COMMON BUTTERFLIES OF THE PLAINS OF INDIA, 327 



GENUS ABISARA. 



Only one species. Exp. 1*6" — 2" .. .. .. eclierius. 



This species is figured on coloured plate F, figures 40, male, and 40^, 

 female. The colouring of both figures is not brown enough, there is too^ 

 much red in it. The violet gloss on the upperside of male is very good. 



The greater number of the relations of Abisara are found in Tropical 

 America, some 960 or 970 species. There are 30 or 40 Eastern species, 20 

 of which occur in British India. One single species occurs in Europe, in- 

 cluding England : Nemeobius lucina, the Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, 

 These insects are evidently closely related to the Lyccenidce, at least they 

 are nearer to them than to any other division of butterflies in all their 

 stages, to judge by Indian representatives and Nemeobius. The egg, accord- 

 ing to Doherty, is lower than wide, smooth, granulate or prickly, but not 

 reticulate or radiate in the genera examined by him. The larvge of three 

 out of five Indian genera and of Nemeobius are distinctly lycsenine in shade, 

 except that the head is not hidden ; and the pupee are certainly more like 

 those of the ' Blues ' than anything else. Finally the facies of the imagines 

 is also lycsenine. Nemeobius and Dodona, a Himalayan genus, both contaia 

 butterflies that rest with their wings closed over their backs while Abisara 

 always keeps them half open, indeed cannot completely close them as the 

 hindwing is not all in one plane, being somewhat warped as it were. The 

 Duke of Burgundy Fritillary is said not to affect flowers and to be fond of 

 shady places. The same is the case with Abisara. 



DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES OF NEMEOBIIDA?. 



Abisara echerius, Stoll. (PL F., figs. 40 d\ 40a $). — Hindwing suddenly 

 lengthened at vein 4, thence gradually decreasing to its ordinary length at 

 anal angle. In the wet-season form the upperside of male is a rich purple- 

 brown or maroon-brown with a blue gloss. Forewing with discal and 

 postdiscal transverse fasciae very obscure and only slightly paler than the 

 ground-colour. Hindwing uniform ; two triangular, small, black spots near 

 apex of interspace 1, one larger black spot in each of the interspaces 5 and 

 6 ; spots bordered outwardly with white slenderly and obscurely. Underside : 

 dull maroon-brown. Forewing with a broad, slightly curved discal, narrower 

 postdiscal and subterminal, transverse, pale fascia, the discal one broader 

 anteriorly. Hindwing : a slightly curved, narrow, discal, pale fascia ; black 

 spots as on upperside but bordered inwards and outwards by an obscure 

 pale lunular line. Antennae black with scattered pale specks ; head, thorax 

 and abdomen maroon-brown ; beneath : all pale-brown. Female upperside 

 hazel brown, terminal halves of wings paler. Forewing : discal and post- 

 discal broad, obscure, pale transverse fasciae, the former or both sometimes 

 white in the upper part ; followed by an obscure, double, subterminal pale 

 line. Hindwing with a series of subterminal, pale, lunular spots, the black 



