128 Dr. F. A. Dixey on 



It is further remarkable that the same aspect is shared on 

 the upperside by the male of Nepheronia (Pareronia of 

 Bingham) jobaea, Boisd., the representative of its genus in 

 Ceram, Bouru, Western New Guinea and the adjacent 

 islands. It is well known that the females of Nepheronia 

 are mimics of other butterflies, chiefly Danaines and 

 Papilionines, that inhabit the same regions. The males, 

 however, are not usually considered to be mimetic, with the 

 exception perhaps of N. tritaea, Feld., of Celebes, N. 

 argolis, Feld., of the Moluccas, and N. phocaea, Feld., of 

 the Philippines. But the contrast between the uniformly- 

 tinted ground-colour of N. jobaea <$ and the black veining 

 of the upper surface of the male Nepheronias from further 

 west, such as N. hippia, Fabr., and pingasa, Moore (main- 

 land), naraka, Moore (Andamans), Valeria, Cram. (Java and 

 Sumatra), boebera, Eschsch. (Philippines), is so striking as 

 to suggest the possibility that this Nepheronia has been 

 influenced in a mimetic direction by the New Guinea 

 assemblage now under discussion. As between the 

 Nepheronia, and the Mynes, the correspondence is specially 

 close, for it extends even to the tint of the pale area of the 

 wing, which in neither butterfly is pure white. In both 

 species the disc of the hind-wing is pale greyish blue ; and 

 that of the fore-wing is pale greenish yellow in the Mynes, 

 and either that or very pale blue in the Nepheronia. It 

 may also be remarked that the underside of N. jobaea <$, 

 by its dark hind-wing, does to some extent recall the under- 

 side of M. dor yea, J), ornylion and H. abnormis, though it 

 is entirely devoid of red spots or streaks. This feature of 

 the hind-wing is exceptional in Nepheronia, though some 

 approach to it is visible in N. argolis. A somewhat similar 

 underside to that of N. jobaea £ is seen in Delias ladas, 

 Gr. Smith, the range, however, of the latter insect appears 

 to lie outside of the region inhabited by N. jobaea. 



(2) It was mentioned above that Huphina abnormis and 

 //. euryxantha are believed by some good authorities to be 

 conspecific. Whether this be so or not, there is no doubt 

 that the two forms are at least very closely allied. Each 

 possesses an underside which presents a type of coloration 

 very differenl from that which is usual in the genus; and 

 it is interesting to remark that while //. abnormis hears a 

 si mug resemblance to one Delias, viz. D. ornylion, the very 

 different underside of H. euryxantha at once recalls the 

 Delias forms of the mysis group, particularly D. lara, 



