L20 Dr. F. A. Dixey on 



While there is little doubt that abnormis and euryxaniha 

 are best referred to Huphina, it is also t cue I hai t hey appear 

 to stand somewhat apart from other members of that genus. 

 The genitalia of both species are of the Huphina type, but 

 the valves differ slightly in shape from those of //. agnata, 

 Gr. Smith, and //. nerissa, Fabr. The genitalia in Delias 

 are quite different. The scent-scales of //. abnormis 

 cannot easily be distinguished from those of 77. euryxantha, 

 if. indeed, they can be distinguished at all. They are of 

 the Huphina type, though shorter and proportionately 

 broader towards the apex than those of other species of 

 the genus. The difference in neuration between Huphina 

 and Delias is well known. The neuration of abnormis and 

 euryxantha is that of the former genus. Von Mitis agrees 

 with Honrath in attributing Wallace's mistake to the fact 

 t hat he was only acquainted with the female. Staudinger * 

 speaks of von .Mitis as having shown that abnormis and 

 euryxantha belong to the genus " Pieris (or Appias)"; 

 but these forms have certainly no more to do with "Ap- 

 pias" than they have with Tachyris, noi did von Mitis 

 suggest t he contrary. 



As already stated, there is little or no doubt that abnormis 

 and euryxantha, whether they are distinct species, or 

 whether, as thought 1>\' Honrath. von Mitis and Staudinger. 

 forms of the same species, have their true affinity with the 

 Pierines included in Moore's genus Huphina. This was 

 correctly recognised In- Mr. A. (i. Butlerf in his Revision 

 of that genus. But while rightly placing them in Huphina, 

 to which group they almost certainly belong, he associates 

 with them in the same genus ladas, ornytion and dohertyi, 

 adding the following comment : " 1 must confess that the 

 tact of the last five species occurring together in New 

 Guinea, in conjunction with the fact that similarly coloured 

 species of the Nvntphalid genus Mane* occur there, is very 

 suspicious. 1 cannot help thinking that breeding experi- 

 ments would tend greatly to reduce the number of these 

 'species' in botb genera." Mr. (hitler's suspicions that 

 something was wrong were well founded; and it is quite 

 probable that breeding experiments would show that 

 abnormis and euryxantha are conspecific, as was supposed 

 by Honrath, Staudinger and others. But along with 



* •■ Iris." vii, pp. I 17. I IS (1894). 



+ Ami. Mag. -Nat. Hist., 7th Series, vol. in. p. 206 (1899). It 

 may lie noted that Mr. Butler's reference to Oberthur's " l\tiules " 

 should b - to p. G, not to p. 01. 



