^0 ChoHntmas Island, 



Il^SECTA. 



(PLATES IX-XY.) 



Order 1.— LEPIDOPTERA. 



LEPIDOPTERA RHOPALOCERA. 



Ey Aethtje G. Butler, Ph.D., E.L.S., E.Z.S., etc. 



(PLATE IX, Fig. 8.) 



In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1888 I gave an 

 -ficcount of a collection of Lepidoptera obtained by Mr. J. J. Lister 

 •on Christmas Island in 1887 ; this collection contained five species 

 'Of Butterflies, two of which I had described in the Proceedings of 

 the preceding year in a Report on a Zoological Collection made by 

 the Officers of H.M.S. " Flying Eish." 



Previous to Mr. Andrews' visit, therefore, the following species 

 were recorded as occurring on the island : — Vadelra macleari^ 

 Hypolimnas listeri, Nacaduha aluta, Terias amplexa, and Terias 

 patruelis ; but, as the last of these turns out to be quite distinct 

 from Moore's species, and the ordinary female of T. amplexa, only 

 four distinct species were known to exist on the island. To these 

 Mr. Andrews has added five others, one of which, however, was 

 evidently blown across from Java, to the species of which island 

 those of Christmas Island show some affinity, although less than to 

 those of North Australia. 



The following is a list of the species : — 



Family jS'YMPHALIDJE. 



EUPLCEIK^. 



1. Limnas petilia. 



Tapilio petilia, Stoll, Suppl. Cramer's Pap. Exot., pL xxviii, fig. 3 (1787-91). 



Three males and four females were obtained near Rocky Point 

 in September and IS^ovember. 



Hitherto this species has only been known as purely Australian ; 

 its occurrence on Christmas Island, therefore, is the more 

 remarkable. If Z. petilia reached this island from Australia 

 there seems no reason why it should not have passed northwards 

 to Java; it would therefore appear more probable that it has 

 travelled in a south-easterly direction to Australia, but that it 

 should have crossed such a vast tract of sea is indeed extra- 

 ordinary; nevertheless, the forms of Hypolimnas nerina occurring 

 in Australia and Java are almost identical. 



