ELYMNIAS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
381 
E. malelas went for a long time by the name of leucocyrna Godt, an absolutely indefinite species, of 
which we are uncertain whether it is a synonym for hypermnestra, nigrescens or panther a. There is, however, 
no doubt as to malelas, because Hewitson has very accurately figured a E of the wet season form, malelas 
must be considered as the continental stock of casiphone Him. which is also distributed over the whole of the 
macro- and a part of the micro-malayan region, and surpasses its insular descendents in size and beauty of co¬ 
louring, but not in individual and geographical variation. The E is a splendid imitation of Stictoploea hinotata 
Btlr., the $ a perfect mimic of Trepsichrois mulciher Cr. malelas Hew. (87 e) is the commonest form. ^ sometimes malelas. 
with white discal marks on the forewing, and occasionally with two blue spots in the cell, which are always white in 
the $. Specimens with a white submarginal band as in the figure are comparatively scarce (= subdecorata fa. nov.). subdecorala. 
The under surface varies somewhat with the season. Those of the spring brood are 1 ight brown with very indistinct 
and finely divided variegation, and it looks as if Hewitsons figure was taken from such a specimen. $ the dry 
form is whitish beneath with pale coffee brown basal area of the forewings and delicate brown shading on the hind- 
wings. Those of the wet season are dark cacao brown with more decided redbrown markings on the hind- 
wings, ^ °f the wet season with broadly brown bordered nervures on the hindwing, those of the dry season 
more like the figure of saueri (87 e), but with white internervular streaks on the hindwings. Sikkim, Nepal, As¬ 
sam, nowhere uncommon in the hot valleys, where the banana grows, on the leaves of which the larva feeds. 
— nilamba subsp. nov. was first noted by Doherty in the Kumaun Himalaya. This form there occurs at heights nilamba. 
from 2500—3000 feet, and may be separated from the Sikkim specimens by a series of irregular white terminal 
spots on the upper surface of the hindwings, and by a more broadly white streaked and dotted underside 
to all the wings. -—- ivena sub-sp. nov. was taken by me in Tonkin and Siam, and 1 have hitherto considered ivena. 
that it might be united with saueri Dist. from the Malay Peninsula, and had the $ figured as saueri (87 e), 
but the EE differ on the underside by the absence of }$f the distinct close yellow-brown marbling on all 
the wings, recalling casiplione. EE from Tonkin (August—September) show dry season characters, are just as 
small as the analogous specimens from Sikkim, and agree with them in markings and colour. $ ( saueri $ 87 e) 
has a more extended bright brown basal colouring and small blue striae on the forewing. Hindwing with predo¬ 
minant brown, in place of black neural markings, the interspaces yellowish, instead of whitish. Under surface 
paler than in the dry season from Sikkim and with finer and more regular irroration especially on the 
forewings. Tonkin, Siam. — saueri Dist. first described from Wellesley, Malay Peninsula, makes its earliest saueji. 
appearance in Tenasserim, just where malelas reaches its southern boundary. EE> as already stated, form a 
clear transition to casiphone in the striking and chiefly yellow striation if the under surface. — saueri has been 
placed in connection with the $$ of several other species, but the true $ is still unknown. Moore thought 
he had discovered it in Elymnias Jcunstleri Hour., and absurd idea, which Niceville rightly rejected. (Journ. 
Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 1900, p. 164). Unfortunately at the same place Niceville incorrectly brings forward 
another $ as that of saueri, namely Elym. nesaea lioneli Fruhst. an error which is all the less intelligible, be¬ 
cause Niceville himself compares his saueri $ with the neighbouring sister form laisides Nicev. from Sumatra, 
“to which it comes remarkably near”. According to my view, the true saueri $ will be somewhat darker than 
malelas $ and probably display a broad, brown distal border on all the wings; it is possibly indetical with, 
or very close to the $$ which I took in Siam, which differ from the north indian in the rather reduced white 
on the forewing, and are figured on 87 e. Tenasserim, Thoungyeen Valley, Tavoy, Malay Peninsula. 
E. casiphone is one of the least sharply defined species of the genus, since, on the one hand, the 
of some races resemble the nesaea $$ of their region, and on the other hand there are so many transitions towards 
E. Jcamara Moore, which always occurs side by side with it, excepting in the sumatran region *, that in two 
directions it is impossible to define any boundary line, casiphone is, in fact merely an insular descendant of 
the former species (malelas), but much more interesting, though less in evidence, by its far reaching capacity for 
modification. The hindwings are distinctly tailed, which is not so in malelas. Under surface of the EE darker, 
without white striation. In casiphone the basal hair pencil on the hindwings is yellow, the distal deep black, 
in malelas the basal is black, the outer paler, certainly brownish. -— casiphone Hbn., the best known branch, casiphone. 
was erected by Hhebner from West Java EE- The $ was not described till 1907, and is best characterized 
by noting its mimetic resemblance to Trepsichrois mulciber basilissa Cr. from Java, whereas casiphone E deceives 
by its resemblance in flight, shape of wings and the glorious blue iridescence of the forewings to basilissa EE- 
As is the case with so many Java butterflies, the East of the island produces a local race of casiphone. The 
EE °f that part lose the blue iridescence, and their submarginal spots on the forewing appear ringed with 
violet instead of with dark blue. -— alumna Fruhst. (87 e). The discal white marks on the forewing are wanting, alumna. 
but there is almost always a distinct yellow grey submarginal band on the hindwings (transition to kamara). 
Sometimes the nervures of the hind wing are sprinkled with yellow nearly to the base (transition to the 
colouring of the $). Occasionally the wings alter from dark blue to brown (leaning towards kamara). The 
west javan casiphone almost always bear white discal spots on the underside of the forewing, as Hvbner has 
*) Where casiphone has not yet been observed. 
