596 
RAHINDA; NEPTIS; RAHINDA. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
Trifoliacea growing everywhere wild in the gardens; the eggs which were of pale green colour and covered 
with minute raised dots, were laid singly upon the farthest ends of the leaves and never in greater number 
than 2—3 on each plant; Hagen adds that owing to the comparatively small number of leaves those plants 
could not have supported any greater number of larvae; the latter Hagen was unable to find, as they had 
disappeared after three days, probably due to the attacks of hornet-flies or other rapacious insects. 
According to Ruehl the larva of lucilla measures 41—43 mm; head brownish-black with yellow dots. 
Its groundcolour is brown-red, dorsal line darker, diffuse and more or less shading into the ground-colour. 
The 2. 3. 5. and 11. segments are each provided with two thick knob-like protuberances which are brown, 
dotted with yellow; each segment is laterally adorned with a dark, pale-margined transverse streak which 
stands ont plainly from the much lighter coloured, delicately yellow-spotted, ventral portion. They are found 
in April and May upon Spiraea salicifolia. The pupa is short, stout, light brown in colour, head provided 
with two sharp points, hanging suspended. As a rule the colour of the chrysalis of the European as well 
as of the Indian Neptis species is yellowish, that of Rahinda greenish, of the Bimbisara- group grey. The pupa 
of N. nandina kallaura Moore displays a faint violet tint and is ornamented with golden-hued or silvery 
spots. All the pupae hang suspended from the under surface of the leaves to which they are attached. 
The larvae of Phaedyma have, notwithstanding the great abundance of the imago of most species, 
hitherto never beenobserved, although one may reasonably suppose that they are not any more particular about 
their food than those of the other groups; for De Niceville (Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1900 p. 229) mentions 
no less than 13 species of plants from the families of Malvaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae, Rhamnaceae, Legu- 
minosae and Urticaceae upon which the larva of N. jumhah has been found. 
Table of Genera. 
The Neptidi of Indo-Australia may be grouped as follows: 
I. The 2. subcostal nervule arises beyond the end of the cell: 
Genus: ItaliisMlll Moore. 
A. The 2. subcostal arises at a considerable distance beyond the cell: 
Group: Rahinda Moore. 
B. The 2. subcostal arises at a short distance beyond the cell: 
L j Group: Aeca If bn. 
II. The 2. subcostal arises before the end of the cell: 
Genus: Sfeptis F. 
A. Costal vein inosculates in $ into the costal margin, in $ into distal margin: 
a) Precostal of hindwing either straight, or bifurcate or in-curved: 
Group: Neptis F. 
b) Precostal invariably out-curved: 
Group: Bimbisara Moore 
B. Costal vein inosculates in both sexes into distal margin: 
Group: Phaedyma Fldr. 
'The fact that the second subcostal nervule arises beyond the end of the cell is also observed in a number 
of African species as well as in a few species of the Moluccan Region classed by Moore with other Genera. 
Genus: ISsiIii ib Moore. 
Group A: Rahinda. 
R. hordonia is one of the most common Indian species, ranging from Mussoorie to Tonkin, from 
Tenasserim as far as the Malay Peninsula, Siam and Assam, and found also in the Mergui Archipelago. Of 
the larva two forms are known, one with short and the other with long spines, the imago resulting from the 
first being distinguished by dark-coloured scent-scale patches, that of the second by light-coloured ones. It 
is of interest that instead of fresh leaves they prefer those which are half dry and wilted. Principal food-plant 
is Acacia and Albizzia. The imago is only found in the alluvial plains, hardly ever ascending beyond an altitude 
