718 
ERIBOEA. By H. Frtthstorfer. 
Tribus Charaxidi. 
Cf. Vol. 1. Pages 168—168. 
61. Genus: Eriboea Hbn. 
The species of this almost exclusively Indo-Australian genus, only a few of which are also known to 
advance into South- and West-China (Vol. 1, p. 139), are among the most sought after Lepidoptera of the entire 
tropical Asiatic and Austromalayan Regions, many being exceedingly scarce and confined to a very limited 
area. Thus E. clehaani is only found on a certain vulcano in western Java, and other forms again are confined 
to a certain small island. Of many species only the AS are known, which may be even quite abundant, 
whereas of some quite common species the $$ are either unknown so far or count among the greatest rarities. 
All the species are subject to local variation even to a greater extent than the allied genus of Charaxes ; thus 
f. i. the island of Singapore harbours a form which is very different indeed from the mainland form. On the 
continent, moreover, it is subject to seasonal Dimorphism, two species there occurring in three quite diffe¬ 
rently marked broods. But the sexes do not vary very much, compared with the often heteromorphous Chara¬ 
xes. The caterpillar is only known of a few species; duration of the pupal state 11—13 days. Imago 
distinguished by the serrate costal margin; in the hindwing the cell open; in the forewing the middle discocel- 
lular shorter than in Charaxes. 
Sexual organs, with uncus short and valve broader, differing as a rule in the structure of the extremity. 
But the most interesting characteristic of all the Charaxidi ( Eriboea , Charaxes, Euxanthe) is, according to Dr. 
Jordan, the grooved penis which is not observed in the other allied genera such as Falla, Anaea, Prothoe, Pre- 
pona ; together with the penis proper, this groove affords an excellent means of distinction on account of 
the more or less distinct dentation characterizing the various species. 
The Eriboea species which occasionally congregate in enormous swarms, prefer wet spots in the roads 
and the borders of rivers, but fly, with the exception of E. athamas and eudamippus, always singly. In Ceylon I 
once saw E. athamas sitting on a crocodile skull that was being transported on an ox-cart; they also are at¬ 
tracted by the perspiration of natives. They are found from Ceylon as far as the Fiji Islands, and from Kulu 
to the Liu-kiu Islands, Australia and New Caledonia. 
E. athamas, the best-known among the whitish-green species, enters also the Palearctic Region, and 
athamas. was therefore already described in Vol. 1, p. 169. On the mainland we find 3 seasonal forms: athamas 
hamasta. Dru. (Vol. 1, p. 169, pi. 61 a) and hamasta Moore (Vol. 1, pi. 52 c); the third form is bharata Fldr. (134 a) 
bharata. f rom Sikkim, Kulu, the Naini Valley, Kangla (Northwest India); mentioned also from the Khasia Hills and the Shan 
States by Rothschild and Jordan in their famous monography on Charaxes (1898). The rarest is hamasta 
Moore, originally discovered at Dharmsala at an altitude of 6200 ft. (March till June); presumably a product 
of the influence of a dry and cold period. The name-type athamas came originally from southern C.iina, 
it is as yet extraordinarily rare in collections. In Hongkong the species flies the year round. — Egg, ac¬ 
cording to Kerschaw, semiglobular, smooth ( ?), yellow. Caterpillar on Albizzia millettl Bensh., a well-known 
Chinese shrub. Green with yellowish anal line and yellow lateral spots. In Tonkin atha'nas begins to get 
more abundant, occuring here in a good-sized form, whereas I found in South Annam in February only un- 
agrarius. commonly small spec'mens of the dry season. Pavie found athamas at Laang-Prabang. — agrarius Stcinh. inhabits 
southern and central India, differing but slightly from the northern name-type; apparently always the fore¬ 
wings have two greenish-yellow subapical spots, the hindwings the white submarginal spots more distinct. 
Larva on Grewia, a Tiliacea; also on Caesalpinia, Poinciana, Acacia and Alsicia; very shy, feeding only at night 
madeus. and lying motionless during day-time. Pupa green with delicate white lines. — madeus B. a. •/. refers to the 
Ceylon race, distinguished by smaller size, but with broader median area on both wings. Caterpillar dark green, 
on each segment a pale yellowish-white stripe, below which a row of small white dots; feeds on Caesalpinia. 
The AS are generally seen flying around high locust trees, but in the beginning of the rainy season frequent 
andamani- wet spots in the road. — andamanicus Fruhst. is a large form, the forewings measuring 38 mm, surpassing 
cus ‘ my largest Sikkim and Java $$ by 2— 4 mm, although 4 mm smaller than my largest Assam $$. Both 
wings with the greenish median band narrower than in mainland broader than in fruhstorferi Bob. $ from 
Java, equally broad as in sumbaensis Swinh. from Sumbawa and Sumba, resembling in the black sharp border 
arji Fldr. AS from Assam. Both wings more broadly bordered with black than in athamas and arji and, at 
least in the hindwings, almost as much as in arji forma roberi Fruhst. (Assam). On the upperside of the 
hindwings the whitish, elongate submarginal dots stand out clearly from the dark ground, whereas the yellow- 
