384 
ELYMNIAS. By H. Frtthstorfer. 
and the strongly contrasting deep red-brown of the hindwings, produce an unusually attractive appearance, 
which is further heightened by its stately size and the distinguished cut of the wings (Martin). 
E. kiirsstleri may truthfully be called one of the rarest butterflies, being, at the same time, the only 
species of the genus which resembles a Hestia or rather an Ideopsis. Two prominently differentiated geographi- 
kiinstleri. cal branches are known, kiinstleri Hour, from Perak, of which only one $ has been taken, and gauroides Fruhst. 
(jaurovles. p| ie differences will be seen from the following copy of the original diagnosis of gauroides. “The ground colour 
is a dull shining white. Forewings with the costal margin variegated grey and white; the nervures are outlined 
with smoke brown shading, which leave white, partly rhomboid patches in the cell, near the outer margin 
and between the first median and the submedian. Hindwings lighter than the forewings, because on them 
the shading of the nervures is less confluent and there is also on the terminal margin a very irregular, smoke 
brown band, much permeated with white. Under surface almost as above, only that the brown tinge is less 
marked, especially on the forewings. Palpi brown, laterally white pubescent, head and sternum black, with 
white and grey pubescence. Abdomen brown, ringed with whitish scales, tarsi fawn brown, antennae red-brown 
above, pale brown beneath, apically paler. Expanse 80 mm.” Closely allied to kiinstleri Hour, from Perak, 
from which it is distinguished not only by the size {kiinstleri has an expanse of about 100 mm) but especially 
by the absence of all black markings and by the much broader, brown shading of the nervures, chiefly in 
the apical area, where it is entirely absent in kiinstleri. In gauroides the violet iridescence on the wings is 
wanting, as is also the blue tinge in the cell of the forewings and in the abdominal region on the under sur¬ 
face. gauroides must be very rare, as I was unable to obtain more than the one described specimen, which I 
took on 16 November 1891 on a hill about 2000 feet high near Tjisewu (district of Tjidamar, West Java). 
The species appears to be a mimetic form of Ideopsis gaura Horsf. to which it shows a decided resemblance 
in colour and the shape of the wings. 
nepheroni- E. nepheronides Fruhst. This curious species was discovered by Everett on Flores and the originals 
deSm are in the Tring Museum. The or 9 resemble the d or 9 of Nepheronia Valeria Cr. Habitat. Flores 
Island, only one pair known. 
singhala. E. singhala Fldr. (88 d), a peculiar species, allied to panthera, but also to casiphone, Hhn. The larva 
feeds upon the leaves of a certain species of palm in the Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, which has up till 
recently been the sole locality for this fine Elymnias. According to Mackwood’s observations it is now gradually 
spreading to other districts. The under surface differs from panthera in the absence of the roundish white submargi- 
spots on the hindwing, and by the presence of a sharply defined dark brown zone on the forewings, the distal 
part of which is dusted with yellowish. Ceylon, not uncommon in collections. 
E. harterti must be included among those rare species, the isolated occurrence of which point to deca- 
harterti. dence of the species, harterti Hour, from Perak, has a certain similarity to E. singhala, especially on the upper 
surface of the hindwings, which bear a yellowish distal border. Forewings with a narrow greenish submarginal 
band, composed of six elongate spots. Under surface nearest to panthera. Hindwings with small, blue centred 
brooikei. ocelli and long tail, somewhat as in subcongruensSemp. A second race, brookei Shelf., is habitually rather larger, 
but appears to be much darker, For Hon rath has already noted, that the cream coloured distal band on the upper 
surface of the hindwings is replaced by a narrow green border. $ coloured rather like E. esaca Westw. but the 
shape of the wings is again that of panthera. The Shelford type came from Sarawak, where Hr. Platen took 
1 d 1 and 2 9$, there is also a d from Labuan, North Borneo in Dr. Staudingers collection in Berlin. There 
is probably only one known of harterti, now preserved in the Adams collection at Enfield. 
peali. E. peali Wood-Mas. An extremely interesting species, and like harterti very rare, only two or three 
specimens being known, of which two were collected by Doherty in Upper Assam at Margherita, May and Aug. 
Dec. The is remarkable from the light grey discal area of the forewings, the 9 from a large orange 
anal spot on the upper surface of the hindwings. Assam. 
E. penanga distinguished by the striking sexual dimorphism and the pointed form of the wing, so that 
Moore erected the genus Bruasa for the only species belonging to this group, penanga belongs to those chiefly 
macromalayan species which extend across Perak to Tenerim and, in this case, as far as Assam, penanga is the 
small west known Elymnias, and while the^c? have in general retain ed the habitus of the Euploeae, the shape of 
the wings in the 99 recalls Mycalesis, without keeping to any one Danaid model. It contains the following subspe- 
ckelensis. cies; chelensis Nicev. (88 c). To .judge by my two r>A, chelensis differs from the delicately streaked penanga in the 
larger size and broader blue submarginal streaks on the forewings, chelensis has a reddish distal border on 
the forewing and almost entirely black, instead of iridescent blue hindwings. Like penanga and konga, chelen¬ 
sis is very rare. There are 5 specimens known in England and 2 in my collection. Assam, Upper Burma, 
penanga. Shan States, Pegu. — penanga Westw., the name-type is known from the Island of Penang, also from Singapore, 
