214 LEPIDOPTERA INBICA. 



Imago. — Male. Upperside rich glossy purple. Forewing with broad costal and 

 outer marginal black bands, broadest at the apex. Hindu-ing with the costal 

 space broadly black, the outer marginal band also broadly black, the purple central 

 area very limited, very slight productions at the euds of all the veins ; no tail, 

 abdominal fold grey. Underside brown, in fresh specimens with a slight purple tint, 

 markings slightly darker than the ground colour, double edged, the inner edging being 

 darker brown, the outer dull whitish, all very obscure. Forewing with three oval 

 spots ill the cell, increasing in size outwards, two small spots on the eosta above the 

 discoidal spot, a discal band of six conjoined spots in a gentle outward curve, all more 

 or less lunular, a seventh small disconnected spot below the last ; the uppermost spot 

 quite small, the others of fairly equal size. Hindwing with four small sub-basal spots, 

 the third a little outwards, the fourth inwards, followed by four larger spots in a line, 

 the two upper ones elongate, the third sub-quadrate, the fourth round and a little 

 inwards, a bar at the end of the cell with a small spot attached to its inner lower end, 

 connecting it with the lowest of the second row of three spots ; a discal, well curved 

 series of eight spots, the upper two conjoined, the lower inner end of the second, 

 touching the upper outer end of the discoidal bar, the third spot some space outwards, 

 connected with the next five spots, the fifth and seventh being shifted somewhat outside 

 the others ; a sub-marginal line of angulated lunules ; both wings with bro^\'n terminal 

 line, a pale inner line and a series of indistinct lunular marks attached. 



Female, like the male above and below, the purple area on the upperside being 

 rather more restricted. 



Expanse of wings, ^ ? IfV to l-j*o inches. 



Larva. — Two lycsenid larvae were found on the Fagoo Tea Estate in the "Western 

 Duars at 2,500 feet elevation above the sea. Length about | of an inch. Onisciform, 

 flattened, covered with downy bristles, semi-transparent, dull whitish, becoming more 

 opaque and white dorsally ; an olive-brown medial dorsal line throughout ; two short 

 white protrusible brush-like tentacles on the twelfth segment, a medial small orifice on 

 the eleventh segment, probably exuding a fluid, as it is vigorously attended by a small 

 black ant, the latter apparently tickling the larva with its antennae to make it do so. 

 The larva is very similar to that of Arhopala abseus, Hewitson, which I discovered on 

 Sal trees attended by a large red ant in 1890. Before pupating the larva becomes 

 pinkish with a tinge of purple. It feeds on the leaves of Castaneopsis sp. 



Pupa. — Pale brown, with a darker dorsal streak and irrorated slightly on the back 

 with dark brown. Abdomen rather flattened. Emerged on 19th May, 1895, both 

 females. (G. C. Dudgeon.) 



Habitat. — Nepal, ISikkim, Assam. 



Distribution. — We have received many examples from Sikkim and from the 

 Khasia Hills, where it seems to be a common species ; the type came from Sikkim, 



