761 



NOTES ON INDIAN BVTTERFIjIES— {continued). 

 By 



Captain W. H. Evans, R.E. 



8. Occurrence of Mycalesis (Mydosama) fuscum. Fd. at Myitta, Tavoy. 

 Mr. O. 0. OUenbach has recently sent me a specimen of this insect caught 

 in March 1912. A description is given of the species in a footnote on page 

 132 of DeNicevilie's " Butterflies of India," vol. 1. Fuscum was placed by 

 Moore in his genus Mydosama, which is closely allied to Nissanga, contain- 

 ing the Indian Junonia, etc. Fruhstorfer places it in his Group III along 

 with perseus, malsara, mestra, etc., all of which have similar male secondary 

 sexual characters. The butterfly was described from the Malay Penin- 

 sula and has since been found in Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Banka and Nias. 

 Mr. Ollenbach's specimen is a female ; above it is rather pale-brown, darker 

 basally ; the lower median ocellus on the forewing and all the ocelli on 

 the hindwing show through prominently and are surrounded by bright ful- 

 vous rings, though obscurely so on the forewing. Below the ground colour 

 is pale yellow-brown with a slight fulvous tinge ; across both wings there 

 is a prominent narrow bright ferruginous sub-basal band followed by a 

 similar postdiscal band, also the ends of the cells are obscurely outlined 

 in the same way : the postdiscal band on the forewing is curved outwards 

 at the lower end near the dorsum, on the hindwing it follows the curve 

 of'the ocelli to which it is adjacent. Beyond the postdiscal bands the outer 

 area is paler ; there are two small apical and one large median ocellus 

 on the forewing, whilst on the hindwing there are seven ocelli of exactly 

 equal size, except for the anal pair, which are smaller. The outer marginal 

 lines are sharply defined and similar in arrangement to that prevailing 

 in all representatives of the genus. In size and shape the insect resembles 

 a female of mineus or malsara. 



9. Changes and corrections in the list of Indian butterflies. Since the 

 list was published (J. B. N. H. S. XXI, 982), Swinhoe has progressed rapidly 

 with Lepidoptera Indica and the work is now nearly completed ; Fruhstorfer 

 has nearly reached the end of the NympJialidce ; and there are a few mistakes 

 in the original list, which require correction. I give Fruhstorfer's races 

 for what they are worth ; the validity of some of them seem doubtful, 

 but I have not sufticient material in my own collection to give an 

 opinion. 



(1) Hestia jasonia, Wd. Fruhstorfer names ab diabolica a form with the 

 underside suft'used dark-brown. He suggests that jasonia is a race of the 

 Malayan li/nceus, Drury. 



(2) Danais melaneus, Cr. Fruhstorfer names the dry season form 

 neopatra. 



(3) Danais plexippus, L. Fruhstorfer calls a light yellow dry season form 

 from Sikkim and An nam grynion. 



(4) Euploea harrisi, Fd. Fruhstorfer names ab discalis from Assam, with 

 a blue cell spot and 5 discal spots on the forewing and two normal rows of 

 white spots on the hindwing. 



(5) Euploea klugii, M. In the appendix to the Danaince Fruhstorfer 

 places leucostictos, Gmelin, and its races as races of klugii. 



(6) Euploea diocletiana, Fab. Fruhstorfer gives the name despoliata to 

 specimens with no transcellular spots. 



(7) Melanargia halimede, Men. Fruhstorfer gives the name of the genus 

 as Arge, Hub. on the ground of priority. From Bingham's figure he 

 considers that the Indian form is nearest to the race viontana, Leech, but 

 in size it is nearer leda, Leech. 



