PRECIS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
517 
nervule, or even a short distance before it. On the generic relationship of the various species the authors 
have so far not been able to agree. Moore places even the Indian Precis iphita, ida with Junonia, whereas 
Butler to whom we are endebted for the best work on this subgenus, more justly draws Junonia and Precis 
to the common and elder genus Precis. This is born out also by Aurivillius in his master-work on “Rhopalocera 
Aethiopica” on the ground that it is a fruitless undertaking to seek for any reliable marks of distinction between 
the genera Precis and Junonia ’. If I have kept apart in this work the two specific genera, I was prompted 
only by reasons of a purely practical and in a way also aesthetic nature, having regard to the colour. Probably 
every collector of Asiatic Lepidoptera places the gaudily-coloured, bright-eyed (sensu strictiore) Junonia separate 
from the monotonous, insignificant-looking Oriental Precis with their leaf-like under surface. The best mark of 
distinction, at least in the more typical forms, is purely external: Junonia invariably has rounded wings, and 
shows on the upper surface certain well-developed eye-spots, whereas the wings of Precis are always rather 
angular and on the upper side without ocelli. In Junonia (which according to Schatz had its prototype in 
J. lemonias L., according to Scudder in J. lavinia Cr.) the Palpi are but scantily clothed with hair anteriorly, 
having the middle joint covered with a prominent tuft of hair; they are but slightly thicker in the middle; the last 
joint varies in length, conically tapering towards the end. Antennae are provided with a somewhat pear-shaped 
club. Eyes naked. On the h. w. the cell is generally open. II. w. with a single precostal, which either curves 
outward or is at it extremity indistinctly bifurcate. Whereas Precis is in the Oriental Region limited to the 
tropics, several species of Junonia are also found outside of these. Indo-China claims six species of the genus 
Precis-Junonia, Java the same number, Sumatra five; Nias with its exceedingly moist climate has only two or 
three species; also in Borneo Precis is not often met with; on the other hand we encounter on the small island 
of Sumba no less than 9 species, which proves that this genus centres in Asia in the small Sunda Islands, whose 
dry climate is especially favourable to its development. This abundance in forms in these islands is partially 
due to immigration, for it is certain that e. g. the Australian villida F. which according to Moore has been taken 
even in Java, has crossed over from the east, particularly from Australia, where it is one of the most common 
butterflies. On the other hand, it appears likely that erigone and orithja have spread from Java to the Macromalayan 
islands. The only endemic species is probably timorensis Wall., occuring as well in Sumba as in Timor and the 
adjacent islands. Although for the most part confined to the low-lands, several species ascend in the Himalayas 
to elevations of from 6000—10000 ft. 
Group a) Precis. 
Its range extends from Africa to Australia, but it is not found in the Neotropical Region. Upper surface 
without variegated ocelli. In the Indian Region seasonal Dimorphism is not greatly developed, in con¬ 
tradistinction to the Ethiopian species. 
P. iphita, found all over central China and Formosa as well as from Cashmere to Ceylon and the 
Macromalayan Archipelago, iphita Cr. (Vol. 1, p. 197, pi. 61e), type from southern China, extends according 
to Leech as far as Chang-Yang, where he encountered a very small form, presumably belonging to the dry- 
season, whereas the specimens from further west are much larger, measuring as much as 80 mm in expanse. 
Specimens from Tonkin closely resemble Cramer’s figure, whereas in ?? they are rather darker in colour than 
those from Hainan, but of the same size. This wide-spread species is in all those localities a regular street- 
urchin, always “on the go”, flying about from morning until night without regard to the weather. A dry-season 
form, similar to that found in Sikkim, I could not observe. — siccata Fruhst. (Vol. 1, p. 197, pi. 6‘2 a). Of this 
form I have only seen well-developed specimens from Sikkim. — hopfferi Moschl. is an aberrative form with 
increased black spotting, found in Silhet, — pluviatilis Fruhst. a rather dark-coloured race from southern India, 
Ceylon and the Maldives, without the lighter submarginal zone on the upper surface. Under surface black, 
displaying in the dry-season form a yellow median band. — tosca Fruhst. Above the ground-colour is black- 
brown, intersected by some sharply-defined, gray-yellow stripes; under surface is yellow, marbled with brown. 
From north-eastern and western Sumatra. — horsfieldi Moore, inhabiting Java, Bali, Bawean, Kangean and 
Perak; the upper surface is ornamented with indistinct, longitudinal bands of a dull gray-brown tone; beneath 
the prevailing colour is blackish, broadly irrorated with lilac, the distal portion of the f. w. occasionally flesh- 
coloured or white. — viridis Stgr. is a distinct insular race, above dark green, striped with lighter green, the 
under surface dull black-brown. From North-Borneo, Kina Balu district. — neglecta Swinh., above dark 
brown, with gray longitudinal bands. Described from Sandakan; this may possibly also include the form from 
south-eastern Borneo, with reddish-brown streaks irrorated with purple, which in adelaida Stgr. are completely 
suffused with purple, as is also the entire upper surface. The under surface is pale gray-brown, broadly irrorated 
with whitish. From Palawan. — cebara subsp. nov. (116 c), distinguished by its small size and the greatly 
enlarged light area above from the closely allied horsfieldi Moore from Java. Not all cdo 71 are quite so pale 
as appears in the figure, but on the other hand none of the specimens from Java have the median band as 
broad as in cebara. From Sumba. d'd' and ?? from Lombok surpass cebara in size, whilst with regard to the banded 
pattern they are intermediate between specimens from Sumba and Bali. I have no specimens from Sumbawa. 
P. adulatrix Fruhst. (117 a), has almost the appearance of an African species. Beneath it closely resembles 
P. iphita , but the median dots on the h. w. are blue-gray instead of yellowish. In cf the f. w. measures 44 mm 
iphita. 
siccata. 
hopfferi. 
'pluviatilis. 
tosca. 
horsfieldi. 
viridis. 
neglecla. 
adelaida. 
cebara. 
adulatrix. 
