51 ; 



THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS 

 OF INDIA. 



(INCLUDING THOSE MET WITH IN THE HILL STATIONS 

 OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY.) 



BY 



T. R. Bell, lf.s. 



(^Continued from fcuje oJ^^- of Volume XXII .) 



Part XV. 



With Plates K. & L. 



Genus Catopsilia. 



Besides the three species mentioned below there is a fourth from China 

 and Tenasseriui extending to Australia, called C. sci/lla which can be dis- 

 tinguished by the forewing being white, the hindwing rich cadmium 

 yellow. 



The males have secondary sexual characters : on the forewing, on the 

 underside of the dorsal margin near the base, a tuft or fringe of long hairs 

 that is directed forwards. On the upperside of the hindwing : a small 

 patch, mostly oval in shape, of specialized scales, called androconia, situated 

 just above the subcostal vein. 



108. Catopsilia crocale (PL L, figs. 72, 73, ,2 6 ; 72a, ^ and 73a, S ,2 $ •) 

 — Male, upperside : chalky white, sometimes with a more or less broad and 

 clearly dehned, basal, sulphvir-yellow area on both fore and hindwings ; 

 this sulphur-yellow colour is at times diffused over the whole surface of the 

 wings, though generally it becomes paler towards the terminal margins. 

 Fore wing : the whole, or sometimes only the apical half, of the costa 

 narrowly black, this colour widened out irregularly at the apex , termen 

 widely black at the apex, narrowing posteriorly. This border in some 

 specimens almost reaches the tornus, in others terminates at vein 4 ; occa- 

 sionally it is continiied posteriorly by a series of black dots at the apices 

 of the veins. Hind wing : generally uniform, unmarked ; some specimens 

 bear minute, black dots at the apices of the veins. Underside : ground- 

 colour very variable : white with a slight to strong ochraceous tinge, 

 greenish white, or sulphur-yellow. Fore wing: typically without markings.. 

 in some specimens with a patch of sulphur-yellow on either side of base of 

 median nervure ; in the very yellow examples the tornal area is often 

 widely greenish white ; in others (C catilla, Cramer) it bears a spot, vari- 

 able in size, on the discocellulars : this spot has a pearly centre and an 

 outer reddish line. Again, many specimens have an irregular, angulated, 

 narrow, reddish, discal line (the colour varies in intensity) that runs from 

 the costa obliquely outwards to vein 7, and then obliquely inwards to vein 

 2, though this line is often absent in specimens that bear the discocellular 

 spot ; apex and termen sometimes very narrowly reddish. Hind wing : 

 typically uniform, without markings ; in var. catilla there is a single small 

 spot at the end of the cell, similar to that on the fore wing, sometimes this 

 spot is much larger with a narrow, outer, reddish ring, sometimes it is 

 accompanied by a similar, reddish spot at base of interspace 5 ; when two 

 spots are present they may be entirely separate, or their outer rings may 

 coalesce ; again, some specimens have a highly irregular, discal, reddish 

 line (often reduced to a series of minute spots) that extends from the costa 

 to vein 1 ; finally, the majority of the specimens have a series of minute, 



