1008 
PORITIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
and purely external marks are so peculiarly developed in the Poritia that even a beginner cannot be in doubt 
for a moment whether he has a genuine Poritia before him or not, and on the contrary a glance at ,.Deramas“ 
livens is sufficient to recognise it as'a genuine Poritia , although the subcostal vein of the forewing has five 
(instead of four) branches. 
As to the habits or evolution nothing is known to me except the few peculiarities of the pupae communi¬ 
cated by Doherty, which, however, are remarkably similar to neotropical Erycinidae and different from all 
the other Lycaenidae ; besides none of the special works by Semper, Piepers, de Niceville etc. mentions 
the least biological statements; but all agree in the urgent need of a thorough elaboration supported by a 
vast material. 
Although the Theclini of all the parts of the globe, owing to their modern origin, do not admit of a 
distinct, morphologically based separation of their genera, this comes still more true in the still more recent 
offspring of the Poritia. Thus we treat ,, Zarona “ pharygoides only as a form of „Deramas“ livens, nor are we 
able to separate Massaga Doh., Porislcina, and Simiskina Dist. The type for Poritia is P. hewitsonii Mr. 
P. hewitsonii. On account of the enormous variability the species is very difficult to describe. The 
hewitsonii. E of the typical form, hewitsonii Mr. (146 e) has obove a blue gloss surpassing even that of the Morpho, occupying 
in the forewing the whole disc except a stripe in the submedian area, in the hindwing the whole surface except 
the costal area and 3 small patches before the centre of the margin. The $ may occur very differently. — ab. 
nigritia. nigritia Fruhst. (154 i) is above almost cpiite blackish-brown, only below the discal cell and above the hind- 
palilia. margin of the forewing there is a little blue. — ab. palilia Fruhst., on the contrary, is that $ form which has 
the most blue above; under surface pale grey with slightly yellowish-brown transverse stripes. — ab. 
interjecta. interjecta Fruhst. has remarkably large orange spots in the forewing, which in the typical hewitsonii -$ figured 
ampsaga. on pi. 146 e are only represented by a small patch, whilst in ampsaga Fruhst. (154 i) nothing or hardly any 
phormedon. traces are to be seen of them. — phormedon Drc. (154 i) is the large and beautiful form from Borneo, in which 
the E shows a particularly fine green reflection (according to how the insect is held) and the $ has a beautiful 
lustrous violettish-blue upper surface. The typical form is distributed in the Himalaya, but rare; ampsaga 
tavoyana. was described from Annam. tavoyana Doh. forms the transition to the following species, being particularly 
similar to phraatica ; it is said to be rather common near Myitta (in Tavoy). The disc of the E forewing is 
said to be cpiite Morpho-bhie except the black apical portion, without any embedments. 
erycinoides. P. erycinoides Fldr. (146 e). The E is extremely similar to that of the preceding species, but it varies 
a great deal. Normal EE exhibit the blue spots embedded in the black marginal portion so much enlarged 
demaculata. that they are confluent with the discal blue in many places. — In ab. demaculata the black embedments of 
naukydes. the forewing are still more reduced than our figure of a typical E shows. — ab. naukydes Fruhst. has a deeper 
coronata. darker blue upper surface of the E- — ab. coronata Fruhst. is a rare aberration of the $ in which the blue 
spots in the black marginal portion, being absent in the typical are developed like in the <$; all these 
manilia. forms come from Java. — mail ilia Fruhst. (154 h) is the Sumatran form with very intense black embedments 
phraatica. in the E and a somewhat more greenish gloss. phraatica Dist. (154 k) on the contrary, shows a cpiite pure 
lustrous blue disc of the forewing,,so that it almost exactly resembles the upper surface of elegans (154 1), 
except that the distal blue does not penetrate into the apical black in such pointed dents; the $, however, 
phaluke. showing above yolk-coloured spots, has no more blue at all above. Malacca. - phaluke Drc. (= phalike Fruhst.) 
(146 h) exhibits in the blue colour of the forewing a large black cloud extending from the centre of the costa 
phare. downward through the forewing, but not reaching the hind-margin. Borneo. phare Drc. (154 i), finally, 
from Mindanao, shows this black cloud again several times centred with blue, and the ground-colour beneath 
is a darker red-brown. 
philota. P. philota Hew. (154 h). Above the EE are very similar to some forms of erycinoides, but whereas 
the latter have an under surface traversed by light undulate arcuate stripes, the E of philota is dark brown, 
traversed by still darker arcuate transverse lines. Sumatra, Borneo. 
pleurata. P. pieurata Hew. (154 1). E above lustrous blue with a black apical third, $ besides with a broad 
phama. black marginal band which, however, encloses blue spots and lines. Malacca, Sumatra. — phama Drc. (146 e) 
is the form from Borneo; in the E also the costal margin is broad black, but it contains some blue embedments. 
promula. — In promula Hew. (154 k) these embedments are larger, and also before the distal margin there is a black 
blue-centred band; in the $ the basal part of the forewing and the distal part of the hindwing are broad 
blackish-brown, otherwise lustrous light blue. Under surface rusty brown, with numerous light, several times 
elegans. anastomosing arcuate bands. Java. elegans Fruhst. (154 1) are EE distinguished from typical pleurata by 
a greenish gloss and by the continuation of the apical black as far as the hind-margin. 
sumatrae. P. sumatrae Fldr. (154 h). The E is above similar to elegans, but the apical black is extended over 
almost two thirds of the forewing. The $ exhibits those portions of the wings, that are not blue, tinted deep 
rust-brown. The under surface is also rusty-yellow, traversed by red-brown, somewhat undulate, narrow 
arcuate bands. North-East Sumatra. 
