1897.] Capt. E. Y. Watson — Butterflies from Myingyan. 611 



Note by Lionel de Nic£ville. 



As regards the distinctness of Zizera indica, Murray, from Z. otis, 

 Fabricius, I wrote in "The Butterflies of India, Burma and Ceylon," 

 vol. ii, p. ]21 (1890) that "There is no doubt that the former is strictly 

 synonymous with Z. sangra, Moore [which Capt. Watson admits], 

 which again is a synonym of Z. otis, Fabricius." The only authors 

 who have referred to Z. indica are Mi*. Murray who described it from 

 Allahabad at the instigation of Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore who records it 

 from Ceylon and the N\-W. Himalayas, Mr. Butler from Mhow and 

 Formosa, Col. Swinhoe from Poona and Ahmednugger in the Bombay 

 Presidency, and Dr. O. Staudiuger with a query from Palawan in 

 the Philippine Islands. I have a very long series of specimens of 

 Z. otis from almost throughout India, Burma, Sumatra, Java, Celebes, 

 &c. I have tried my utmost to separate these specimens into two 

 species by the character of the spots on the underside of the forewing 

 by which test Capt. Watson says they can be differentiated, but have 

 failed, as though in some specimens the spots are " brown/' (or more 

 correctly pale fuscous) with grey borders, while others are deep black 

 with prominent white borders, I have many specimens which are 

 strictly intermediate. I gather that Capt. Watson restricts Z. indica 

 to Burma and South India, but it must be held to occur in the N.-W. 

 Provinces, from whence it was originally described. But Capt. Watson 

 does not say where he considers Z, otis to occur. I consider Z. otis to 

 inhabit all India and across Southern Asia to Hongkong, Burma, the Malay 

 Peninsula, the Philippine Islands, and probably most of the islands of 

 the Malay Archipelago, from many of which it has been recorded, 

 chiefly by the German and Dutch writers, as Z. lysizone, Snellen. 



With regard to Tarucus theophrastus, Fabricius, which Capt. 

 Watson splits up into four distinct species in India, I am prepared to 

 admit tentatively that the T. venosus, Moore, may be a distinct species ; 

 but that T. callinara, Butler ( ? typical T. theophrastus), T. extricatus, 

 Butler ( ? T. nara, Kollar), and T. alteratus, Moore, are also distinct 

 I greatly doubt. In this connection the notes by Dr. N. Manders in 

 Ent. Month. Mag., vol. xxviii, p. 130 (1892) on the seasonal forms of 

 T* alteratus and T. theophrastus found at Rawal Pindi in the Punjab 

 may be studied with advantage. 



