442 L. de Niceville & Dr. L. Martin —Butterflies of Sumatra. [No. 3, 
281. Abisara kausambjoides, de Niceville, n. sp. 
A. Jcausambi, Distant (wee Felder), Rhop. Malay., p. 189, n. 2, pi. xviii, fig. 10, 
male (1883). 
Habitat: Penang and Perak in the Malay Peninsula, N.-E. Suma¬ 
tra, Nias. 
Expanse: d*, 1*8 to 3*9 inches. 
Description : Male. Upperside, both wings rich dark prune-coloured, 
beautifully glossed with dark purple in some lights, much more so than in 
either sex of A. Jcausambi , Felder; without markings. Underside, 
both wings of the same rich prune-colour as on the upperside, but with¬ 
out purple reflections. Forewing with the usual pair of discal parallel 
narrow pale purplish lines, wliicli widen out somewhat on nearing the 
costa ; a narrow submarginal whitish line from the anal angle, becoming 
obsolete beyond the middle of the wing. Hindwing with the usual pale 
discal band, three apical and two anal black spots each bearing outward¬ 
ly a fine white line, between these spots in the median interspaces are a 
pair of pale lunules, a submarginal narrow dark line, inwardly defined 
with a very fine white line. 
I have described this species as new with some reluctance, as 
the butterflies of this group of the genus Abisara are obviously very 
variable, these variations being apparently not confined in some cases 
to geographical areas, so that the numerous names which have already 
been given to many of these varietal forms are by no means easy to 
allocate. There are, however, obviously two species of Abisara of this 
group occurring in the Malay Peninsula and N.-E. Sumatra, the 
males of both being easily separable. A. Jcausambi , Felder, is much 
ornamented wfith whitish bands and black spots on the upperside, while 
A. kausambioides is entirely plain and unmarked; the ground-colour 
of the latter is also much deeper. The females of the two species 
I am unable to differentiate. Mr. Distant’s figure and description 
of the male quoted above evidently applies to the present species, and 
do not at all agree with Felder’s description of the male of A. Jcau- 
sambi* A. Jcausambioides is perhaps nearest to A. prunosa , Moore, from 
Ceylon, but that species has the male normally ornamented with pale 
bands and black spots on the upperside. The two non-tailed Abisaras 
are not uncommon in N.-E. Sumatra, A. Jcausambi occurring near the sea 
(Loboe Dalam) to Namoe Oekor, while A. Jcausambioides is found from 
Namoe Oekor to Bekantschan. Both are of very delicate structure, 
* See the last paragraph on p. 324 of Butt, of India, vol. ii. When writing 
this I possessed but two male Abisaras of this gronp from the Malay Peninsula, one 
each represents A. Jcausambi and A. Jcausambioides : from this small material I did 
not dare to describe a new species. 
