EURASIAN & AUSTRALIAN NEPTINI 129 



lydda. His practice of naming butterflies which he had not himself seen was, 

 to say the least, regrettable, and has led to much confusion in other instances. 



Grose Smith's record from New Guinea is certainly wrong. Many of the 19th 

 and early 20th century specimens in BMNH, particularly from the Papuan sub- 

 region, are undoubtedly wrongly labelled, whilst other labels of doubtful validity 

 make it difficult to fix with any certainty the exact range of forms occurring in 

 this area. 



Bismarck Archipelago. 



Phaedyma fissizonata (Butler) 

 Ph. fissizonata pisias (Godman & Salvin) 



Neptis pisias Godman & Salvin, 1888 : 98. Solomon Is., Alu Is., Fauro Is. <J? types BMNH. 

 Neplis (Phaedyma) fissizonata pisias Godman & Salvin ; Fruhstorfer, 1913 : 617. 



Solomon Is. (Bougainville, Shortland Is., Fauro, Choiseul, Sta. Isabel). 

 Typically the postdiscal band on the upper surface of the hind wing is obsolescent ; 

 in examples from Treasury Is. (a small island south of the Shortland group) it is 

 usually obsolete. 



Ph. fissizonata fissizonata (Butler) 



Neptis fissizonata Butler, 1882 : 43. Solomon Is. o* type BMNH. 



Neptis fissizonata Butler ; Grose Smith & Kirby, 1895 : 2, pi. Neptis 1, figs. 3, 4. 



Neptis (Phaedyma) fissizonata fissizonata Butler ; Fruhstorfer, 1913 : 617. 



The postdiscal band on the upper surface of the hind wing consists of well-marked, 

 though sullied, and almost rounded spots. 



Solomon Is. (Guadalcanar, Florida Is., Savo Is.). 



Ph. fissizonata vella ssp. n. 



(PI. 2, fig. 19) 



In both sexes on the upper surface of the fore wing the postdiscal spots in spaces 2, 3, 5 and 

 6 are wider than in the two preceding subspecies, the spot in 3 being only narrowly separated 

 from the streak beyond cell ; the submarginal series is well-marked and almost pure white, 

 even in examples in which the discal and postdiscal markings are pale green. On the upper 

 surface of the hind wing the discal band is also wider, and the postdiscal band of sullied whitish 

 bars is rather intermediate between the obsolescent band of ssp. pisias and the rounded spots 

 of ssp. fissizonata. On the under surface the ground colour is of a slightly paler, more greyish 

 brown. Examples with pale green instead of the usual white markings occur more frequently 

 than in any of the preceding forms of the amphion complex, and the types are of this colour. 



Holotype <J. Solomon Is. : Vella Lavella, 1907-1908 (ex Oberthiir coll.). 



Allotype $. Same data as holotype. 



Described from 4 <$, 12 $ Vella Lavella, 7^, 2 $Gizo Is., 1^, 4$Ranonga (Ganonga), 

 1 $, 1 $ without locality. Examples from New Georgia and Rendova Is. show an 

 approach to ssp. pisias, but are nearer to ssp. vella under which they are provisionally 

 placed 



