BUTTERFLIES OF SAMOA AND SOME NEIGHBOURING ISLAND-GROUPS. 61 



27. Telicota fraseri, sp. n. 



Male (PL I, fig. 10). — Upperside bright tawny, with the following black 

 markings : on the forewing a broad subterminal border, traversed by very 

 narrow streaks of the ground-colour along the veins, and becoming wider 

 posteriorly ; a narrow stripe from base to rather more than one-third length 

 of wing in interspace 1 ; at apex of cell, a wedge-shaped mark extending nearly 

 to the subterminal border ; the veins are also mainly black. On the hind- 

 wing the costa is edged with black, broadening gradually from base to about 

 half-way to termen, then narrowing sharply ; termen and dorsum bordered with 

 black, broadest at the anal angle. Underside, ground-colour similar ; the 

 black basal streak and the posterior portion of the subterminal border are 

 present (the latter ill-developed), and the dorsum is bordered with black, but 

 the rest of the black markings, including all those of the hindwing, are absent. 

 Cilia bright tawny. There are conspicuous small transparent areas just external 

 to the cell in interspaces 2, 3, and 4 of the hindwing, and similar but much less 

 well-developed areas at the distal end of the cell in both fore and hindwing, 

 and in interspaces 2, 3, and 4 of the forewing ; these latter are not very 

 obvious, and are best seen by holding the insect up to the light. Expanse 

 34 mm. Type and one paratype from Vaisigano Valley ; two other paratypes 

 from Vailima and Vailutai, Upolu Island, Samoa. Female and early stages 

 unknown. 



This species is apparently closely allied to the Indian T. palmarum Moore, 

 but differs from any form of that species that I have seen in the presence of the 

 transparent areas, and in its less extensive black markings ; it very closely 

 resembles Telicota augustula H. S., of Fiji, but can immediately be distinguished 

 by the absence of the sexual brand in the male. Rechinger's record of the 

 latter species from Samoa (Rebel, 1910, p. 422) almost certainly refers to 

 T. fraseri, since he did not capture the only specimen he saw ; the only other 

 record of T. augustula from Samoa is that of Schmeltz (p. 191), repeated by 

 Pagenstecher (p. 302), and probably also refers to the present species. In all 

 probability this is also the species mentioned by Fraser as a fawn-coloured 

 skipper, seen settling on leaves far from the ground in a clearing in forest, at 

 about 800 feet elevation, and I have accordingly named it after her. 



The species appears to be rare in Upolu, but occurred in several localities 

 at different altitudes. In 1924 specimens were seen as follows : one at 

 Malololelei (2,000 feet) on Lantana flowers, and one at Vailima (600 feet), both 



