside^<,^4 

 W^^^dark brown fuscous]. V^,vu-/«- with the apex and outer margin carmine, the inner margin produced. 

 rSedwit^near its middle an oval s^ot of lilac-white- {Hindwir.g with the portion covered by the forewing 

 Xnina p^e ocheous a large oval glandular patch of closely-packed ochi'eous scales on eithei side of he 

 mHd lof the sXXl nervur?, a small patch of carmine on the outer margin about the termination of the 

 discoidal n-rv e, the black markings of the underside showing through faintly]. Underside, both lozngs 

 carm ne wi h banis and spots of blue and black. Forewing with the apex rufous [yel ow, nearly orange] ; a 

 Witudinal and a transverse band within the cell blue, a second transverse band a so blue, followed by five blue 

 sDofsSred inwardly with black. The inner margin, where the wings touch, light ye lo«. ^"f^"'"S with 

 nur^e'rous black and blue spots, crossed near the outer margin by a band of light blue and a band of light 

 veUow each bordTed with black, and separated by a band of the same colour^ (tlcwUson. 1. cm Ex. Butt.) 

 FKMrLE Upperside, >-m./«i'carmin^^ the cell, and the interspaces with dull fuscous streaks, an oblique 

 Lbapical pale ochJeotls diffused^fascia. Hind^ving almost throughout dull fuscous, the veins slightly margined 

 wirh carmine Underside, /'(?/A it;/«?-.f marked precisely as in the male. , x j- tit „ *- i„ .t, 



Ther^ are a ma e and two femalesV this beautiful species from Perak in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 

 The fer^aleTs conspicuously different from the male as it lacks the oval white spot on the upperside of the forewing 

 the cannne is not confined to the apex and outer margin as in the male but extends all over the wing, and 

 the imier margii Ts stra git It also lacks the glandular patch of scales on the upperside of the hmdwing. 



