MAHATHALA; THADUKA; AMBLYPODIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
40. Genus: Hew. 
947 
Separated from the preceding genus by the shape of the forewing and the subcostal not having 5 
but 4 branches, from the following genera by the rather broad spatulate tails of the hindwings. The only Indian 
species known of this genus could just as well as many other species of the Arhopala- group be considered as 
congeneric with the following species. 
M. ameria Hew. (150 a). Typical ameria exhibit in both sexes a small tail being at the end somewhat ameria. 
spatulately widened; in our figure, where this appendage of the wing was a little turned, it is not so conspicuous 
as it is in nature. The under surface is so characteristically banded that our figure makes mistakes impossible; 
the blue above varies very much according to the season and locality, in the $$ also in the single individuals 
(Beth.-Baker). Typical specimens come from North India (Calcutta). The blue of the upper surface is dull, 
and in the ^ if extends a little beyond the centre of the wing. —- zistra Fruhst., from Siam, has a somewhat zistra. 
more extensive and lighter blue than the North-Indians generally exhibit ; otherwise, however, it approaches 
them so greatly that many authors do not distinguish the two forms. -— hainani B.-Bak. (149 b) (in the figure hainani. ■ 
of which the spatulate shape of the tails is more distinctly visible) has the blue in the forewing extended to the 
last quarter of the wing, whereas the costal margin and hind-margin are blackish-brown. From Tonkin, Hainan, 
and the part of South China opposite the latter island. —• formosa Fruhst., from Formosa, is beneath still darker formosa. 
than hainani ; above the blue colouring does not extend so far as in hainani which the form resembles otherwise. 
— ariadeva Fruhst. (= ameria Dist.) has above a much narrower black margin, which in the $ scarcely occupies ariadeva. 
a quarter of the wing; Malacca, Sumatra; — javana Fruhst. has a still narrower dark margin of the wing and javana. 
a very brightly radiant blue; beneath the hindwing and the apical part of the forewing are intensely tinged 
with white. Java. -— All the forms of the species exhibit on the under surface the bands of the costal part 
only indicated by small light spots in the cell. It is remarkable that the $$ seem to be taken here much more 
frequently than the SS- 
Note: Another species —• M. gone Drc. from Mongolia — is mentioned in literature to be closely allied with ameria. gone. 
It is founded upon a single specimen and entirely unknown to me. As it ought to have been mentioned in the palearctic 
part, I append its original diagnose here: 
,,Allied with ameria, above dark violettish-blue with much broader black margins. Fringes, small tail, and anal fold 
in hindwing tan-coloured. Beneath the forewing is dull greyish-brown with lighter cross-bands and markings than in ameria, 
but the ultramedian band is broader, straighter, and not angular at the costa as in ameria. Hindwing uniformly yellowish 
stone-coloured with minute black dots, those on the veins generally being the largest. 2 dull black irregular spots, in a line 
near the base directly below the median, the largest at the rise of the 1st median branch. Some spots of pale reddish 
small scales, the most densely arranged near the base. Head, thorax, and abdomen above black, beneath yellowish; antennae 
black. 1 7 / 10 inch (= 47 mm).“ 
41. Genus : Thatfuka Mr. 
This genus contains but 1 species which is at once recognisable by the three tails of the hindwing. 
Separated from the likewise three-tailed Iraota by two of these 3 small tails being spatulate here. 
Th. multicaudata Mr. (150 b) looks above almost like an Iraota lazarena (149 b), the blue of the multicauda-. 
forewing being more extended towards the costa; the under surface is rather more like that of Mahathala hainani ia ‘ 
(149 b), but much more variably marked and without the costal tooth before the apex. Easily discernible from 
both by the 3 tails of which, however, but 1 is pointed (not all 3 as in Iraota ), whereas the other two are 
spatulate tails. The colouring beneath is brownish wine-coloured, with dull greenish, somewhat metallic 
lustrous markings. For a long time only the $ was known; only later on the two sexes were found to be very 
similar. Described from Upper Tenasserim, later on also discovered in the Nilgiri Mts.; Moore calls it ,,an 
extremely rare species of a very limited range”. 
42. Genus: Amblypodiil Hsj. (Arhopala auct.). 
This large genus which might be divided into numerous subgenera had for almost 100 years retained 
the name Arhopala given by Boisduval in 1832, until N. D. Riley (1922) proved that Horsfield had already 
3 years before denoted the apidanus-gicoup , which undoubtedly belongs hereto, to be typical for his Amblypodia, 
so that this name has the priority. — The genus is characterized by a blue (rarely green) glosss of magnificent 
radiance on the upper surface of the AS and by the under surface being crossed by chains of dark spots generally 
edged with a light colour. Generally there are 3 such spots behind each other in the cell of the forewing, 
frequently also in that of the hindwing. The wings are always very broad, the forewing almost invariably with 
a convex distal margin and often strongly curved, almost convex costal margin, so that the costal lobes of the 
costal margin partly cover the head, at least the eyes. The hindwings are partly tailed partly not tailed; some 
show 2 pairs of tails or also a distinct anal lobe. The exterior of the species is somewhat similar to the Ogyris ; 
