LYCJENIBM. 69 



the cell ; cell long, narrow ; upper discocellular long, very oblique, lower less oblique, 

 straight, of equal length. ; middle median branch emitted before end of the cell, lower 

 at some distance and opposite to half length of upper discocellular; submedian 

 straight, internal vein recurved. Body small; palpi small, porrect, not projecting 

 beyond the eyes, slender, pilose, second joint very long, third joint short, pointed ; 

 legs slender ; antennge with a well-formed spatulate club. 



ABISARA PRUNOSA (Plate 33, Fig. 3 a, J, ^ , ?). 

 Abisara Pinmosa, Moore, Proc. Zool. Sec. Lend. 1879, p. 137. 



Male. Upperside deep brownish-purple, with slightly paler transverse discal 

 fascise : hindwing with two subapical and two smaller subanal pale-bordered conical 

 black spots margined outwardly by a delicate white line, and two intervening pale 

 conical marks. Female duller coloured, the discal fasciae and a marginal line paler, 

 and more distinct ; conical spots on the hindAving prominent. Underside paler, 

 similar in tint and markings to upper side of female. 



Expanse I5 to If inch. 



Larva light green ; vermiform, with numerous dorsal and lateral short fine hairs. 

 Pupa light green, dorsally black spotted, hairy. Feeds on Ardisia. 



" Western and Central Provinces, in forest land, nearly all the year ; common. 

 Has a rapid darting flight ; settles on the underside of leaves with wings open " 

 {Sutchison) . 



" Plentiful amongst the undergrowth of open jungle, or by roadsides. Low 

 country and up to about 4000 feet {Mackwood). 



" Galle and Kandy " {Wade). 



Family LYC^NIDJE. 



Six perfect legs in female, four in male, the anterior tarsi wanting one or both of 

 the tarsal claws, but densely spined beneath. Pupa suspended by the tail and a 

 girdle across the middle. 



" These are perfect gems of beauty, mostly of small size, and including, probably, 

 the smallest known butterflies. Their colours are most commonly azure-blue, purple, 

 or copper. They enliven by their numbers and perpetual movements the hedges and 

 flower-gardens of Ceylon. The diff"erent kinds are very numerous, though to a 

 careless observer many quite distinct species appear ahke, and it requires close 

 inspection to distinguish them from one another. The larv« are of small size, and 



