MYCALESIS. By H. Frijh storfer. 
33] 
Mycale-sis finds the eastern limit of its range on the Polynesian Islands, where only two species occur 
(■perseus F. and medus F.), which very probably did not reach these isolated, sea-girt outposts by their own 
free will. Their transportation by men, ocean-currents, the wind, etc., would be so much the easier as their 
larvae are grass-feeders and not particular as to their food. 
In general we find in Mycalesis , together with a few widely distributed species which inhabit the whole 
Indo-Australian Region, a striking number of strictly localized and sometimes very rare ones; this especially 
applies to New Guinea, which is much richer in forms than the whole continent of India, while it only covers 
about the same area as Burma with Tenasserim, and German and British New Guinea together are not larger 
than Tonkin and the northern provinces of Annam. But whereas in Tonkin we still meet with about 10 of the 
same species as in Sikkim, at a distance of 14—15 degrees of latitude, the adjacent territories of German and 
British New Guinea, apart from the banal Australian Mycalesis, only possess three species in common. Thus 
the uniform, moist climate of the equatorial zone, in which New Guinea lies, evidently favours the development 
of species at short distances. The climate of the Indian subtropics, with its long dry periods, hinders the modi¬ 
fication of the species, so that new local races are only formed at long distances. Hence the species remains 
so much the more constant as it approaches the poles, and becomes more and more variable as it nears the 
equator. 
All the Mycalesis prefer to keep among the lower bushes and near the ground, which they only leave 
for a higher flight on two occasions, namely during the nuptial flight and when two jealous males meet and fight. 
The commoner species love open, grassy places, and especially also coffee-gardens overgrown with 
weeds, the rarer ones prefer the edges or even the damp interior of woods. They are however, nowhere met 
with in numbers together, such as are observed in Papilionids, Pierids and many Nymphalids, but though other¬ 
wise by no means shy, they show a preference for solitude. — Occasionally they are attracted by dirt on the 
road or by the red betel saliva which the Malays spit out, or again by the chewed sugar-cane which the natives 
thro w away. In Tonkin they are sometimes met with in wet hollows strewn with fallen leaves, settled together in 
fairly large numbers. When anyone approaches they all hurry to escape unnoticed, either flying or running 
on their slender legs. 
Together with Ypthima and Neptis, Mycalesis are also met with on rainy days and offer ,,thus to the 
otherwise disappointed collector solace and occupation 41 . They fly chiefly in the early morning or late evening 
hours, although they also venture out throughout the day, but then always keep near the shade of the vegetation. 
In vertical distribution we meet with them both at the sea-coast under the fronds of the cocoanut-palm and 
high up in the mountains near the pines or among the prickly Rotang. In Java Mycalesis sudra Fldr. every¬ 
where inhabits rough ground overgrown with low vegetation up to 4000 ft. and in Celebes erna Fruhst. still seems 
at home even at 5000 ft, above sea-level. Mycalesis marginata Smith was recently reported from the volcano 
of Singalang in West Sumatra at an elevation of 6000 ft. as one of the dominant butterflies. 
Although the Mycalesids are chiefly found in wet weather, .they do not entirely disappear in the dry 
season. Particularly in China and continental India nearly all the species occur also in the almost rainless months 
and their highly differentiated dry-season forms gave earlier authors a favourable opportunity for creating 
new species. 
Although the Mycalesid larvae, like those of most Indian Satyrids, feed on grasses and could be easily 
bred and observed, their life-history still remains almost entirely unknown. Niceville seems to have been 
the first to succeed in breeding it, about the year 1885, obtaining the dry-season form of Mycalesis visala Moore 
from the egg. That careful observer Dr. Martin first succeeded during his 15 years’ residence on Sumatra 
in'rearing five species of Mycalesis, chiefly because, acting on a suggestion of Niceville’s he ,planted strong 
specimens of a tender species of grass beforehand in a large glass, into which living females were afterwards 
thrown 41 . According to Martin medus has whitish green, spherical eggs; mineus greenish white ones of the 
same shape; janardana white-green eggs, which are laid singly, anapita eggs are yellowish white and smaller 
than the others, those of marginata dark yellow. The egg of visala, according to Niceville, is almost white, 
with a clear transparency. The young larva of visala pale green, the head black with two black horns, the 
tail-appendages very small. The full-grown larva is P/Hnch long and after the last moult becomes pale reddish, 
covered with small greenish yellow dots. Along the dorsum runs a light green line, whilst the sides are occupied 
by dark stripes. The horns on the head and the tails are enlarged. Head and horns covered with dense rough 
excrescences. The head is short-haired and the whole body roughened by a number of small tubercles. The 
pupa is suspended by the tail and is of light transparent green colour, the thorax convex and the abdomen 
constricted at the base. 
According to Martin the larvae rest low down on dead sheaths and stalks in the day-time, never on 
green leaves, and only come up at night to feed. The pupal stage lasts 3 to 10 days; the imagines of mineus 
emerge between 9 and 10 o’clock in the morning. 
