176 J. Wood-Mason — Description of a new Thaumantis. [No. 4» 



tem duohus (intermediis trihus ohsoletis) rujis^ jpupilla alha, iride tenui 

 nigra. 



JExpans. alarum antic, unc. 5 lin. 3. 



Habitat in Tenasserim in montibus *' Taoo^^ diet is ad alt. 3 — 6000 

 ped. ; O. Limborg detexit. 



This fine and distinct species belongs to the same division of the genus 

 as Th. camadeva^ Th. nourmahal, Th. cambodia, and Th. Jiowqua, to the 

 last of which it is most nearly related, but from which it differs in having 

 the upper surface of the wings white and fulvous instead of fulvous 

 throughout, and in having five spots, the red rings of the ocelli, on the under- 

 surface of the fore wings, and only two well-developed ocelli on the hinder 

 wings, instead of three and five ocelli respectively. 



Both the specimens obtained are males and each is furnished, like the 

 same are in all the allied species and in some at least of those belonging to 

 the other section of the genus, with a tuft of erectile hairs situated on the 

 upper surface of each hinder wing near the base of the organ. Dr. Fritz 

 Miiller has recently communicated to the Entomological Society of 

 London a valuable paper in which the tufts of hairs and the glandular 

 patches he has discovered on different parts of the body in the males of 

 many Brazilian Lepidoptera are considered to be odoriferous organs serving, 

 in all probability, to attract the females. In the species of Thaumantis 

 the tufts by their erection probably serve to scatter a scented secretion 

 poured out by skin-glands at their base ; and I hope that some one of the 

 three gentlemen (Major Badgley and Messrs. Peal and Mandelli) who are 

 located in districts in or near to which two of the species* (Th. camadeva 

 and Th. diores) abound, will before long examine living specimens of the 

 male of one or the other of these species so as to be able to tell us whether 

 these structures are odoriferous or not. The accompanying plate is from 

 a characteristic coloured drawing of the typical specimen (presented by 

 me to the Oxford Museum) by Professor Westwood, Hope Professor of 

 Zoology in the University of Oxford. 



* Short descriptions, by the aid of which and of that of the accompanying illustra- 

 tion any one ought to be able to recognize these two species, are subjoined : — 



Th, camadeva^ has the fore wings above white tinged with, leaden blue, brown at 

 the base, and with a submarginal band of blotches and another of lunules fuscous ; 

 the hinder wings fuscous brown at base and with a band of leaden white lunules behind 

 the middle ; and five red ocelli, each provided with a black iris-like ring, on the under 

 surface of each of the four wings. The expanse of the fore wings is 4^ inches. The 

 species is well-figured by Westwood in his ' Cabinet of Oriental Entomology,' pi. iv. 



Th, diores belongs to the other section of the genus : it is to be recognized at a 

 glance by the fuscous black upper surface of its wings, each of which has in the centre a 

 huge band or spot of indescribably brilHant metallic changeable blue ; on the fore wings 

 this spot is much paler and less changeable externally, while on the hinder wings it is 

 paler in the centre. Expanse 3| — 4| inches. 



