MYNES. By H. Frtjhstorfer. 
535 
in such a way that the upper (fourth) one runs to the apex or a short distance below it, the lower one to the 
outer margin. These features at once distinguish Mynes from Prothoe and on the whole from the true Nympha- 
lids, in which the fourth subcostal nervule is bent over at the end, forming with the fifth nervule a very long 
fork. On the forewing the cell is closed by a very fine discocellular, which joins the median shortly beyond the 
point whence the second branch is given forth; on the hindwing the cell is open. Both wings have the upper 
and middle discocellulars very short, in consequence of which the radials are very close together. The precostal 
is at the end bent inwards and branches towards the subcostal. All Mynes have in common a broad, blunt tail 
at the upper median of the hindwing, which is also found in Prothoe. The sexual organs approach most closely 
those of Kallima, having no connection whatever with Symbrenthia and being, as far as I know, distinguished 
from all the Nymphalids by the uncus anticus in which it resembles Discogbhora. Both uncus anticus and uncus 
proper are cleft (as in Kallima) ; but the valve is limenitoid throughout, resembling that of Limenitis , Athyma and 
Euthalia, short, nearly triangular, obliquely cut off in front, provided with a finely denticulate, lateral ledge, 
sparsely covered with long bristles. No connection appears to exist with the sexual organs of Prothoe. — The 
larva is pale leather-brown, with red-brown lateral stripes and yellow dots arranged in pairs. Every segment is 
armed with black, yellow-branched spines. Pupa resembles that of Vanessa canace, but is more slender, with the 
usual horns at the head and with sharp, basally broad, ventral spines; its colour is blackish-brown streaked 
with black, ventrally deeply constricted at the thorax. Ribbe supposes that the scarcity of the imagines is due 
to the fact that the larva has to suffer greatly under the attacks by parasitic Diptera. The larva lives grega¬ 
riously on low-growing shrubs; the pupal state lasts a fortnight. The butterfly is never seen in great numbers, 
ascending from the lower plains up to about 4800 ft; it prefers the woods; its flight is weak, resembling that of 
the Pieridae. Only the $$ venture occasionally upon the open fields for the sake of depositing their eggs. 
The centre of their distribution is Melanesia , in the east they range to the Solomon Archipelago, reaching in 
the west the Moluccas and Micromalayan archipelago. They are most interesting for the fact that in some 
forms the under surface of the hindwings may vary from nearly black to almost white, all the intermediate 
shades being likewise represented. This variability does not seem to depend on the seasons, but to be purely 
individual. 
M. doubledaii has but a limited range, being known with certainty only from the islands of Ceram fiorensis. 
and Flores, where it occurs in two forms: fiorensis Roeb. (121 a) of which but two $$ are known, one of which 
I was fortunate enough to acquire from the author of the species, for my collection and to serve as a pattern for 
our figure. The upper surface is bordered with brown-black as far as the cell, both wings have the inner half 
gray-white, laved with yellowish at the base, and irrorated with blue. This species is likely to be discovered 
also in Timor which is nearer to the Moluccas than to Flores, which latter island doubledaii may have reached 
by the island of Wetter. -— doubledaii Wall. (= schenki Stgr. rf), distinguished in the $ by having the upper doubledaii. 
surface of both wings basally irrorated with blue-green, and by having on the hindwing a macular band composed 
of yellowish-green, submarginal strigae, which especially towards the inner margin is broken up into smaller 
fragments. Beneath it differs from fiorensis in the somewhat reduced yellow irroration on the hindwings, and in 
that the median band on the forewings is partly obsolete; the $ has the distal margin narrow and black, 
and the upper surface yellowish-green. Ceram, very rare. 
M. plateni Stgr. is perhaps only a local form of doubledaii, but is separated from it here on account of the plateni. 
broader and more blunt tails of the hindwings, and for the reason that the rjVj' are chiefly black, having on the 
forewing only a narrow, nearly triangular area of yellowish-green whose base runs along the submedian nearly 
to the outer margin, whereas its apex hardly reaches beyond the apex of the cell. On the hindwings the basal 
area is clothed with long fine hair and irrorated with gray-blue. The $ has the basal area somewhat broader, 
but dull gray-green, and before the margin a narrow yellowish-green band of nearly uniform width, continuing 
on the hindwings to the anal angle. Beneath it resembles doubledaii, but the <§ has the basal area and the 
narrower submarginal band white, the latter interrupted by a red intramedian spot. The hindwings are black 
with broader white stripes and a submarginal band, which is proximally moss-green, distally more blue-green. 
In the $ the submarginal area is whitish-yellow, the red spot quite faded, all the green markings are represented 
by a delicate, yellowish irroration; the basal area is sulphur-yellow. The hindwings have the cliscal area either 
broadly lemon-yellow or uniform dull black (= $-f. zoa form. nov.). The latter was figured by Stattdinger zoa. 
from a Batjan-specimen; another specimen from Halmaheira is in my collection. Habitat: The northern Moluccas, 
possibly also Morotai. 
M. woodfordi represents the eastern continuation of the doubledaii- group. The contour of the wings is 
more acuminate, the tails more sharply pointed than in the forms from the Moluccas. In the $ the upper 
surface is largely white with a sharply-defined black border; both apical and median areas are, especially beneath, 
interrupted by white spots. The characteristic il/ynes-spots are larger, also the ^having on the under surface 
a white or yellow cliscal spot. Occurs exclusively in the Solomon Islands. Larva for the first time figured 
and described in “Iris” 1897, was mentioned in the general diagnosis. — woodfordi Godm. a. Salv. (121 a), type woodfordi. 
from Alu, Salomon Islands. Distinguished above from all the other forms by having the plainest markings; 
both wings are white at the base, peripherically thinly sprinkled with blue, displaying at the apex of the cell a 
