NEOPE. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
325 
much longer. Antennae unicolorous, light brownish yellow, blackish brown at the distal side, not ringed with 
whitish near the base as in goschkevitschi. Wings much darker, fringed with whitish at the distal margin; the 
three blackish spots in the second, third and fifth ocellus of the fore wing about four times as large as in gosch¬ 
kevitschi. On the under surface of the forewing from the apex of the cell to the first vein runs a proximally 
curved, blackish transverse spot, which projects triangularly at the inner side. Hinclwing unicolorous, dark 
brown, in the middle of the costal margin a triangular whitish spot, below which is placed a second lunular 
whitish spot; fourth ocellus at the base black nearly to the middle, at the distal side not whitish as in gotsch- 
kevitschi. Ocelli much smaller, the submarginal band indistinct. Expanse of the 70 mm. Locality: For¬ 
mosa (Hippo), one example collected by the late superintendent K. Watanabe. 
N. pulaha, originally described from Bhotan, was recently discovered on Formosa, from whence it 
has spread over western China, pulaha Moore (vol. 1, pi. 33 b), distributed from Kunawur and Simla to the 
Khasia Hills, ascending in Sikkim to 11 000 ft., is fond of dark woods, in which it often rests on trunks of oaks 
and sycamores as well as the wild chestnut. Flies from March to August. According to Elwes 'pulaha also 
settle at dirty places in the roads, flying into the woods when disturbed, but returning again in a short time. 
— pulahoides Moore, described from the Naga Hills and Pegu, occurs also in Burma; it differs from pulaha 
in the larger and light yellow patches of the upper surface and the more extended yellow submedian area on 
the underside of the forewing. The hindwing is more delicately marbled, so that it might be taken for a dry- 
season form; a scheme of colouring which is common to many Lethe from Burma and Tenasserim, in contrast 
to the deeper-coloured forms from Assam and Sikkim. — ramosa Leech (vol. 1, pi. 33 b), described from Chang- 
yang, Central China, but distributed in the whole of western China, flies in July and August. Differs from 
pulaha in the lighter grey under surface of the hindwing. — didia Fruhst., from Formosa, has diverged more 
widely; of smaller size, the forewing appears much darkened by the absence of the yellowish apical spot in the 
cell, whilst the hindwing shows a widening of the yellow foreground of the ocelli. The same applies to the bor¬ 
dering of the ocelli on the underside of the forewing. The hindwing finely marbled as in pulahoides Moore. 
Rare in the interior of the island at about 4000 ft. 
N. lacticolora Fruhst. (= sagittata Wilem.) (99 a), one of the most splendid discoveries of my collector, 
Herr Hans Sauter, who found it in the interior of Formosa in the mountains at elevations of about 1200 m. 
cJ upperside similar to armandi Oberth. (vol. 1, pi. 33 d), but with yellowish white instead of ochre-yellow mark¬ 
ings. Hindwing with broad, deep black distal margin, dark brown cell, but otherwise entirely milk-white 
tinged with cream-colour anally. Under surface similar to armandi, but with white instead of yellowish shade 
on the forewing. Ocelli of the hindwing smaller, distal part suffused with darker brown, wings more pointed, 
especially the apex of the forewing and the tail of the hindwing. On account of the milk-white hindwing, which 
contrasts vividly with the black-grey of the forewing, the^ most striking known Neope and one of the most beau¬ 
tiful butterflies of Asia. 
N. bhadra Moore (99 b), the largest and most conspicuous species of the group, shows some resemblance 
to the Papilionids in its pointed wings and long tails. The butterflies love the dense bamboo thickets, in which 
the larva is also found. They occur from 1000 to 1500 m. and have only once been observed in October in 
Sikkim in any large numbers, otherwise they only occur singly. I observed them in Tenasserim at the begin¬ 
ning of the rainy season, when the premonitory heavy mists were descending on the mountain forests; the 
butterflies, which came out one at a time, and then shily and rapidly settled on tree-trunks, have a somewhat 
ghostly appearance, which was admirably in keeping with their gloomy surroundings. — khasiana Moore is a 
local or seasonal form, which is distinguished by more whitish patches on the fore wing and larger yellow areas 
on the hindwing above. Under surface predominantly white-grey. Sikkim to Tenasserim, Upper Burma and 
the Naga Hills. At the latter locality, according to Elwes and Moore, it seems to have developed a geogra¬ 
phical race with which I am not personally acquainted. 
N. yama is divided into three known local races, of which yama Moore, the name-type, belongs to the 
western Himalayas. It was found there in the Kumaon district, at Simla and Mussourie, but is distributed 
to Sikkim and Bhotan. yama is nowhere common; it flies from May to July at elevations of 6—7000 ft. 
Larva on bamboo, to some extent gregarious, for three to seven have been found in a sort of nest constructed 
of three or four leaves. The eggs are laid early in July on the underside of a white leaf, in large numbers and 
in rows of up to 34 on one leaf. Larva straw-coloured with dark head, until it is nearly full-grown, when it 
becomes light ochre-yellow with a dorsal brown stripe and a row of dark brown dots and acquires a reddish 
head. The anal segment bears two yellowish points. Pupa short, very dark, and enclosed in a sort of moss 
nest, where it remains from September to the next June. Both the larva and pupa differ from the much larger 
larva and the more pointed pupa of Lethe — an additional reason for maintaining the group in opposition to 
Bingham. — yamoides Moore is larger, darker brown, beneath more strongly tinged with violet. Flies in May 
in Assam and appears to be common at Bernarclmyo in Upper Burma. — serica Leech (vol. 1, p. 89, pi. 33 a), 
the darkest of the known races, above without yellowish costal spots and with the cilia scarcely yellow; re- 
25 ida7i«. 
pulahoides. 
ramosa. 
didia. 
lacticolora. 
bhadra. 
khasiana. 
yama. 
yamoides. 
serica. 
