585 



A LIST OF THE BUTTERFLIES OF -MUSSOORIE IN 



THE WESTERN HIMALAYAS AND 



NEIGHBOURING REGIONS. 



By Philip W. MacKinnon, F. E. S., and Lionel de Niceville, 

 C. M. Z. S., F. E. S., etc. 



(With Plates U, F, and W.) 



\ Concluded from page 389 of this VoL~] 



Family PAPILIONIDiE. 

 Sub-Family Piebin^. 



215. Leptosia xiphia, Fabricius. 



Found in the Dun only commonly almost throughout the year. 

 216. Delias belladonna, Fabricius. Plate V, Fig. 19, pupa. 



In the Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1889, p. 344, de Niceville expressed 

 the opinion : "That it is more than probable that there is only one 

 species of this group, D. belladonna, Fabricius, and that to prove it, 

 it is only necessary to bring sufficiently large material together to 

 connect all the described forms." This material exists in Mackinnon's 

 collection, and, as far as our area is concerned, there is obviously only 

 one species, which is exceedingly common on the Nag Tiba range, 

 north of Mussoorie, at about 8,000 feet elevation, from April to July. 

 In Mussoorie it is usually a rare insect, but in May, 1888, May, 1894, 

 and May, 1895, it was very plentiful. In a few minutes specimens of 

 all shades of colour, from very dark, almost black, examples (typical 

 D. belladonna), through yellowish-white ones (typical D. sanaca, 

 Moore), to the palest form (D. flavalba, Marshall) could be caught. 

 It may be noted here that the two last-named forms are strictly con- 

 fined to the Western Himalayas, Mrs. Robson found the larva 

 feeding on the leaves of Loranthus longijlorus, Desr.; Mackinnon found 

 it on Loranthus vestitus, W T all., both Natural Order Loranthacece. 

 Males are far more often captured than females, and may usually be 

 easily distinguished from the females by the bright yellow inner 

 margin of the hindwing on the upperside, which coloration is absent in 

 the opposite sex. The female is duller coloured than the male, and 

 the whole upper surface is suffused or irroiated with yellowish scales, 



