202 
DANAIDA. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
the hindwing longer than the middle one. The group is bicontinental and in the tropical zone extends from 
West Africa to Australia and far into the South Sea and presents considerable difficulties to the systematist 
on account of the great similarity of the few species with their many forms. Although the species are mostly 
among the commonest butterflies, the complete life-history of only one is known. 
D. melissa is one of the most widely distributed species of the eastern Rhopalocera, being found in 
an uninterrupted chain of local forms in the whole of South and East Asia, as well as the islands of 
Ceylon and Macromalayana to the most remote South Sea Islands. The differentiation of the forms of 
the species has occasioned great difficulties, as the island of Java produces two forms, of which one had 
been already described by Cramer (melissa), and is continued in the whole eastern (Micromalayan) 
district, whilst a second is closely allied to the continental type ( septentrionis ). But examinations of the 
genitalia have shown the specific identity of these very diverse forms. Only the uncus shows a slight 
difference, being in septentrionis sharply truncate distally, in melissa slightly convex. The valve is like¬ 
wise distally sharply truncate vertically and hears a finger-shaped spine with obtuse point, which varies 
IrFonis somew h a f in length according to the locality. — The continental septentrionis Btlr. has already been de¬ 
scribed, vol. I, p. 77 and figured pi. 28 d. It is characterized by long subapical blue-green streaks on the 
forewing, a thick black cell-streak, which is coincident with the cell-wall and only very rarely incurved 
distally, and narrow greenish interneural areas on the hindwing. The eggs are laid singly, each on a 
separate leaf; egg white, globular, much flattened at the point of attachment to the leaf. The larva 
hatches after 4 days, white with black head. After another two days the first moult takes place, after 
which the white larva shows black transverse lines and fleshy spines. A week later it ceases to feed, 
pupating shortly afterwards. Pupa green, with shiny gloss, golden dots and a golden band at the base of 
the abdomen; scarcely distinguishable from the green of the food-plant. Pupal stage 8 days. A rapid 
development for so large a butterfly (Martin). The butterflies common everywhere, from Kashmir to 
Formosa, from Tenasserim to Cochin China. Examples from the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra are smaller 
dravidarum. than North Indian ones. — In South India septentrionis is replaced by dravidarum Fruhst., a somewhat 
smaller form, with much lighter general tone of colouring and much broadened interneural areas, which 
especially on the forewing begin to merge together, so as to form tobacco-pipe-shaped markings. The black 
streak of the hindwing scarcely half as broad as in septentrionis, hence the patches beyond the cell more 
musikanos. extended. Common, especially at the Malabar Coast. — In musikanos Fruhst. (78 a) the insular melanism 
is revealed in a partial restriction of the white stripes, which, however, are still always considerably broader 
and essentially lighter than in North Indian examples, as is especially noticeable when series from the 
rufiventris. different localities are placed side by side. Ceylon. — rufiventris Fruhst. approaches musikanos in size, but 
in the markings approximates most nearly to microsticta from Borneo, and like this has the dark green 
vitreous patches more reduced. But the principal characteristic is furnished by the entirely red-brown 
abdomen, which shows only a restricted black dorsal scaling. Under surface of both wings as dark as the 
microsticta. Borneo form (almost black-green). Nias, apparently very rare. —■ microsticta Btlr., from North and South 
Borneo, constitutes the finest Macromalayan melissa- race, in which, especially on the hindwing, the green 
stripes are reduced to fine vitreous lines. Abdomen above broadly black, beneath red-brown, ringed with 
palawana. white. — palawana Fruhst. is intermediate between the dark Borneo race and the very small and light one 
from the Philippines, but unaccountably approximates most nearly to the continental septentrionis, though 
somewhat smaller. The greenish white vitreous spots -— although broader than in microsticta — are nar- 
orientalis. rower than in septentrionis, and nearly approach those of rufiventris. Palawan, apparently rare. — orien- 
talis Semp. may best he described as a smaller version of dravidarum. The patches beyond the cell, 
however, are smaller, the under surface of the forewing lighter red-brown and the hindwing light yellow- 
green. The tobacco-pipe is very distinct in the UcL hut in the $$ the median-stripes are as a rule iso¬ 
lated. According to Semper orientalis is very variable, the forms from the South Philippines essentially 
darker than the lighter specimens from Luzon, but this cannot he definitely settled. -— But it is on Java 
melissa. that melissa shows the most interesting development. From this island comes the name-type, melissa Cr., 
a smaller form than septentrionis, characterized by the broad white stripes on the hindwing, which recall 
limniace. The uncus is distally somewhat sinuate, shorter than in North Indian septentrionis, and the point 
of the valve is similarly modified, i. e. becomes shorter and apparently somewhat ventricose. But together 
with melissa we meet with another form, equal in size to septentrionis-, which somewhat recalls microsticta 
from Borneo, and on that account has been hitherto confused with it. It may probably be a 
myrsilos. product of the wet season, and is here called myrsilos form. nov. The hyaline patches and streaks recall 
musikanos from Ceylon, the cell-streak of the forewing is even somewhat stronger, but the other streaks 
are somewhat less prominent than those of musikanos, being, however, still always about twice as broad as 
in microsticta from Borneo. The colouring of the underside is darker than in the Ceylon form, without, 
however, attaining the deep brown-green of rufiventris or microsticta. With myrsilos the last reminder of 
the continental septentrionis disappears, and in Micromalayana melissa exclusively holds the field, inhabi¬ 
ting all the small Sunda Islands from Bawean and Bali eastwards and occurring wherever a long-continued 
dry season prevails. The smallest examples are found, as always, on Sumba and Wetter, melissa is to 
