IXIAS. 19*; 



broad black borders, bearing a double row of pale spots of the 

 ground-colour. 



The type of Idmais, Boisduval, is an Arabian Butterfly (/. 

 chrysonome (Klug), which measures about an inch and a half 

 across the wings. It is orange, rather lighter on the hind-wings 

 than on the fore-wings, and dusted with bluish-grey at the base 

 in the male. The fore-wings have the costa and nervures dis- 

 tinctly black, a black spot at the end of the cell, and a row of 

 connected black spots beyond. The hind-wings are unspotted 

 in the middle. There is a black border, better defined on the 

 fore-wings than on the hind-wings, and marked between the 

 nervures with semi-detached orange or yellow spots. The 

 under side of the fore-wings is orange, with the costa and hind- 

 margin greenish-yellow ; the hind-wings are greenish-yellow, 

 with three transverse rows of rather indistinct reddish spots. 

 It is allied to one of the most beautiful species of this group, 

 and the only one which extends to the Palaearctic Region, /.. 

 fausta (Olivier), which is common in Western Asia, including 

 Asia Minor and Northern India. It measures about an inch 

 and three-quarters across the wings, which are of a peculiar 

 reddish-orange colour, hardly like that of any other Butterfly ; 

 the under surface is much paler. The fore-wings have a black 

 discoidal spot, and an incomplete double row of marginal 

 spots, sometimes forming a border ; there are also traces of 

 marginal spots on the hind-wings. 



GENUS IXIAS. 



Ixias, Hiibner, Verz. bek. Schmett.p. 95 (1816); Butler, Cist. 

 Ent. i. pp. 37, 48 (1870) ; Distant, Rhop. Malay, p. 309 

 (1885); Schatz, Exot. Schmett. ii. p. 73 (1886). 



Thestias, Boisduval, Spec. Gen. Lepid. i. p. 590 (1836); Double- 

 day, Gen, Piurn. Lepid. p, 60 (1847). 



