448 MR. L. DE NICtviLLE ON NEW OR [May 3, 



5. Descriptions of some new or little-known Butterflies from 

 India, with some Notes on the Seasonal Dimorphism 

 obtaining in the Genus Melanitis. By Lionel de 

 NiCEVILLE, F.E.S. 



[Eeceived May 3, 1887.] 



(Plates XXXIX. & XL.) 



Lethe nicetella, n. sp. (Plate XXXIX. fig. 5, c^ .) 



Hab. Sikkim, 



Expanse. S ^ r8 to 2 inches. 



Male. Upperside : both wings brown, with a brilHant golden- 

 bronzy sheen when fresh, the outer margins with a regular band of 

 the ground-colour devoid of this gloss. Fore wine/ with a short 

 obscure ochreous subapical fascia at the bifurcation of the fourth 

 and fifth subcostal nervules. Hind wing with a submarginal series 

 of five round black spots with pale outer rings, of which the second 

 from the apex is the largest, the uppermost and the fourth subequal, 

 and the next largest, the third the smallest, though but little smaller 

 than the fifth or anal. Underside : both wings paler than above. 

 Fore wing with an obscure dark bar across the middle of the cell, an 

 oblique discal band beyond the cell, prominent at the costa, be- 

 coming obsolete towards the anal angle, beyond this band the ground- 

 colour is abruptly paler ; the subapical fascia as on the upperside, 

 but more extended violet-white ; two marginal fine dark lines en- 

 closing a line of the ground-colour, the inner one defined with a 

 somewhat coarser pale line, all these lines extending from the second 

 median nervule to the apex. Hind wing with two basal and two 

 discal highly irregular violet lines, the one furthest from, the base with 

 an irregular dark brown fascia placed outwardly against it ; the 

 discocellular nervules defined on both sides with a fine violet line ; 

 a submarginal series of six ocelli, the first, second (usually), fifth, 

 and geminated sixth composed of a black centre with a pure white 

 pupil, an ochreous, a dark brown, and an outer violet ring ; the 

 second (occasionally), third, and fourth ocelli composed of a small 

 dark brown centre with a violet pupil, a violet, a dark brown, and 

 an outer violet ring ; marginal lines as in the fore wing, but the 

 innermost line violet, very prominent towards the anal angle. Cilia 

 cinereous, dark brown at the ends of the veins. — Female. Upper- 

 side : both wings paler. Fore wing with the discal band of the 

 underside showing through. Underside ; both wings also paler. 



L. nicetella may be known from L. nicetas, Hewitson, from Kulu 

 and Sikkim, on the underside of the fore wing in both sexes by not 

 possessing three small subapical ocelli divided by the discoidal ner- 

 vules, and in the discal band being much less prominent (in L. nicetas 

 it is broadly outwardly defined with ochreous) ; in the iiind wing 

 in having at least two and often three of the ocelli with small dark 

 brown instead of deep black centres (in L. nicetas all the ocelli are 



