COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS. 523 



Pupa. — " Pattern and colouring very like that of the larva ; but the 

 green apparently more uniform and (except on the wing-cases), inclining 

 to glaucous ; yellow lateral stripe paler ; acute cephalic projection tipped 

 with reddish brown ; attached to various bushes, grasses, &c." (Trimen.) 



Habits. — The above is all copied from Colonel Bingham. The 

 probabilities are against this form being a good species. It is 

 said to occur in the N.-W. Himalayas, it certainly occurs in Sind; it 

 is chronicled from Dharmsala ; the Punjab ; Sikhim ; Bengal ; 

 Nilgiris ; Western India ; Mysore ; Assam ; Burma ; Ceylon ; it 

 occurs to the West through a great part of Africa to Sierra Leone in 

 the West, to Nyassaland in the East and in Aden; Socotra; 

 Persia and Afghanistan ; also further East, in China and Siam. 



Genus Tekias. 



111. Terias venata (PL K, figs. 70, 70a, b, c). — Wet-season brood. — Male, 

 upperside : gamboge-yellow. Fore wing : aspical third black, this colour 

 extending along the costa in a gradually narrowing line to the 

 base ; the inner margin of the black area irregular, oblique and 

 sinuate from the middle of costa to vein 4, thence continued outwards along 

 that vein for a short distance and vertically downwards to vein 2, thence 

 obliquely outwards to tornal angle ; the portion of the area between veins 



2 and 4 of even width, slightly produced angularly inwards at veins 2 and 



3 ; basal two-thirds of the wing irrorated with black scales, most dense at 

 extreme base ; a single, linear, black speck on the discocellulars. Hind 

 wing : terminal margin with an even, black band and a dusting of black 

 scales from base to tornal angle, parallel with, but not extended to, the 

 dorsum, nor spreading to the disc ; a small patch of salmon-coloured scales 

 at base of interspace 7 (generally hidden by the dorsal margin of fore 

 wing). Cilia of both fore and hind wings pale yellow. Underside : ground- 

 colour similar but somewhat duller, both fore and hind wings evenly but 

 sparingly dusted with black scales which do not extend to the cell, disc or 

 dorsal margin of the forewing ; the last paler yellow with a patch of 

 salmon-coloured scales below the median vein in interspace 2 (likewise 

 hidden ordinarily from view) ; a linear speck on the discocellulars of the 

 fore wing and a minute dot in interspace 7 of the hind wing black ; the 

 disc of the hind wing transversely crossed by two parallel, very obscure, 

 short, blackish, lunular bands ; all the veins of both fore and hind wings 

 with minute, black dots at their apices. Antennse, head, thorax and 

 abdomen dusky black ,- the antennse with a line of white dots beneath, the 

 palpi, thorax and abdomen there whitish. Female, similar, except of 

 course, the sex-marks are absent. Upperside : the dusting of black scales 

 more dense ; the black area on the fore wing and the terminal, black band 



■ on the hind wing broader; the former, however, narrowed generally 

 abruptly below the middle of interspace 1 and continued thence to the 

 tornal angle as a mere black line ; the latter very broad anteriorly and 

 attenuated rapidly towards the tornus. Underside : as in the male. 

 Antennse, head, thorax and abdomen similar to those in the male. 



Dry-season brood. — Ground-colour in both sexes clearer, brighter and more 

 free of the irroration of black scales. Upperside : the terminal, black band 

 on hind wing narrower, of even width in the male, obsolescent posteriorly 

 in the female. Underside : similar but paler than in wet-season specimens. 

 Expanse : 36-42 mm. 



Habits. — There is no record of the breeding of this insect. It is 

 not by any means rare where it occurs in the Bombay Presidency : 

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