Publ. 17. VI. 1924. 
NACADUBA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
913 
22. Genus: l^iicacliiba Mr. 
This genus with but 2 species touches the southernmost frontier of the palearctic region and has there¬ 
fore been mentioned in Vol. I (p. 291) with but few words. Dealing with them according to the same principles 
as with the genus Lampides, Frtthstorfer in a synopsis *) which we shall follow here at large tried not only 
to find a new name for every occurrence of the single species in all the islands of the South Asiatic Archipelago 
and to justify this by differences in the shape, but he also cited numerous ,,subspec. novae“ without adding 
the name or description, which must of course be left out here. 
The Nacaduba generally have a more compact shape than the Lampides, but are otherwise not dissi¬ 
milarly marked beneath, exhibiting fine, somewhat undulate, rather parallel transverse lines composed of 
confluent comma-streaks; we frequently notice a subanal eyespot in a yellow or red halo, but it is often also 
only replaced by an enlarged submarginal dot. Great weight was formerly attached to the fact whether the 
hindwing showed a small tail behind this subanal eyespot or not, until it was discovered that the species may, 
according to the season, occur both with tails and without tail's. In the veins the genus is likewise allied with the 
Lampides, and by Courvoisier’s recent examinations of the androconia their close affinities have likewise 
been substantiated. 
The colouring above is mostly much duller and darker than in the often radiantly blue Lampides. Many 
show obove in both sexes a neutral brown, some a sooty-brown colour huecl with -violet. The $<$ are mostly 
above uni-coloured, the $$ with a blackish border of about 1 to iy 2 mm width. Very little is so far known 
about ure early stages; the shape of the larvae is not striking; they are of the woodlouse-shape being usually 
met with in the Lycaenids, the segments are distinctly jointed, the last is flattened; the dorsum iscarinated. 
Colouring mostly green or brownish with a dark dorsal line; head small. Pupa compact, somewhat strangulated 
behind the slightly crooked thorax, upper surface smooth. — The imagines fly swiftly, though not continuously; 
they like to settle down on shrubs and grasses near the ground, keeping the wings half opened. Some species 
are rather rare. 
N. pavana Horsf. (Vol. I, t. 78 a) is that form of this rather inconspicuous species, which flies through 
the whole of India and a part of Indo-China and has been dealt with in Vol. I on p. 292. The upper surface 
exhibits a uniform violettish blue with a silvery blue reflection, similar to macrophthalma (p. 914). The species 
is best discernible beneath where the hinclwing is divided into distinct dark bands by 7 partly not quite complete 
arcuate stripes. In the forewing the basal third is without these lighter transverse lines. This species extends 
from the southernmost part of the palearctic region to Java, Celebes, the Moluccas and Philippines. The 
numerous names of races given to this species are only partly justified. — pavana (= subperusia Snell, pt.) 
was described from Java, but it is reported to fly in the very same form also in Bali. — metallica Fruhst. 
is a form from Celebes, the upper surface of which is said to exhibit a peculiar bronze lustre. Ground¬ 
colour greyish-blue ivith a violet tint. The white lines beneath are very prominent. -— The S<$ of the dry-season 
form of it are without the metallic lustre above so very conspicuous in specimens of the rainy season; besides 
the wings are rounder; beneath there appear prominent submarginal spots; this form is called visutia Fruhst. 
■—- hermus Fldr. is the form from the Southern Moluccas, from which specimens from Luzon differ by the steel- 
blue upper surface of the resembling Borneo-specimens; they are lighter than those from Mindanao; they 
were named beroe Stgr. and are remarkable by the absence of the subbasal band beneath. — tairea Fruhst. 
(= pavana Semp. nec Horsf.) originate from Mindanao and Bazilan. — georgi Fruhst. (= kerriana Semp. nec 
Dlst.) seems to be the dry season form, whilst tairea is from the rainy season. — mitlja Fruhst. (= subperusia 
Snell.) originates from Lombok; $ above with an intense violettish blue lustre. The $ shows above a very 
dark, deep blue colour as is reproduced in our figure of Jamides bochus-Q (Vol. I, t. 77 h). — asaga Fruhst. 
(= beroe Stgr. p. p., pavana Drc. and Moulton nec Horsf.) in contrast with the deep lustrous dark blue 
minja shows light leaden-grey qS■ beneath paler with more prominent white lines than in lysa; Borneo, Palawan. 
— lysa Fruhst. (= macrophthalma Dist. nec Fldr., pavana Martin nec Horsf.). Beside minja the only form 
of pavana with a light violet upper surface in the J. $ with a broader or narrower blackish margining. Also 
here the blue above, though it is duller, shows a purple violet reflection, particularly in the disc of the forewing 
and in the costal part of the hindwing. In the $ the subanal spot of the hindwing beneath is proximally 
bordered by rather a large orange crescent. Malacca, Sumatra. — sanaya Fruhst. has the $ above light 
steel-blue; wings rounder than in the other forms of pavana. $ similar to that of lysa, but of a more delicate 
and lighter blue, both wings more narrowly margined with black. Here the orange crescent proximally to the 
eyespot of the hindwing is still larger and brighter; from Nias. — vajuva Fruhst., a dry season form from Siam 
and Burma, combines the round contours of the wings of sanaya with the pale violet tint of the following 
Indian form. The $ only exhibits a slight dull blue tint which is still more covered by the broad marginal 
black. — nabo Fruhst. is the form figured in Vol. I (t. 78 a as pavana), but which was detached from the Javanese 
•) Zoologische Mededeelingen v. d. Rijks Museum Leiden II (2) p. 103 seq. 
'pavana. 
metallica 
visuna. 
hermus 
beroe. 
tairea. 
georgi 
minja. 
asaga. 
lysa. 
sanaya. 
vajuva. 
nabo. 
IX 
115 
