582 
CYRESTIS. By H. Frtthstorfer. 
nobilior. 
chinensis. 
and am a- 
nica. 
nais. 
mens, 2 Jd 1 3 ££ in the Tring Museum, which were probably collected during one of the wars of England against 
Afghanistan, may belong to the form which according to the Rev. Hocking hibernates. The ground-colour 
is a pale, faded yellow, and all the markings are reduced to a minimum. From the yellow colour of all five spec¬ 
imens it appears, that thyodamas occurs at its northernmost limits in India only in the yellow variety, whe¬ 
reas de Niceville reports, that in the south of the Peninsula of India only white specimens are found. It is 
moreover surprising that there are among the five specimens three a proportion not observed in any of the 
other continental species; it may be that the valleys in Afghanistan offer only in a few limited places the con¬ 
ditions necessary for the development of Cyrestis , in consequence of which the are unable to conceal them¬ 
selves as thoroughly as elsewhere. —- nobilior Mart, from Rangoon, Burmah, of equal size as mabella, exceeding 
that of the largest thyodamas from Sikkim, has the ground-colour clear white, the apex of the forewing but 
slightly obscured; the marginal and submarginal lines accompanying the outer border of the forewing are, 
from the apex to about the middle of the cell between the first and second median nervules, surrounded by 
a gray-violet ground which, broadening toward the apex, encloses also the fork formed by the fourth and fifth 
subcostals. The smoky-gray, frequently quadrate, spot, connecting in the eastern forms the third meridional 
stripe with the inner line of the submarginal band, is placed nearer the base and more rounded; whereas it does 
not touch the submarginal band, it continues somewhat beyond the third meridional stripe toward the base. The 
type (rj) from Rangoon is in the Tring Museum. Although it is possible that the specimen described as nobilior is 
a mere “sport”, it deviates so strikingly in its general appearance, that it cannot be overlooked until further 
material from Rangoon brings clearness in this matter. Specimens from the southern part of Tenasserim and 
from the Shan States and Tonkin do not differ from those taken by me in Annam; they mostly resemble the 
d'd' from Kulu, whereas all the of the dry-season (January) from Siam are closely allied to nobilior. — 
chitiensis Mart, occurs likewise in a yellow and white variety, but differs from the typical thyodamas in its larger 
size and the following details: The forewing has the apex darker and more broadly black; all the markings, 
particulary the meridional stripes, are likewise broader and darker; on the forewing the third meridional stripe 
is connected with the submarginal band by an angular, sooty-black spot. The only link in the chain has generally 
the shape of a 3, being much heavier than the C seen in the typical thyodamas. The markings are not brown as in 
mabella, but distinctly yellow and do not completely cover the submarginal band on the hindwing; the blue 
ornamental line is equally broad and distinct as in mabella. From the yellow variety, which is hardly to be 
distinguished from yellow thyodamas , there exist transitions to the white form. As regards the degree of Me¬ 
lanism, chinensis stands about midway between the dark rainy-season forms from Sikkim and mabella. from 
Japan. In western China (the province of Yunnan), however, we find according to Martin the typical thyo¬ 
damas (1 $ from Manhao), whereas the $<$ from Tonkin contained in the Frlthstorfer collection decidedly 
lean towards chinensis Mart. (Ghiem-Hoa, August, September). 
C. andamanica Wood-Mas., described as a variety of thyodamas which it closely resembles, but from 
which it is distinguished by the darker apex and outer margin of the forewings, the considerable increase of the 
yellow markings on either side of the hindwings, and the nearly continuous black outer bordering-line of the sub¬ 
marginal band which is adorned with blue, and finally by the greater development of the chain-pattern. Al¬ 
though these distinctions refer to the nearest typical thyodamas from Continental India, whence specimens taken 
in the Naga Hills display in their colouring a great resemblance to andamanica, there exists also a slight , but ab¬ 
solutely constant, difference between andamanica and every other local form of thyodamas. In the latter the 
position of the second meridional stripe on the hindwing is not the same above as beneath; above it looks 
as if it were dragged outward by the subcostal, forming a distally sharp-pointed spur, at the very end of which 
the subcostal emerges. On the under surface however the stripe is straight, in consequence of which both stri¬ 
pes, when seen in transmitted light, represent an irregular triangle. In andamanica this stripe forms on either 
side a line which is straight, although not exactly coinciding with one another. As in addition it has the 
outline of the wings more rounded, and moreover, as nearly all the Andaman forms also of other Rhopalocera 
are separated from their continental forms, I do not hesitate to accord to andamanica special rank, the more 
so as the differences are quite constant and not mitigated by any intermediate forms. Also here ive observe, 
both as to the ground-colour of the wings and that of thorax and abdomen, yellowish and whitish specimens 
(Martin). 
C. nais Wall, from Timor. “Wallace compares nais with nivea, from which however it rather differs 
in its markings, which resemble those of the thyodamas- group. The submarginal band on the hindwing, which 
is as far as the costa adorned with a broad blue stripe, and distally accompanied in the costal half of the wing 
by a sharply-defined band of buff, continues distinct also on the forewing, being interrupted at the usual place 
and reappearing again beyond the lower radial. On the forewing the yellow spot at the anal angle is placed 
