476 
CYNTHIA. Par H. Fruhstorfer 
downwards with slight concavity. The larvae resembles those of the Genus Cethosia, with which they occur 
together on the wild passion flowers, Modecca palmata which they visit at night for food, during the day they 
desert the food-plant or seek another. They are yellow or green with black belly, and feet, the head bears 
two black, bent and finely forked spines, the segments also bearing six rows of fine spines. Pupa extremely 
grotesque, brown with green and silver spots and two lateral appendages, which look like bats-wings. Pu¬ 
pal stage 15 days. The species of the Genus are rich in individuals, although the $$ of some forms ( cele - 
bensis, erota, battakci) are rare in collections. The love to collect together on wet spots, especially on the 
banks of woodland streams and to suck up the moisture; they are then not timid and come back to the 
same spot if driven away. The ££ have a more sailing flight and are to be found on flowers in light 
woods. Inhabitants of the lowlands, they mount in the Himalayas up to 2000 m. Although they occur in 
the dry season, they prefer the Monsoon Period and in the Malayan Islands are the dominating butterflies after 
heavy rain, when they dash about the evergreen landscape in company with Hebomoia and Parthenos. Di¬ 
stribution the whole of the Indian Empire from Sikkim southwards and eastwards, Further-India, Hainan, 
the Philippines and the Archipelago from the Andamans to the Solomons. 
C. erota a small Western species, forms on the Indian continent and its adjacent islands such a num¬ 
ber of considerably modified local races, that the same have been regarded as full valued species. The seasonal 
forms of erota are more highly specialized than is the case with the more eastern species, not only in color, but 
also in wing shape. The forms of the Monsoon period have long tails to the hind wings and wellmarked black 
lines and spots on the uppers ides. The undersides of the $<$ are divided into three color zones, a red basal, 
a dark lemonyellow in the middle and a purple submarginal area, which are repeated in the $$ in the same 
order red or light yellow, then straw coloured or white and in the distal area week purple with a further yellow 
region. The wet-season $ bears a sharply definied narrow white median band on all wings, to which is added 
a submarginal chain of whitish crescents and on the hindwings a greenish or yellowish green anal area. Base 
of all wings dark green. In the dry-season $$ the basal area appears light blue or blue-green, the whole median 
area is composed of a continuous white field, which is crossed by only a few fine wavy lines and the margin 
of the hindwings is flushed with golden-yellow. The dryseason CS are only divided into two color zones, a 
basal red and a distal yellow-ochre and the bear a pale flesh colored basal and a straw colored outer region. 
The wing shape especially of the $ is rounder. Hindwings with only a minute median angle instead of a long 
erota. tail appendage. — erota F. (109 a), of which we have figured the wet-season form, occurs from Sikkim to Tonkin 
with hardly any variation. In Tonkin I only noticed the wet season form, but did not find the species either 
pura. in Annam or Siam. Pavie found it in Luang-Prabang. — pura Swinh. (— circe Fawc.) the dry-season form 
is much smaller and even the $ of lesser size than the erota <$<$. The 9 with almost unspotted white median 
region of the forewings and without the black discal waved line of the $<$. According to Swinhoe $$ occur 
auricoma. with entirely yellow uppersides, that is to say similar to the <3$. —■ (auricoma form, nov.) and in my collection I 
have specimens of an intermediate form, all stages from pale blue to dark green bases and pure white to di¬ 
stinctly black waved median area of the forewings. The hindwing ocelli common to both sexes are reduced 
in some extreme forms of pura to simple spots. Wetseasonal $$ on the other hand sometimes in rare cases ex- 
iriocellata. hibit a further eye between the rear radial and the first median veins of the hindwings: triocellata form. nov. 
—- Uncus large with hook-shaped, weekly bent chitin-head, valve somewhat thickened tOAvards the base and 
drawn out in front to a cylindrical blunt point, basally (ventral) somewhat concave. Valve with a bent upper 
and a mould-shaped middle protuberance. Scaphium angled with short fine point. Larva pale olive green, 
much darker between the segments with six long thorns on each segment. The upper one is much the longest, 
but all have a yellow base. Head dark brown with two backward bent horns. Pupa varies in various shades 
of brown. Thorax with distinct ridge and two wingshaped lateral protuberances. Green and silver spots on 
the back. In Sikkim from Terai up to 6000 feet during the greater part of the year. Niceville lUis bred erota 
from larvae which were found in numbers together with those of Cethosia biblis Dm. and C. cyane Dm. on the 
same passion flower plant. Specimens emerging in the spring from late autumn larvae are smaller and the $$ 
paler in color than the generations during the summer months, in which the broods follow one another. Only 
in the hot plains of the lowlands of India, where the rainfall is slight, does an interruption occur, as there the 
dry AVeather acts in the same manner as the winter of the northern regions and arrests the developement of 
the species in one of its stages. As soon however as the rain falls with the approach of the monsoon, the insect 
life awakes again and fresh broods develope very quickly. Species with only one generation are therefore very 
rare in India and their existence is only due to the fact, that their larvae possess very weak jaws and can only 
devour the tenderest leaves of their foodplant. Therefore species with only one generation always appear early 
