12 J. N. ELIOT 



occasional intergrades. Dimorphism also occurs in the Western Himalayas in 

 N. zaida zaida Westwood where a stable whitish dimorph f. pallida Tytler occurs 

 frequently with the typical pale yellowish form. These dimorphs have generally 

 been regarded as seasonal forms, but it is clear from dated material in the British 

 Museum (Natural History) that both occur together and that they are true dimorphs. 

 N. zaida is also remarkable for exhibiting an unusually high degree of subspeciation, 

 whitish, pale yellow and orange monomorphic subspecies occurring from the Central 

 Himalayas to South Burma in a quite unpredictable pattern. 



S.E. Asian species 



The Neptini are poorly represented in Peninsular India (7 species), still more so 

 in Ceylon (3 species) ; in most cases each of these areas produces subspecies differing 

 from the wide-spread forms occurring in the Indo-Burmese area (N.E. India to 

 Burma, Siam and Vietnam). The Indo-Burmese forms are sometimes divisible 

 into northern and southern subspecies and, in a few instances, are continued by 

 generally similar forms into Hainan and South, Central and Western China. Three 

 species which have reached Formosa occur in less strongly differentiated subspecies 

 than in the case of the more numerous Sino-Himalayan species ; probably they 

 reached the island at a later date. The Andaman Islands exhibit parallel variation 

 through a very dark under surface ground colour in all the species which occur 

 there. 



Neomalaya (Malaya, Sumatra and Borneo) appears to be the headquarters of the 

 S.E. Asian species ; the subspecies there are generally similar. Javanese forms 

 usually have wider markings, whilst the forms occurring in the Lesser Sunda Islands, 

 which must be derived from Javanese stock, show a reversion towards Neomalayan 

 forms. An exception is provided by Neptis nata Moore which occurs in such distinct 

 subspecies in Malaya, Sumatra/Borneo and Java/Lesser Sunda Is. that at first 

 sight three separate species seem to be involved. Paramalaya (the chain of islands 

 off the West coast of Sumatra from Simalur to Engano, to which I add the Nicobars) 

 produces strikingly diverse subspecies ; here evolution seems to have proceeded 

 haphazardly and fast amongst the small isolated populations. This diversity is 

 well illustrated by the enormous differences between the subspecies of the Neptis 

 vikasi group occurring in Nias and the adjacent Mentawi Islands. Palawan 

 (politically Philippine but zoogeographically Malaysian) produces strongly differen- 

 tiated subspecies, so much so that I have felt compelled to separate three species 

 (Neptis sunica sp. n. infra, Lasippa illigerella (Staudinger) and L. bella (Staudinger)) 

 from their nearest Malaysian relatives. Only two Philippine species have succeeded 

 in reaching Palawan in forms which do not differ greatly from the forms occurring 

 in Mindoro. One of these, Neptis mindorana C. & R. Felder, is surprisingly the sole 

 representative there of the N. hylas complex. 



The Philippines proper can be divided into three island groups, each producing 

 very distinct groups of subspecies which exhibit parallel variation to a striking 

 degree. These groups are : — 



a. Luzon (with its satellite islands such as Polillo and the Babuyanes Is.) and the 



