26 



THE COMMON BUTTERFLIES OP THE PLAINS 



OF INDIA. 



(INCLUDING THOSE MET WITH IN THE HILL STATIONS 

 OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY.) 



BY 



T. R. Bell, i.f.s. (ketd.). 



{Oontinued from page 954 of Vol. XXVI.) 

 Part XXV. 



39. Genus — Virachola.. 



Eyes hairy ; body robust. In the male there is tuft of hairs turned up- 

 wards from the inner margin of the fore wing, these hairs fixed on that 

 margin ; in the hind wing there is also a male sexual mark : glandular, de- 

 pressed, on the upper surface, near the base, pear-shaped with the narrow 

 end directed towards the base, extending slightly below the costa into the 

 discoidal cell and reaching as far out as the discocellulars ; the palpus of the 

 male shorter than that of the female ; the hind wing with an anal lobe and 

 a thin threadlike tail at the end of vein 2. The genus contains three 

 species, all belonging to the Indian region. Two of these are found through- 

 out India except in the absolutely desert tracts and in Ceylon ; the third is 

 confined to the Andamans. The transformations of the two Indian species 

 are known and have often been described ; they will be found below. The 

 larvte and pupae are very similar to those of Beudorix and Bindahara and 

 the larv£e all feed on the inside of fruits of difTerent sorts. They are all, 

 the butterflies of the present genus that is, very powerful fliers, quick and 

 agile and capable of traversing long distances. Our two species, isocrates 

 and perse, are both fond of the sun and the males bask on the tops of 

 high trees, sitting with the wings half-open as long as the sun is bright. 

 They rest, with them closed, under leaves, &c. 



196. Virachola perse, Hewitson— Male. Upperside : Fore wing with the 

 costa above the median vein up to the base of vein 2 deep black ; the apex 

 broadly black ; the black colour occupying the whole apical space and 

 outer margin, leaving the inner and lower portion of the wing blue ; some- 

 times with an ochreous-red patch varying in size outside the cell. Hind 

 wing with the costa broadly black, the band narrowing suddenly round the 

 apex and continued narrowly down the outer margin to the anal angle ; 

 aladominal space also rather broadly black ; the fold grey ; the remaining 

 inner space blue ; the anal lobe black, with a dull ochreous spot in it ; tail 

 black, tipped with white ; cilia of both wings black. Underside : vinous- 

 grey, sometimes with a red tinge ; markings darker grey, pale-edged. 

 Fore wing with an irregular, rather large spot at the end of the cell with 

 dark edges ; a discal band of conjoined spots from the cost to near the 

 submedian vein ; the lowest small, the first four outwardly oblique, the 

 others straight down, commencing a little inwards. Hind wing with a 

 black, subbasal spot below the costa ; twin spots at the end of the cell ; a 

 discal band of conjoined spots, the third and fourth a little outside the 

 others, its lower part curving suddenly in towards the abdominal margin 

 below its middle ; anal lobe black, a small, round black spot in the first 

 interspace, ringed with ochreous. Antennae black, ringed with white, 

 club with an ochreous-red tip ; frons grey ; eyes ringed with white ; head 



