Of, LEPIDOPTERA INDICA. 



af5 it does uot extend anteriorly or posteriorly beyond the cell, being strictly bounded 

 in those directions by the sub-costal and median nervures. (de Niceville.) 



CREUSA CULTA. 

 Plate 724, figs. 1, ^,la, 9,1b, ^. 

 Ci-eusa culfa, de Niceville, Journ. Bo. Nat. Hist. Soc. 1896, p. 177, pi. T, figs. 36, ^; 37, 5 . 



Imago. — Male. Upperside rich deep blue, shining. Forewing with the costal 

 band black, limited by the sub-costal nervure, the apex broadly black, the inner margin 

 of the black colour extending across the outer end of the cell to the hinder margin 

 close to the hinder angle, a large oval jet black patch of androconia at the end of the 

 cell, outwardly extending a little beyond it. Hindwing with a narrow brownish-black 

 costal band, which cui'ls round the apex decreasingly to the middle of the outer margin, 

 and from thence to the anal angle it is continued in a fine black terminal line ; abdominal 

 fold grey, anal lobe a little darker, somewhat fuscous, with faint traces of a few ochreous 

 and blue scales in its middle ; tails black, tipped with white. Underside pale slate 

 colour tinted with faint pinkish, markings slightly darker than the ground colour. 

 Forewing with a discal line of conjoined lunules, outwardly edged with whitish from 

 the costa, where it has a short bend, almost straight down to the sub-median nervure. 

 Hindwing with a similar discal line, which is slightly outwardly curved to vein 2, then 

 turns in a blunt angular line to the abdominal margin a little above the anal angle, a 

 small lunular black spot on the anal lobe, another in the first median interspace, both 

 capped with orange, a terminal black line with an inner white thread, both wings with 

 indications of a sub-marginal series of marks. 



Female. Upperside, both Avings much paler blue, with less gloss than in the male. 

 Forewing with the base of the costa whitish, no androconal black patch, the apex less 

 lilack than in the male ; otherwise as in the male. On the upperside the male at once 

 reminds one of Hewitson's figure of the male of lolaus isoeus, Hewitson, which I 

 iilentify with Britomartis cleohoides, Elwes, but the blue coloration in that species is of 

 a far paler and duller shade, and the apex of the hindwing is not broadly black. 

 Mr. Hampson, however, informs me that the blue colour shown in Hewitson's figure is 

 incorrect, it should be darker, as in Tajuria longinus, Fabricius. It cannot, however, 

 represent C. culta, as that species has three sub-costal nervules to the forewing, while 

 /. iscBus has only two. On the upperside the female at once reminds one of 

 Hewitson's figure of [olaus isceus, Hewitson, which name now stands for the species, 

 but the underside differs considerably, as it has a very large ochreous area at the anal 

 angle of the hindwing, which area in C. culta is reduced to two small spots. I am 

 indebted to the Eev. AValter A. Hamilton for the gift of five males and one female of 

 this interesting little species, (de Niceville.) 



