MARMESSUS. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
989 
and presumably on some other plants. Pupa green, the dorsal side brownish. The imagines have a rather slow 
flight which appears somewhat tiresome; they rest on the tips of twdgs with their wdngs folded. The range 
extends over India and Ceylon. I found single specimens of the species at the foot of the Nilgiri Tits, and not 
rarely near Kandy, in the garden of the Government Building. 
R. cuznerii Schultze, from the Philippines, is above very variegatedly marked, but it must be very cuznerii. 
rare. It is impossible for me to ascertain whether it belongs to this genus, because it is not in any collection 
to which I had access; it is also absent in Semper’s collection. 
67. Genus: JIarmessus Hbn. 
Very similar to the preceding ones, but separated by the very convex costa of the forewdng and the 
three-branched subcostal vein. Moreover, the peculiarly dotted under surface at once show's the great alliance 
of the tw r o genera. Only those founding the genera solely on the neuration, will range this genus separately, 
but for those taking also the habitus into consideration, these divisions only signify denominations of groups. 
M. lisias F. The only specimens existing of this form are said to be the types which, as Fruhstorfer lisias. 
presumes, originate from Cochinchina, where an island called ,,Pulo-C'ondor“ is situate, whereas Moore states 
them to originate from a Nicobar Island (Pulo Condul). Separated from the form boisduvali Mr. (159 c) by boisduvali. 
the orange spot of the hindwing being only half its size. In the 9 of lisias this spot is still smaller. The under 
surface strongly recalls that of B. thesmia (159 d). Siam. Annam. Burma, in some places common. — alcira alcira. 
Fruhst. (159 d) is a dry season form of it, in which the under surface is paler, the spot above more yelknv instead 
of more reddish. fulminans Stgr. (146 g) exhibits a yolk-coloured under surface of the forewing, with darker fulminans. 
transverse markings. Above the spot on the forewing varies, and the hindwing may exhibit a more intense 
metallic gloss or it may also be absent, as the 2nd figure shows (159 d). South-East Borneo. - Druce separates 
from this form the hardly different form from Sandakan. North Borneo, as atra, owing to its being much darker, atra. 
— lisiades Fruhst. (159 d) is a third Borneo-form: larger than the others, the orange spot differently shaped, lisiades. 
above more pointed, the hindwing above of a magnificent lustrous light blue instead of violettish blue. All 
these differences of the Borneo forms also vary a great deal individually, and imitata Drc. and similis Drc. are 
hardly more than insignificant variations. — iskander Fruhst. (159 c) is the very similar form from Sumatra Iskander. 
with an almost circular orange spot of the <$, which in the $ has the shape of a band and is covered with brow nish. 
comla Fruhst. (159 d) exhibits this spot still more shrunk up and also in the covered with browm. — The comla. 
imagines are rather common in certain districts of then’ range, for instance near Rangoon and in the Mergui 
Archipelago, where the species flies together with Biduanda thesmia. These two, particularly the 9$, are so 
very much alike, that the living insects are difficult to discern. This resemblance may be due to a real alliance, 
since the separation of the genera Biduanda and Marmessus ( Drupadia Mr.) seems to me to be artificial and 
unjustified. Those, however, who consider a three-branched or four-branched subcostal vein absolutely to 
separate the genera, declare the resemblance to be due to mimicry; Doherty takes {Drupadia) boisduvalii to 
be protected and therefore the model, whereas Bid. thesmia represents the copy of it; de Niceville is of the 
same opinion. 
M. imitata Drc. is said to differ from lisias only in the $ exhibiting the greyish-blue scales more imitata. 
extended towards the anal angle of the hindwing. Under surface more pale yellow’, towards the base whitish 
and with a broad browm apex, in the disc some brown marking. As the form comes from Borneo, where lisias 
flies as fulminans, it may be merely a $-form of it; the form is unknown to me. 
M. Caesarea Weym. (= niasica Stgr., niasicola Stgr.) (159 d). Above not dissimilar to the preceding caesarea. 
ones, but beneath the forewing is light coffee-brown except the hindmarginal portion. Isle of Nias. — From 
this form which may be joined with lisias just like imitata another form is separated: serunica v. Eecke ; the red serunica. 
discal spot of the forewdng is more regular and longer; the forewdng in the basal portion wdthout the lustrous 
violet irroration. Hindwdng at the base black. Beneath the forewing is at the apex not so dark. $ very 
different from that of caesarea , forewdng as in the but the distal spot is not orange, or it is at least indistinctly 
defined. Hindwing blackish-brown with 2 slight grey brightenings in the black apical maculae. Simalur. 
M. niasica Rob. nee Stgr. (159 d) is at once discernible by the lustrous blue reflection of the hindwing niasica. 
passing over to the basal third of the forewdng. which it fills up altogether; in bright contrast with this is a 
large deep scarlet discal spot. The under surface, by its dotting, is somewhat like that of M. sumatranus (156 f). 
Isle of Nias. 
M. moorei Dist. The Malaccan form differs from the figured Sumatran form sumatranus Fruhst. (159 f) moorei. 
in the entire absence of the yellowdsh-red spot at the cell-end of the $ forewing above, and in the <$ the sumatranus. 
blue reflection on the hindwing in moorei is much more intense, so that there remain hardly any brown 
