ILERDA. 



405 



species ; outer margin somewhat varying in outline ; in some species it is scalloped, in others 

 oblique from the apex to the termination of the second subcostal nervule, thence to first 

 median nervule straight, in others, again, it is evenly rounded throughout ; costal nervure 

 much arched at the base, terminating at the apex of the wing ; first subcostal nervule given 

 off some little distance before the apex of the cell ; diseocellular nervules straight and some- 

 what outwardly oblique, the upper a little shorter than the lower ; second median nervule 

 given off a little before the lower end of the cell ; submedian nervure straight ; internal 

 nervure recurved. Male with no secondary sexual characters. 

 " Type, /. epides, Godart." (de AiccviUe, I. c.) 



Ilerda viridipunctata. (Plfite XXX. fig. s, d .) 



Ilerda tamu, Hewitsou (nec KoUar), 111. Diurn. Lep. p. 57 (1865) ; Moore, Proc. Zool. 



Soc. Lond. 1882, p. 248. 

 Ilerda viridipunctata, Niceville, Butt. Inil. iii. p. 329, pi. xxviii. fig. 207, (5^(1890). 



" Allied to /. androcles, Doubleday and Hewitson. Male. TJpperside blackish brown ; with the 

 medial, basal, and discal area of the fore wing and medial area of hind wing sparsely covered 

 with dull metallic greenish-blue scales, these scarcely appearing below the submedian vein 

 on the fore wing, and being less thickly disposed on the hind wing ; anal red lunules narrow 

 and distinct. Female paler brown ; fore wing with an oblique discal slightly curved short 

 red band ; hind wing with a marginal narrow sinuous red band. Underside dull saffron- 

 yellow ; markings similar to those of /. androcles. 



" Expanse 1^*^ inch." {Moore, I. c.) 



Mr. de Niceville {L c), who states that this insect had only been met with 

 in Sikkim and Kumaon, remarks : — " The only characters I can give to distin- 

 guish the females of /. viridipiuictata and /. hrahama, Moore, are that the 

 former is a larger insect, with the ground-colour of the underside darker and 

 of a greenish tinge. In Sikkim, however, the two species do not usually 

 occur together, /. viridipunctata being found at much higher elevations than 

 /. hrahama ever attains. Mr. Otto Moller possesses two curious aberrations 

 or ' sports ' (or perhaps hybrids) of the male of this species, which are in some 

 lights almost as rich a bronzy colour as obtains in /. hrahama, only of a 

 more greenish brassy shade. They were taken in Sikkim with /. viridipunc- 

 tata, so I note them under that species, though they are exactly intermediate 

 between the two." 



Chinese specimens of the male have less greenish powdering on the fore 

 wing, and in one specimen this colour is reduced to a few scales bordering the 

 nervures. The example figured is the best-marked specimen of this species 

 that I have received from China. Females are identical with Indian examples 

 of this sex. 



In Western China this species occurs not uncommonly at Ta-chien-lu, 

 Wa-shan, Wa-ssu-kow, and Pu-tsu-fong. 



3h 



