ABISARA. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
779 
lecerfi subsp. nov. (141 b) was recently discovered near Vinh in Annam. Under surface paler, with preponderantly lecerfi. 
blackish-grey instead of jet-black stripes. 
3. Genus: Ahi sara Fldr. 
Felder’s remark that this genus is confounded with Taxila by English authors is valid up to this day, 
only that the case is just the reverse to-day. Felder, in 1890, was induced to separate Abisara echerius Stoll 
from Taxila and to bring it into a new genus, while to-day the Papuan species must be separated from the 
Abisara and placed again near Taxila. The Abisara exclusively inhabit the Indo-Malayan region, extending in 
the east not beyond Celebes. The Austro-Malayan species, however, having been hitherto united with Abisara, 
have the haired eyes in common with the Abisara, but they deviate from them in the structure to such an extent 
that their separation and elimination is inevitable. The real Abisara , considering their exterior alone, are, 
in their turn, divided into four easily discernible groups of species: 
a) Hindwings entirely round. Sosibia 
b) Hindwings with an insignificant projection at the end of the median vein . Sospita 
c) Hindwings angled or with obtuse lobes. Abisara 
d) Hindwings with long, tail-like ends. Archigenes. 
Common to all is the costal of the hindwings being only slightly curved (not angled as in Taxila ) at 
the rise of the precostal, as well as the first subcostal branch being for a short distance grown together with 
the costal of the forewing. The sexes differ from each other, but they are not dichromatic as in Praetaxila. 
On the continent of India and in Java, the different species are subject to the influence of the seasons. They 
preponderantly inhabit the woods of the lowlands, some species, however, are confined to the mountains and 
rise there as far as almost 3000 nr. The habits are described by E. H. Aitken (Journ. Bomb. N. H. Soc. 1886 
p. 215) as follows: ,,When the rainy period draws to an end in September or October, every bush on the hills 
appears to be alive by the attitudes and sports of these small embodiments of vanity. They are everywhere 
single, flying up in the middle of a leaf on the upper surface and then turning by jerks from one side to 
the other with their wings half opened, then jumping over to another leaf upon which they spread themselves. 
Somitimes a couple joins in these performances. Abisara , being fearless creatures, belong to those butterflies 
that are the most easy to capture 41 . — The scales of the Abisara rest as delicately as the bloom of a plum 
and are just as sensitive and easily taken off as the latter, so that it is difficult to show in Europe speci¬ 
mens of these coquettish butterflies that satisfy the claims of the drawing-room collector and quality fanatics. 
The Abisara attain the maximum of their development in Tenasserim where there are three well separated 
species found, two of which occur even in different temporal forms. From Tonkin, Palawan, the Malayan Penin¬ 
sula, Sumatra, Nias, and Java two species are known flying beside each other. Celebes is inhabited by only 
one species being divided into a northern and a southern race. From Bali we know only one species, in Lom¬ 
bok the'genus is already absent . The larva is known only of one or two species, on Myrsineae, worm-shaped, 
light green with numerous dorsal and lateral fine short hairs. Pupa light green, hairy, with black dorsal spots. 
Clasping-organs differing from one species to another by the feeble uncus bearing either only 2 or 4 lateral 
horns, and by the valve being either obtuse or armed with styli or hooks. Penis slender, provided with 2 or 4 
points. 
Group of species: Sosibia (Fruhst.). 
The costal of the hindwing is pressed somewhat more closely to the radial stem and the precostal some¬ 
what shorter than in Abisara, whereby it approaches Taxila. The cell of the hindwing, however, is just as 
narrow and long as in Abisara. The anterior discocellular is short, the posterior very long, concave. The sub¬ 
costal of the hindwing bifurcates far outside the cell; hindwing with the typical black subapical double-spot 
characterizing all the Abisara. The veins, however, from an entire transition to Taxila. Hindwings rounded 
off, not angled as in Taxila, sexes homogeneous as in Abisara. not heteromorphic as in all the Taxila. ■ — Type: 
S. burni Nicev. 
A. burni was considered by its author to be an aberrative Taxila forming, as far as regards the 
marking, a connection of Taxila with typical Abisara. In fact, however, the spotting of the hindwings may 
be called entirely abisaroidal, the veins, however, taxiloidal. The structure of all the Nemeobiidi, however, is 
so very plastic that it varies from one species to another , and it would be easy to found a subgenus on each 
species. Beside the AAGara-spotting there was another fact decisive of placing burni to the Abisara : the ab¬ 
sence of the tertiary sexual marks exhibited by the Taxila. ■—- burni Nicev. founded upon a $ resembles burnt. 
