TAGIADES. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
1039 
16. Genus: Tagiades Hbn. 
This genus has hardly more species than the preceding genus; but the range is very wide, so that about 
100 geographical forms of Tagiades have been distinguished. Nearly all the species are above smoky blackish- 
brown, but in the anal portion of the hindwing generally white-coloured, which colour also occupies the whole 
hindwing beneath, sometimes warming into blue. — Antennae long, the thin club almost rectangularly reverted; 
palpi porrect with a rudimentary terminal joint. The cell of the forewing does not attain two thirds of the 
length of the costa. Hindwing uniformly margined, but often with a very long hind-margin. Hind tibiae hairy 
with 2 pair of spurs. — The genus occurs in the whole Indo-Australian Region, though only two forms reach to 
the northernmost parts of Australia and but 1 North-Indian form crosses the palearctic southern frontier, 
and but very few occur in Tropical Africa. The larvae resemble those of Celaenorrhinus, being likewise green 
and rather stout, but the head is farther split on the vertex so that it assumes exactly the shape of a heart. It 
was found on plants of various families, such as Roxburghiaceae, Dioscoreae, and particularly Convolvulaceae. 
After the sultivation of sweet potatoes the insects have become more common in some districts. The have 
a peculiar habit, oscillating in enormous swings of 10 to 20 m length at the skirts of woods and the crossings 
of roads, whizzing to and fro in a furious flight. In sitting they keep their wings flatly spread out and 
in flying the bluish-white under surface of the hindwing flashes up brightly. The homogeneousness of the species 
is still very confused, and the races are partly difficult to separate. — As to further particulars about the genus 
cf. Vol. I, p. 335, and Vol. XIII, p. 571. In America the genus is absent, but among the Spioniades and then- 
allies we find quite similar features; cf. Vol. V, p. 890. 
T. japetus Cr. (164 e). The type from Amboina is hardly discernible from the Javanese form brasidas japetus. 
Doh. (164 f). In the $ the discal small vitreous spots in Amboina-insects, as they also occur in Bali and Lombok, 
are somewhat larger, and the small dark marginal spots of the bluish-white hindwing beneath are smaller. - 
sangareva Fruhst. was discovered in Tonkin, and the d'd' of this race exhibit the anal area of the hindwing more sangareva. 
intensely powdered with a whitish bluish-grey. The black discal spots on the hindwing above are small, and 
the small subapical spots reduced to 2 or 3. The $ is said to exhibit a narrower, more distinctly defined white 
area of the hindwing. — In patimoka Fruhst., perhaps a distinct species from Siam, the hindwing above is patimolca. 
bluish-white almost as far as the middle. — The larva is dark green with lighter segmental indentations and 
a widely split black head; found on Dioscorea oppositifolia. On seezing the larva, it opens its mandibles as 
if to bite. Pupa with a distinct apex of the head, light earth-coloured, marked darker, with a whitish 
median area of the wing-cases. The imago is met with in single specimens, but not rare. 
T. obscurus Mab. (= distans Mr., athos Plotz ) (164 f) is probably hardly a distinct species and only obscurus. 
a form of japetus with a partly reduced anal white of the hindwing. Here the discal spots of the forewing 
are reduced to 2 minute dots between the radial branches. Ceylon and South India. — nepos Latr., from nepos. 
Java and Bawean, where it is very common according to Fruhstobfer, likewise exhibits the very small discal 
dots, whereas in enganicus Fruhst., from the Isle of Engano, the forewing shows larger hyaline spots; the dark enganicus. 
margin of the hindwing beneath, however, is narrower here. — jetavana Fruhst., from Western Sumatra, is jHavana. 
above one of the darkest forms with minute spots of the forewing and very little anal white of the hindwing; 
beneath the dark margin of the hindwing is still more reduced. — alica Mr. (= meetana Mr.), from the alica. 
Andamans, is similar to jetavana, but it exhibits more white on the hindwing above. — esvara Fruhst., from esvara. 
Lombok and Sumbawa, resembles brasidas, but the costal margin of the hindwing is beneath narrower brown. — 
prasnaja Fruhst., from Celebes, is said to be distinguished by its particular size and by the hyaline spots, prasnaja. 
on the forewing being still much larger than in japetus from Amboina; half of the hindwing above is white, the 
dark spots on the forewing above are larger, beneath the basal part of the hindwing is more extensively black. 
- In navus Fruhst., from Sula-Mangoli and Besi, the hyaline spots of the forewing have the size between navus. 
japetus from Amboina and prasnaja from Celebes. — buruanus Fruhst., from Burn, has above and beneath a buruanus. 
more extensively white region of the wings. — In bandanus Fruhst., from Banda, the white anal portion above bandanus. 
is more distinctly defined, beneath the forewing is whiter in the discal portion. — mangala Fruhst. forms again mangala. 
a transition from bandanus to esvara from Lombok, but it is smaller than both; from the Isle of Babber. — 
eprius Fruhst., from the Isle of Obi, has a purely white, not bluish-edged anal portion of the hindwing, and eprius. 
small vitreous spots on the forewing. — masistius Fruhst. (164 f), from Batjan, differs a little more than the masistius. 
preceding insular forms in the hindwing being brown on the whole costal portion above and behind the cell, 
only the anal half being white, the cell itself showing a feeble bluish-grey hue. This form also occurs in Halma- 
heira. — deinolochus Fruhst. is a name of a still more questionable value than the preceding ones, ,,a melanotic deinolo- 
insular race, smaller than the masistius and eprius from the Northern Moluccas; forewing with but one hyaline c ^ us 
dot at the apex of the cell, hindwing with a hardly half as broad white anal margin as in gilobasis. Under 
surface still darker than in the latter race, also the white area all over strewn with bluish-grey scales/ 1 Patria 
unknown. — avienus Fruhst. (164 g) is likewise a dispensable name for the specimens from the Key Is., the avienus. 
characteristic marks of which (smaller size, absence of the cellular hyaline dots) can hardly be used for diagnostic 
