RAPALA . 



413 



Genus RAPALA. 



Moore, Lcp. Ccyl. i. p. 105 (1881); Distant, Rliop. Malay, p. 270 (1885); 

 de Niceville, Butt. Ind. iii. p. 454 (1890). 

 " Allied to Viracholci. Wings small. 



" Fore wing comparatively shorter and less acutely triangular in form ; exterior margin slightly 

 convex ; furnished with a broad tuft of hair on middle of ])ostcrior margin beneath. 



" Hind wintj less produced hiudward, more convex exteriorly ; anal angle lobed ; a single tail from 

 end of lower median vein ; male with a broad conical-shaped glandular depression between 

 the costal and subcostal veins, but which does not extend below the subcostal. 



" Palpi shorter, second joint more laxly squamose. 



" Type R. varuna." (Moore, I. c.) 



Rapala nissa. (Plate xxix. figs. 12 d , 15 2 .) 



Thecia nissa, Kollar, Hiigel's Kaschmir, i. pt. 2, p. 412, pi. iv. figs. 3, 4 (1848). 

 Deudorix nissa, va.!'. (part.), Hewitson, 111. Diuvu. Lep. p. 23, pi. x. figs, 42,43, i^, 44, ? 

 (1863). 



Rapala nissa, de Niceville, Butt. Ind. iii. p. 433 (1890). 

 Rapala subpurpurea, Leech, Entomologist, xxiii. p. 42 (1890). 



" Male. Upperside : both wings shining bluish purple or deep steel-blue, variable in shape. Fore 

 •wing with the costa, apex, and outer margin purplish black, sometimes without any other 

 marks, sometimes with a small orange patch beyond the cell, sometimes with a patch nearly 

 as large as in Hi/sudra selira, Moore. Hind wing with the costal margin pale, the abdominal 

 margin fuscous, the anal lobe black, with a patch of ferruginous scales near the middle. Under- 

 side : both wings with the ground-colour somewhat variable in tone, sometimes pale brown, 

 sometimes ochreous brown. Fore wing with two fine dark lines defining the discocellular 

 nervulcs ; a very straight, even, decreasing discal band from the costa almost to the submedian 

 nervure, outwardly finely defined with white ; an obscure submarginal fascia. Hind wing 

 with similar markings, but the discal band recurved to the abdominal margin, where it is 

 defined on both sides with white ; anal lobe black, submedian interspace on the margin also 

 black, but heavily sprinkled with whitish scales, a black spot crowned with orange in the 

 first median interspace. 



" Female. Upperside : both wings rather duller in shade, otherwise similar to the male." (de Nice- 

 ville, I. c.) 



"A variable species. The male is sometimes, as in Kollar 's figure, without the red spot on the 

 middle of the anterior wing, sometimes it is more distinctly marked than in the figure 42 of 

 the plate. In colour it differs from other allied species, and, like the females of varuna, 

 Horsfield, and. 2>Jieretina, Hewitson, is of a dull grey- or indigo-blue. On the underside the 

 transverse band is far apart where the wings meet." (Heivitson, I. c.) 



The first specimens of this species which I received from China I considered 

 to be distinct from any described Rcqmla ; but now that I have a larger amount 

 of material, in the shape of specimens both from India and China, I find that 

 my suhpuiyurea is not specifically separable from E. nissa. 



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