466 SPHINGID^]. 



Egg. — Nearly spherical in shape, surface smooth and shining, 

 colour green or yellow. Length about 2 mm. 



Larva. — Shape the same as those of the genus Theretra ; 

 anterior segments retractile ; horn of medium length, down- 

 curved, sometimes flattened laterally or with clubbed tip ; 

 surface smooth and either dull or shining ; colour green or 

 brown ; a large dorso-lateral ocellus on 5. and a dorso-lateral 

 stripe and oblique stripes present. 



Pupa. — Tongue-sheath projecting slightly (velata) or con- 

 siderably frontad and ventrad. Surface dull, and smooth 

 except on tongue -case and wing-case. Colour brown or 

 yellowish, with paler markings. 



Habits. — Food-plants : Ampelidese ; Geraniaceee ; Saxi- 

 fragacese ; Aroidese. 



Hab. Oriental Region, northwards to China and Japan, 

 eastwards to Malaya. Nine Indian species and subspecies. 



Key to the Species and Subspecies. 



Imagines. 



1. Hind wing underside with conspicuous [(Roths.), p. 478. 



black stigma R. a. albomarginalus 



Hind wing underside without a black 

 stigma 2. 



2. Second segment of palpus strongly narrowed [p. 470. 



to base R. acuta (Walk.), 



Second segment of palpus not narrowed to 

 base 3. 



3. Upperside of thorax flushed with red, under- 



side of wings and body including palpus [p. 478. 



rosy-red R. gloriosa (Butl.), 



Upperside of thorax not flushed with red . . 4. 



4. Fore wing upperside with a single series 



of sharply defined white submarginal 



lunules 5. 



Fore wing upperside with two series of white 

 spots, or a broad ill -defined band, or 

 without white submarginal markings . . 6. 



5. Metanotum with a reddish-tawny lateral [p. 475. 



spot R.l. lunata (Roths.), 



Metanotum without reddish-tawny spot ... R.l. sikhimensis Roths. 



6. Fore wing upperside with a series of white [& Jord., p. 474. 



submarginal spots, preceded by a straight 

 white line from apex to R 2 and by a lunate 

 line between R 3 and SM 2 ; underside of [p. 475. 



body and wings ochreous R. olivacea (Moore), 



Not so coloured 7. 



7. Underside of wings densely speckled with 



brown, marginal band of fore wing not 

 joined to brown basal area ; no white 

 submarginal scaling on fore wing upper- 

 side ; abdomen without yellow lateral [p. 467. 



stripe R. velata (Walk.), 



Underside less densely speckled with brown ; 

 marginal band of fore wing joined to basal 

 area between R 2 and R 3 8. 



