1046 
ABARATHA; HESPERIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
24. Genus: Abarathsi Mr. 
Whilst in the Odontoptilum the hindwing is variegated, with many markings in contrast with the forewing 
which is dark brown and mostly little marked, the hindwing mostly being even very conspicuously snow-white, 
in Abarantha mostly the forewing and hindwing, above and beneath, are similarly coloured. The convexity 
of the margin of the forewing is still insignificant, but the lobation or dentation of the hindwing is still distinct. 
In the disc of the forewing there are always distinct hyaline spots. — The larvae of A. syriclithus are dark 
green, with yellow bands on the ring-indentations, and a dark short-haired head. Pupa white with a short 
cone of the head; across the dorsum rows of black dots, and the wing-cases exhibit black veins. Size and the 
approximate exterior of the pupa of Aporia crataegi. — The imagines fly in the sunshine like those of the preceding 
genus, and with their wings far stretched out they rest on blossoms. 
ransonnettii. A. ransonnettii Fldr. (165 h). As the type we must regard Ceylon-specimens which are much more 
variegated and more contrastingly coloured than specimens from the Nilgiri Mts., which Elwes states to 
correspond with the former. In ransonnettii the basal areas of both wings above are distinctly darker; the hind¬ 
wing shows the anal area powdered with a mealy tint, whilst the median area is conspicuously lighter with a 
more distinct dot in the cell, and finally the under surface of the fore wing is of a purer white. In specimens 
taytorii. from South India — taylorii Nic. (165 h) — the total colouring is on both sides more uni-coloured and more 
potiphera. reddish, whereas potiphera Hew. are probably only large and particularly conspicuously variegated Ceylon- 
specimens with bright whitish cliscal spots on both wings above. — ransonnettii is nearly everywhere common 
in Ceylon and South India; also mentioned from the Khasia-Hills. 
alula. A. alida Nic. is quite similar to the preceding species, but at once discernible by the round white 
transparent spot almost in the centre of the cell of the forewing. Known from Upper Burmah and from 
mettasuda. the Chindwin River. — Specimens from South Annam, = meftasuda Fruhst., exhibit less black colour, and 
siamica. are paler above and beneath. — sianiica Swh. (165 h) is a large light form, corresponding to potiphera Hew. 
of ransonnettii. Siam. 
saraya. A. saraya Doh. (165 h) is the most similar to the ransonnettii-taylorii from the Nilgiris, but the under 
surface is pale yellow, not really lined with white, and in the centre of the forewing there is a group of distinct 
hyaline spots. Kumaon in the Himalaya. 
syrichthus. A. syriclithus Fldr. (= agama Fldr.) (165 i). Upper surface pale ochreous with a brown latticed marking, 
somewhat similar to that of certain Melitaea. Forewing with hyaline spots in the disc and before the apex. 
Hindwing beneath white with blackish-brown spots. Java. — Besides, syrichthus also occurs in Continental 
Indo-China, but according to Eruhstorfer, Tonkin-specimens are said to be larger with much smaller hyaline 
pelias. spots. — In pelias Fruhst., from Than-Mai in Tonkin, the spots on all wings above are more yellowish instead 
of dull whitish. The black spots on the brighter white under surface of the hindwing are very much reduced. 
elwesi. — In contrast with the large Tonkin-specimens, a particularly small form is said to fly in Bernardmyo, = elwesi 
pclligera. Wats. — pelligera Fruhst. (habitat unknown) may form a transition to the following species, particularly 
if it originated from South Celebes. Distinguished from syrichthus by reddish-yellow instead of light yellow 
maculae and faded dark and reddish-yellow spots on the hindwing. — The larva and pupa have been described 
in the diagnose of the genus. 
crosula. A. erosula Fldr. (165 h) has the size and shape of the preceding species, but the upper surface is uni¬ 
formly coloured brown, and the latticed marking is reduced to some transverse rows of oblong or comma-shaped 
spots. The small hyaline spots are rather small except the one in the cell-end. Celebes. 
25. Genus: Hesperia, Latr. 
This genus has been so exhaustively dealt with by Mabille in Vol. I, p. 338, by Draudt in Vol. V, p. 918, 
and particularly by Aitrivillius in Vol. XIII, p. 561, that we may refer to these statements. In the ,,Macro- 
lepidoptera“ on the whole about 120 forms have been dealt with, only one of which occurs in the whole Indo- 
Australian Region, whereas none reaches the Australian Continent. Not only in the northern temperate zone 
the Hesperia number among the most common butterflies, but also in South America (near Santos) I found 
Hesp. syrichthus to be the most common Hesperid, and the most common butterfly on the whole. The Indian 
species slightly differs from the other Hesperia, whereupon Swinhoe founded the genus Spialia. 
galba. H. galba F. ( = supoma Mr., evanides Btlr., zebra Btlr. *), hellas Nic.) (165 i). To what has been 
said in Vol. I, p. 336 about this species, and to the well recognisable figure of a $ (Vol. I, pi. 85 b) we need 
only to add that the insects prefer to fly on high plateaux covered with high grass, always near the ground 
*) By a misprint this name was changed into zelva in Vol. I, p. 336. 
