780 
ABISARA. By H. Fruhstobfee. 
above etymander, though burni is paler red-brown and the black spots of the hind wings are very small. 
timaeus. Upper Burma, collected in April at an elevation of about 5000 ft. — timaeus Fruhst. Ground-colour dark red- 
brown, almost like Munich beer. The distinct white markings of burni above almost entirely faded. Instead 
of it, the black subapical spots on the hindwings, so very characteristic of Abisara, are likewise strongly deve¬ 
loped in the shape of long black wedges. In burni-%, however, they are only minute, whereas otherwise just 
the $$ exhibit the most extensive macular marking in the genus Abisara. Under surface: The white submar¬ 
ginal spots and violet discal spots are much broader than in burni-Q, but the discal, black dentate band of the 
hindwings is absent and simply indicated by 3 diffuse, small spots. Subapical spots extremely intense. In the 
anal angle of the under surface of the forewings we find yet an important difference which can hardly be sexual. 
The violet spots flowing together in burni to a band in the shape of a horseshoe, are far remote in timaeus. 
Thorax and abdomen above of the same colours as the wings, beneath white just like in burni. Than-Moi, June, 
assus. July. 1000 ft., North Tonkin. — assus subsp. nov. was recently discovered in Canton. By the more intensely 
red-brown ground-colour, assus forms the transition to etymander (139a). The black apical spots of the hind¬ 
wings form the intermediate between the Tonkin- and Formosa-races. Under surface more prominently dotted 
etymander. in whitish violet than in timaeus and etymander . Rare, only 1 in my collection. -— etymander Fruhst. (139 a) 
exhibits the largest black spots of the hindwings, being the most copiously bordered in orange-yellow. The 
whitish violet striation of the under surface is finer than in the continental vicarioirs types. Formosa, flying 
from July till October. Very rare, only three in the Coll. Fruhstobfee known. 
Group of species: Sospita (Hew.). 
The discocellulars of the forewings form a more acute angle than in Abisara. Middle discocellular of 
the forewing shorter than the posterior one. Precostal long, steeper than in Abisara. Median part of the hind¬ 
wings only slightly projecting. $ dichromatic. Occurring only on the continent. Valve obtuse, distally con¬ 
sisting of 2 broad lobes. Penis-canal plainer and shorter than in Abisara. Type: S. fylla Hew. 
fylla. A. fylla occurs from Cashmir and the Kumaon-Himalaya to Assam, Burma and Tenasserin, where 
it is met from the lowlands up to an altitude of 7000 feet. It seems to fly all the year round. I myself possess 
from Sikkim two temporal forms mentioned neither by de Niceville nor by Moore. We find the 
and $ of the rainy period very well figured by Moore (Lep. Ind. t. 399 f 1 a—1 c). The form of the dry 
period is recognizable by the lighter ground-colour and the broader bands of the forewings. We depict the 
fyUaria. latter as fyllaria Fruhst. (139c) in the female; also thedenoted as fylla (139c) belongs to the dry period and 
differs from the $$ of the rainy period by a paler total colouring, fylla lies before me in numbers from 
Sikkim, Bhutan and Assam. According to Niceville, the butterfly is common during the warm months on 
magdala. not great elevations. -— magdala Fruhst. (139 c), a melanotic areal form which I ascertained as a novelty for 
Tonkin, differs from fylla by the more pointed and narrower wings and a much narrower and steeper, more 
white than yellow band of the forewing. Hindwings above and beneath more dotted in black and white. From 
fylloides Moore-Q from Szetchuan magdala -$ deviates by the more rectilinear, purer white band of the fore¬ 
wing, by two distinct apical dots, and by the hindwings being more copiously spotted. Chiem-Hoa, August, 
fylloides. September; Central Tonkin. — fylloides Moore (Vol. I, p. 254, t. 89 d) was mentioned as fylla in the first 
volume. It occurs in Szetchuan and to the east as far as Itchang and Changyang in Central China. Specimens 
from Bernardmyo in Upper Burma mentioned by Moore will probably form a transition between magdala 
and fylloides. 
Group of species: Abisara ( Fldr.). 
Middle and posterior discocellulars of the hindwings equally long. Precostal pointed, bent. Hind¬ 
wings with more or less distinctly projecting median-lobes. $ lighter coloured than the with a white apical 
spot or pale submarginal bands of the forewings. Occurring in the oriental region to the north as far as to the 
Liu Kiu Islands, to the east as far as Celebes. Correspondingly also in Africa. Valve in the shape of a hook 
or stylus. Type: A. echerius Stoll. 
A. echerius is one of the most variable butterflies of the South Asiatic fauna and of the least capacity 
to resist both the geographical and climatic influences. The climax of its variability the species attains in Burma, 
being a country with a decidedly long dry season, and the material of the collections makes the impression as 
if in every month of the year certain forms occurred deviating from each other, though they are connected 
with each other by multifarious intermediate forms. $ red-brown with a violet lustre disappearing in specimens 
of the extreme winter-form. Forewing with three rows of lighter bands shining through from beneath. Hind¬ 
wings with the black apical double-spots so very characteristic of all the species of the genus, being joined by 
two more in the anal angle. The bands as well as the black spots show the tendency of disappearing altogether 
