418 
MELANOTHRIX. By Dr. E. Strand. 
nymphalia- 
ria. 
albidior. 
philippina. 
intermedia. 
leueotrigo- 
na. 
nicevWA. 
homochroa. 
radiata. 
latevittata. 
semperi. 
1. Genus: Melanothrix Fldr. 
Palpi erect and densely haired. Antennae with moderately long combs. Legs haired. Forewing short 
and very broad, apex rounded off, the upper discocellular very oblique, veins 6 -f- 7 + 8 + 9 forked. In the 
hindwing the upper discocellular is short and oblique, veins 6 and 7 forked, 8 strongly curved and remote from 7. 
•—- The Melanothrix exhibit a far extending sexual dimorphism, since the smaller, more uni-coloured are 
opposed by large marked black and white. They are distributed across the whole of India into the Australian 
subregion, but have no representatives in Africa. 
M. nymphaliaria Wkr. (= nymphaliaris limps., pulchricolor Fldr., atropurpurea Aur., coryma Swh.) 
(36 a as atropurpurea, 37 e $) from Java is in the female easily distinguished from our figure; the $ 
(= atropurpurea) has the wings above uni-coloured dark silky brown, though in the forewing with a narrow 
and interrupted, in the hindwing broad, light grey, blurred transverse band, and in the forewing with a narrow, 
white, submedian costal spot; beneath the wings are uni-coloured dark chestnut-brown with a yellowish costal 
margin. Expanse of the <$: 66 mm. — - albidior Rothsch. $ from West Sumatra deviates from the principal form by 
the white markings of the wings being more extensive and also the yellow on the sides of the abdomen. — philip¬ 
pina Rothsch. $ is the form figured by Semper in Schmett. Philipp. II. p. 387, t. 51. f. 2 as pulchricolor var., 
which has almost entirely black forewings except a spot beyond the cell and the basal half of the wing below 
vein 1 being white; also in the hindwing the black colour is more extensive. 
M. intermedia Rothsch. The $ deviates from that of nymphaliaria Wkr. by the black colour of the 
proximal two thirds of the wings being more extensive and the teeth of the proximal side of the distal third 
being longer, so that between the veins 5 and 7 they project beyond the apex of those of the black area of 
the proximal two thirds. In the hindwing, however, the teeth of the proximal side of the black terminal 
third are smaller than in nymphaliaria. Abdomen golden yellow, the rest of the body and the antennae black. 
Length of forewings: 38, expanse of wings: 81 mm. Mergui Archipelago. 
M. leucotrigona Hmps. (56 B a) from Burma has in the male brown wings and body, in the forewing 
it shows a large, lustrous white, triangular, postmedian costal spot, the apex of which rests on vein 5 and the 
distal edge of which is dark brown like an extensive spot between this spot and the anal angle. Hindwing with 
a narrow, dark brown marginal band. Expanse of wings: 74 mm. The $ resembles nymphaliaria philippina , 
but the white is less pure, the white marginal spots are larger, and the teeth at the proximal side of the distal 
black part on both wings are much larger and longer; abdomen yellow. 
M. nicevillei Hmps. The $ differs from the other species of the group of nymphaliaria by the white 
areas of both wings being much more extensive; it is the most closely allied to radiata Grbg. The distal area 
of the forewing only exhibits 4 black spots, and also in the proximal three quarters of the wings the black 
is very much reduced. In the hindwing the black distal marking consists of 7 black wedge-shaped spots. 
Abdomen yellow. The <$ has purely white forewings with a chocolate-brown basal area extending to the middle 
of the costal region and forming three teeth beyond the lower angle of the cell, and with a similarly coloured 
marginal band being broad at the costal margin and being darkest and undulate at its proximal edge. 
Hindwing purely white with a narrow, chocolate marginal band and small white spots on the fringes. Expanse 
of wings: q 78 mm. Burma. 
M. homochroa Grbg. (37 d <$; $ as nicevillei, 37 e), from the Kina-Balu, is in the $ almost uni¬ 
coloured, whereas the $ differs from the $$ of nicevillei and leucotrigona by its larger size, a broader black distal 
area and more extensive black of the proximal area of the forewing, and besides the white colour is on both 
wings purer and the white marginal spots are remote from the proximal white areas of both wings, though 
not so far as in leucotrigona. 
M. radiata Grbg. (37 e) $ from the Kina-Balu was described as a variety of nicevillei, but it is at once 
discernible by the white parts in the latter being here reddish creamy and the black of the distal area much 
broader, and the black being more brownish; the black of the distal area on each wing consists of 7 large, wedge- 
shaped spots. 
M. latevittata Grbg. ( = lativitta Rothsch .) (37 e) has an expanse of only 62 to 67 mm and originates 
from the Kina-Balu; ($) the purely white marking forms a distally dentate band extending across both wings, 
being at the costal margin of the forewing 9 to 10 mm broad and leaving only free a basal, triangular area 
extending in the direction of the costal margin on the forewing and a small basal area on the hindwing; the 
dark marginal part is somewhat narrower than in nymphaliaria-, both wings with distinct white marginal spots. 
Beneath as above. Head, thorax and dorsum of abdomen as far as the 6th segment blackish-brown, apex 
and under surface of abdomen ochreous-yellow. 
M. semperi Rothsch. (= pulchricolor Smp. nec Fldr.). The wings of the $ resemble nymphaliaria, 
but they are less black. Abdomen yellow with black transverse bands. East Mindanao. 
