618 
NEPTIS. By H. Fruhstorfer 
paler brown, the white border traversed by faded and obsolete brown undulate lines. Island of Timor, disco¬ 
vered by Doherty. Very scarce. Costal margin of forewing beneath with an elongate, reddish or yellowish 
scent-scale spot. Band on hindwing very narrow. 
heliopolis. N. heliopolis Fldr. (126 a) is sufficiently differentiated from its nearest ally amphion L. of the Southern 
Moluccas to be granted specific rights. The white markings are reduced, the under surface of the hindwing 
lias some white costal and subbasal bands which are absent in amphion , and the forewing is adorned by a yel¬ 
low spot; this latter is not found in amphion either, but recurs in the Phaedyma species of Obi and Waigiu which 
indeed betray a much closer relationship with the Australian types than with their allies from the Moluccas. 
heliopolis adds another proof to the theory that the Northern Moluccas have, geologically speaking, been for a 
long time separated and remained isolated from the Southern Moluccas, since they could produce indigenous 
species of a genus whose representatives otherwise inhabit almost the whole of Southern Asia without under¬ 
going specific variation; for even daria from Celebes does not deviate from its Philippine and Malayan 
allies as much as heliopolis does from its geographical neighbour amphion. In itself heliopolis is only subject to 
slight local variation; the Batjan form appearing somewhat darker than that from Halmaheira. My collection 
contains a $ which has on the hindwing the white transverse band completely obscured, two rudimentary 
remains excepted; since Smith figures from the same island Another similarly obscured, although less distinctly 
amydra. marked, specimen, I give these melanotic 9$ a separate name: § fa. amydra Fruhst. Halmaheira, Morotai, 
Ternate. 
N. shepherdi is remarkable on account of its peculiar geographical distribution, occurring, besides in 
Australia and a few Papuan islands, also within the zone of the Moluccan Phaedyma amphion L. and heliopolis 
Fldr. ; starting from Dutch New Guinea, it has spread to Salawati somewhat to the South of the Equator and, 
following this, to Obi. Meanwhile my theory pronounced in 1908 regarding the probable occurrence also on the 
Sula Islands of some form of shepherdi , was confirmed by my discovering in the Staudinger collection a new 
and hitherto unobserved form, shepherdi unites the characteristics of amphion and heliopolis. The markings of the 
upper surface, and its variability are shown in our figures of graziella and damia (126g). The under surface is charac¬ 
terized by a brillant fulvous basal patch. Hindwing and costa on forewing with two subbasal stripes as in 
heliopolis, wherein both species deviate from amphion. Groundcolour varies, according to locality, from black- 
shepherdi. brown to grey-brown, likewise does the intensity of the white markings. — shepherdi Moore, the smallest 
and most plainly coloured form; white spots somewhat narrower than in damia (125 g), under surface pale 
damia. coffee-brown. Queensland, from Cape York to the Richmond River. — damia Fruhst. (125 g), larger than 
shepherdi, with the spots on fore wing more roundish and prominent. The white discal band on hindwing much 
broader, more rectilinear. Under surface: Both wings have the submarginal area more richly adorned with 
violet-white, like donata. The 9? vary somewhat in the extent of the white median band on the hindwing, 
which in one 9 from Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen is exceedingly narrow, 9$ from Finschhafen occasionally lack 
completely the white cellular streak on forewing. According to Hagen abundant in Kaiser Wilhelmsland 
mastusia. from April till November. — mastusia Fruhst. Forewing: the white stripes in the cell as well as the dot at apex 
of cell obsolete, the submarginal dot more distinct than in shepherdi and damia, subapical and discal spots 
considerably smaller; median band on hindwing above narrower, more regular and sharply defined, beneath 
much broader than in damia. Both wings have on the under surface the submarginal dots more regular and 
closer together. Dorey, Dutch New Guinea. According to GROSE-SMiTH^common on Humboldt Bay, ac¬ 
cording to Kirsch also in Rubi, North-western Dutch New Guinea and, with a slight variation, on Geelvink 
astraea. Bay. — astraea Btlr. approaches shepherdi in the reduction of the white markings. Cell of forewing without 
white stripes in 9- The hindwing has the median band very narrow and lacks the submarginal dots. Aru 
nectens. Islands, very scarce. — nectens Nicev. approaches in the large spots on the forewing and the uncommonly 
broad bands on the hindwing donata Fruhst. from Waigiu and graziella Fruhst. from Obi. Very scarce in the Key 
donata. Islands, 99 apparently more abundant than — donata Fruhst. $ has on the upper surface all the white 
markings somewhat broader than in shepherdi Moore ; the under surface darker, the submarginal bands on both 
wings more distinct, the white discal band on hindwing very much broader, more rectilinear, the subbasal 
graziella. streak more prominently white. $ has all bands still more broadly white than $. —■ graziella Fruhst. (125 g), 
closely allied to nectens Nicev. from Key, differing from 3 nectens 99 of my collection in the following way: 
On forewing all the white spots, with the exception of the two subanal ones which are separated by the sub¬ 
median. are somewhat smaller; on hindwing the black ground-colour is reduced, the white discal band being 
larger and more prominent than even in donata Fruhst. Under surface darker, with all white markings, parti¬ 
cularly in the submarginal area, essentially narrower than in nectens, narrower even, although more sharply 
expeetata. defined, than in donata. Obi. — expectata subsp. nov. is about intermediate between nectens Nicev. from Key 
and graziella Fruhst. from Obi, with broaden white bands and spots than the former. Sula Islands, type in the 
Staudinger collection. • .?.• w • ■ 
