426 



767. CastaliuS ethion, Doubleday Sf Heioitson (Lycaena), Gen. Di. Lep. 

 ii, 1852, p. 490, pi. 76, fig. 3 <J ; Moore, Lep. Ceyl. i, 1881, p. 83, 

 pi. 36, figs. 5, 5 , d 1 ; de N. Butt. Ind. iii, 1890, p. 198 ; Davidson, 

 Bell # Aitken, Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. x, 1896, p. 380, pi. 4, 

 figs. 4, 4 a, larva and pupa. 



Race airavati. 



Castalius airavati, Doherty, J. A. S. B. 1886, p. 261 ; de N. Butt. 

 Ind. iii, 1890, p. 199, frontispiece, fig. 133 tf . 



c? . Upperside, fore and hind wings : medially and obliquely 

 crossed by a very broad pure white band that is broadly edged on 

 its inner and outer margins by dark blue and does not extend on 

 the fore wing above vein 6, just above vein 3 it projects outwards 

 for a short distance whence the inner margin of its dark blue 

 edging is carried obliquely to vein 6 ; the extreme bases of 

 the wings black ; the costal margin of the fore and the terminal 

 margins of both fore and hind wings broadly black ; on both wings 

 a light iridescent blue suffusion from base outwards. Underside : 

 snow-white. Tore and hind wings : the following jet-black 

 markings : Yore wing : two broad more or less parallel streaks 

 from base extended obliquely to the costa, the outer of the two 

 apically curved and on the costa coalescent with the inner streak ; 

 costal margin very narrowly edged with black ; an anterior, post- 

 discal, outwardly oblique, short bar, slightly clavate posteriorly, 

 extends between the costa and vein 5 ; opposing this there is 

 between the dorsum and vein 3 a similar but erect and apically 

 non-clavate bar ; beyond these there is an inner and outer trans- 

 verse complete subterminal series of spots followed by an anti- 

 ciliary slender black line; the spots of the inner subterminal 

 series quadrate, of the outer linear, the posterior two of the former 

 very large ; lastly, a single detached postdiscal spot in interspace 3 

 very close to the inner subterminal line of spots. Hind wing: 

 a curved short basal band not extended to the costa, a spot 

 touching it in the middle on the outer side and a discal transverse 

 band twice widely interrupted, the middle portion shifted outwards, 

 the lower portion with a spot on its outer margin joined to it ; 

 subterminal and terminal markings as on the fore wing. Antennae, 

 head, thorax and abdomen black ; beneath : the palpi, thorax and 

 abdomen with a median longitudinal -white line. $ . Upperside : 

 similar to that of the rf , but the median white transverse band 

 across both wings broader, extended on the fore wing up to vein 7 

 and with no inner edging of blue or iridescent light blue irroration ; 

 the black at the bases of the wings and on the margins not so 

 intense in shade, more of a brownish black. Underside : ground- 

 colour and markings very similar, the basal two oblique bands on 

 the fore wing generally farther from one another than in the <$ . 



Exp. rf $ 28-31 mm. (MO-1-22"). 



Hdb. Southern India : the Nilgiris, Travancore ; Ceylon ; the 

 hills of Assam, Burma, and Tenasserim ; extending into the 

 Malayan Subregion. 





