ILERDA. 



407 



brond red submarginal band suffused with whitish and inwardly bordered by a luniilated 

 ■white line ; there is usually a small black dot in the cell. 



The male specimen figured is rather paler than usual. 



Yar. marica. (Tlato XXX. figs. 1 J , 4 § .) MaU. Differs from the typical form in being larger, 

 deeper in tint of ground-colour, and in having broader l)lack margins, which are not inwardly 

 dcntated along the nervules ; the submarginal red line is narrower, more strongly arched, 

 and does not extend so far in the direction of the outer angle ; the black tails, which are 

 tipped with white, are longer and more slender. 



Female. The orange patch on primaries narrower and more curved. 



Under surface of both sexes yellowish. Primaries have a large velvety-black spot above inner 

 angle, and sometimes a smaller linear black spot in the interspace above, these are inwardly 

 bordered with whitish ; there is an indistinct dusky bar at the end of the discoidal cell, an obscure 

 dusky wavy line beyond which extends from costa to first median nervule, and an ill-defined 

 submarginal line : secondaries have a small black spot in the discoidal cell and a similar one 

 directly below it in the submedian interspace ; there is an ill-defined, waved, and indented 

 central and dusky Hue; the outer marginal area is occupied by a series of broad confluent 

 bright red lunules, the points of each lunule projecting into the white fringes ; this is preceded 

 by a series of white black-edged lunules ; the red lunules are filled up with black, bordered 

 outwardly with white; a black line precedes the fringes. 



E.xpanse 40 millim. 



The above form appears to be rather commoner than the type, but occurs 

 in the same localities and may perhaps be a seasonal variety. 



/. saphir, Blanchard, resembles /. oda on the upper surface, but agrees better 

 with /. ej^icles on the under surface ; it is, however, easily distinguished from 

 the former by the absence of any purplish shade in the blue coloration of the 

 male, and by the narrower submarginal fulvous bands on secondaries of the 

 female. 



The male of this species may be distinguished from I. moorei, Hewitson 

 (= saphir, Elwes, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1882, p. 402, pi. xxv. figs. 9 6 , 

 10 2 ), by the brighter and more decided blue on the upper surface, and 

 botli sexes by the different characters of the transverse markings on the under 

 surface. 



The commonest species of the genus found in China. It appears to be 

 generally distributed in the west and occurs at Chang-yang and Ichang in 

 Central China. 



It has not been found possible to reproduce the exact colours of the males 

 of the several species of Ilerda, and no figure, however carefully it may 

 be executed, can convey a correct impression of the brilliancy of these 

 insects. 



3h2 



