3895.] L. de Niceville & Dr. L. Martin — Butterflies of Sumatra. 389 
Subfamily Eltmniinje. 
92. Elymnias nigrescens, Butler. 
Hagen. I have found great difficulty in identifying satisfactorily 
ilie common species of Elymnias of the undularis group occurring in 
Sumatra. Mr. Distant seems to have had similar difficulty with the 
Malay Peninsula species, vide Rliop. Malay., p. 61. E. nigrescens was des¬ 
cribed by Butler from Sarawak, Borneo, both sexes are described and 
one is figured, but it is not stated whether that figure was taken from a 
male or a female, but probably the latter. I have nothing very like it 
from Sumatra or Borneo. Distant figures two female specimens from 
the Malay Peninsula, which were presumably compared with the types, 
besides which Mr. Butler himself records E. nigrescens from the Malay 
Peninsula. Our specimens agree very fairly with Distant’s two figures, 
so I have adopted the name he uses for it. The males have sometimes no 
blue coloration on the upperside of the forewing whatever, sometimes 
there is a more or less complete series of marginal spots, which are most 
prominent at the apex of the wing. The hindwing is usually immaculate, 
but sometimes there is a marginal series of whitish spots. The female 
is very similar to the male, but the ground-colour of the upperside is 
paler and more reddish, and the blue spots are usually more prominent. 
Sumatran specimens of both sexes are frequently smaller and duller- 
coloured than specimens from the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. No 
orange form of female (E. undularis, Drury, from India; E.tinctoria , 
Moore, from Burma ; E. fraterna , Butler, from Ceylon; E . discrepans , Dis¬ 
tant, from the Malay Peninsula; and E. protogenia , Cramer, from Java) 
is ever found in Sumatra. This species is by far the commonest of the 
subfamily occurring in the island, and is found in the plains all the year 
round in ever succeeding generations. The larva feeds on the rattan 
cane, and doubtless on various species of palms also. 
93. *Elymnias leucocyma, Godart. 
Hagen as leucocyma, Godardt [sic]. This species was described from 
males from Java, and is evidently very closely allied to E. undularis , 
Drury, from India. May not E. leucocyma be a synonym of E. protoge¬ 
nia, Cramer ? It is doubtful if two distinct species of this group are 
found in Java. Dr. Hagen records two species of Elymnias of this group 
from Sumatra, but I have only seen one, which, however, is decidedly 
variable, but cannot in my opinion be split up into separate species. 
94. Elymnias lutescens, Butler. 
Grose Smith as panthera. Hagen. Butler. Distant. Kirby, 
