EURASIAN & AUSTRALIAN NEPTINI 13 



large islands of Panay and Negros with the smaller island of Guimaras which lies 

 between them. 



b. Mindanao with Samar, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and the Sulu Archipelago as well 

 as many small islands, including Bazilan and Camiguin de Mindanao. 



c. Mindoro. 



The subspecies from the Luzon group are characterized by wide, clear markings, 

 their width decreasing somewhat from South to North. The subspecies from the 

 Mindanao group have much narrower and often sullied markings with a darker 

 underside ground colour, so much so that in some cases it is hard to believe that 

 one is dealing with the same species as in Luzon. Considering that Samar is so 

 much closer to Luzon than Panay and Negros, and apparently separated by a sea 

 of no greater depth, it is astonishing how wide a taxonomic gap exists between 

 one and the other. The subspecies from Mindoro have markings intermediate in 

 width between the subspecies from the Luzon and Mindanao groups, though closer 

 to the latter, but also differ from both to an extent that suggests they they are the 

 most isolated group. Unfortunately I have not seen any Neptini from the large 

 island of Masbate and only a single specimen (the type of Pantoporia epira (C. & R. 

 Felder)) from the nearby island of Burias which is intermediate between the sub- 

 species from Luzon and Mindanao. It would be interesting to know if these islands 

 provided the ' missing link ' between the two latter groups. 



There is one exception to the grouping outlined above. Neptis mindorana 

 occurs as far south as Leyte, Bohol and Cebu in a Luzon-like form. The explanation 

 is, I think, that the hylas complex comprises butterflies favouring secondary growth 

 and cultivation, and such insects, though not migrants in the accepted sense, tend 

 to spread very rapidly wherever a suitable habitat is created by man or other agents. 

 This would account for the homogeneity of the forms occurring in most of the 

 islands and may eventually lead to the submergence of the very distinct indigenous 

 forms in Mindanao and Mindoro. 



In Celebes the tribe is represented by only five species. Except in the case of 

 Pantoporia antara (Moore), an endemic which has succeeded in crossing Weber's 

 Line into the Papuan subregion, the species are representatives of widespread 

 S.E. Asian species, but specialization has proceeded so far that in every case I 

 consider that they have attained separate specific status. 



Papuan species 



The Papuan area can be divided into five sub-areas, each producing very dis- 

 tinctive groups of subspecies : — 



a. New Guinea with N.E. Australia and the islands lying on the shallow shelf 

 surrounding New Guinea, 



b. the South Moluccas (Buru, Ceram, Amboina etc.), 



c. the North Moluccas (Obi, Batjan, Halmahera, Morotai etc.), 



d. the Bismarck Archipelago, 



e. the Solomon Islands. 



