Pull. 16. X. 1923. 
SPALGIS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
881 
co-type from Aru in Coll. Fruhstorfer. -— heria Fruhst. 2 of a smaller habitus than lucifer Rob., the almost heria. 
purely white cliscal spot of the forewing circular, not oval as in lucifer and not reaching the proximal margin 
of the forewing. Kiriwina, Darnley Island. — umbretta Sm. Described as a species, having remained unknown umbrella. 
to me in nature. Halmaheira, Batjan. — colutha Fruhst. of a smaller habitus than the vicarious forms from colulha. 
Formosa, the Continent and Macromalayana, but still with a larger, white central spot of the forewing. Mar¬ 
king beneath darker and more distinct than in fedora from Formosa. Luzon, Palawan. Found by Doherty 
in January. 
12. Genus: Spalgis Mr. 
Spalgis, a group of speciesor a ,,genus“, according to our attaching great value to its marks, is distinguish¬ 
ed by some peculiarities being most conspicuous in the metamorphosis of its congeners, since their pupa 
most strikingly resembles a monkey-head. Another peculiarity is exhibited by the remarkably short, cylindrical 
antennae with a very stout, though not distinctly defined club. By the marking beneath Spalgis approximates 
the Lycaenopsis, especially by the absence of eye-spots; their scheme of marking is even still more primitive, 
because not even the marginal lunae and rows of dots of the Lycaenopsis are present. Structurally the Spalgis 
do not offer any peculiarities, the first subcostal runs separately; we may mention besides the uncommonly 
long subcostal bifurcation; these two marks place the Spalgis near normal Lycaena. A characteristic mark 
in the Spalgis is an obstinate whitish spot at the cell-end, the size and contours of which vary according to 
the locality from the shape of an egg almost to a purely circular shape. On the upper surface this spot is repeated 
as a more or less transparent diffuse patch, being especially in the nearly always present, whilst it is absent 
in the G<S e. g. of the Formosan race. The dull colouring of the Spalgis on the whole resembles that of the 
Gerydinae. Anatomically, however, this apparent affinity is cancelled again. The valves appear entirely Lycae- 
noidal, the oedeagus with its split, far projecting cuneus-fork recalls Tarucus. The tegumen with its prolonged 
nose-shaped and soldered uncus-plates makes us think of relations to the Everes. The apophysis lateralis remains 
very short and appears basally thickened. Judging from the tertiary sexual marks, the Spalgis belong to those 
Lycaeninae in which the androconia of the forewings are absent, whereby relations are created at least with 
a part of the Everes. Resumptively the Spalgis thus approximate the Lycaena by the veins, the Everes by the 
genital organs, and the Gerydus by the colouring. It is only certain that they cannot remain with the Pithecops 
where Nicevtlle inserted them, nor with the Lycaenesthes where Aurivillius placed them. Their vast range 
and constancy makes us presume that they are phyletically very old species which we must consider as a 
shoot either of the Gerydinae or of the Everinae. But the more profoundly and comprehensively we go into 
arguments for or against their affinity, the more uncertain each of the bases established hitherto appears. Only 
in the habits we notice particularly close relations to the Gerydinae and also the Pithecops, the Spalgis being 
sylvan lepidoptera, of a slow, lazy flight, visiting buds on the upper small branches of the shrubs around which 
they slowly fly and on which the $$ presumably deposit their eggs. — From tropical Africa and Madagascar 
Aurivillius mentions 3 species, from the Asiatic soil, however, 6 were known, all of which, however, only 
represent branches of a collective species, of S. epiu-s. — Larva carnivorous, feeding on the aphis Dactylopius 
adonideum. Pupa similar to the African Sp. signata Holl. strikingly resembling a monkey-face *). Egg above 
flattened and provided with fine hexagonal reticular markings. On the continent and in .Ceylon epius is 
distributed among two temporal forms. 
S. epius Ww. inhabits flat districts, therefore at home on the whole Peninsula of Dekan. In the epius. 
Himalaya up to an altitude of about 1000 m, but hitherto only known from Sikkim and Bhutan. In the east 
reported from Burma where it proceeds to Chittagong to the south. — There it is already replaced by nubilus nubilus. 
Mr. originally described from the Andamans. Surely different races are mixed up with it, about which I can 
only report later on, as I am devoid of material. According to Moulton, epius as well as nubilus occur in Borneo. 
The fact is of course, that a separate race flies there, which will approach the nubilus of the Andamans and 
the Sumatran vicarious form. Andamans (type), Ceylon (?), Mergui Archipelago, Burma, Nicobars, Penang, 
Borneo (Coll. Fruhstorfer). — fangola Kheil. Island of Nias, Sumatra. Specimens extraordinarily small fangola. 
and consequently with a very delicate reticular marking beneath. — titius Fruhst. (154 f). $ smaller, forewing tiiius. 
more pointed than in continental epius. $ without a whitish spot beyond the cell of the forewing, beneath 
only with an insignificant whitish macula which is in the £, however, larger and almost circular. E beneath 
blackish-brown, with finer lines than in epius. The $ almost quite white and thereby at once discernible 
from $$ of other localities. East Java (H. Fruhstorfer), West Javanese specimens are absent in my 
collection, Bali, Sumbawa, Sumba. According to Niceville also in Damma or Dammer. — subsfrigata Snell, substrigata 
111 
*) And thereby showing alliance with the Pithecops. 
IX 
