



we) 
bo 
there until the sun. shines outsagain. This circumstance 
makes the capture of the insect, even in a favourable 
locality, a matter of considerable uncertainty, as bright 
sunshine is more often the exception than the rule on the 
slopes of high mountains. 
Sub-family 3—NyYMPHALIDES. 
Cells of both fore- and hind-wings either closed only by 
imperfect transverse veins or entirely open. Anterior tarsus of 
the male unjointed and without spines, of the female four or five 
jointed. Larva either spined or smooth; in the latter case the 
head more or less strongly horned or spined and the apex of the 
body bifid. 
This sub-family comprises our most beautiful butter- 
flies. It is represented in New Zealand by the three 
following genera :— 
1. HypoLIMNas. 
2. Precis. 3. VANESSA. 
Genus 1—HYPOLIMNAS, Hibn. 
Antennae not quite half the length of costa. Eyes smooth. 
Forewings with vein 10 from sub-cosial just before end of cell; 
cell less than half the length of wing and closed, with lower and 
upper edges of about equal length. Hindwings with cell much 
less than half the length of wing and closed; veins 3 and 4 
arising from almost the same point; termen rounded. 
Represented in New Zealand by the wide-ranging H. 
bolina, 
HYPOLIMNAS BOLINA. ' 
(Diadema nerina, Butler, Butterflies of N.Z., p. 13. Female. 
—Papilio nerina, Fabr., Syst. Ent., p. 509, n. 277 (1775); Donovan, 
Ins. of New Holland, pl. 27, fig. 1 (1805). Papilio iphigenia, Pap. 
Exot., 1, pl. lxvii., figs. D, EH, (1775). Var. Papilio proserpina, 
Cramer, Pap. Exot., 3, pl. cexviii., figs. C, D, (1782). Mate ? 
Papilio auge, Cramer, Pap. Exot., 2, pl. exc., figs. A, B’ (1779).) 
(Plate Wee fies iS G 9 Oe) 
This fine species appears to be rare in New Zealand, 
but I think it has occurred often enough to entitle it te 
a place amongst our native butterflies. It is, however, 
perhaps doubtful whether the insect actually breeds in this 
country as so many of the recorded specimens have been 
found on the sea coast. The following is a list of the 
eaptures so far as I am able to ascertain them :— 
From Mr. Eny’s ‘Catalogue of New Zealand Butter- 
flies’* the first specimen taken in the Dominion appears to 
have been a male, which was captured by Dr. Sinclair, of 
Auckland, and sent to the British Museum before the year 
1855. The Rev. Richard Taylor also caught one male speci- 
men in his garden at Wanganui, and saw another, the only 
two he observed in thirty-four years. Dr. Baker saw one 
in his garden at Christchurch on lilae flowers, also a male. 
A specimen was taken at Nelson about 1868. Mr. R. W. 
Feredayt records the capture of the first female specimen 
by a son of Mr. Thomas Tanner, near Napier, in January, 
1876; on the 18th of March, 1885, Mr. R. I. Kingsleyt took 
a fine female specimen in Nelson, and on the 25th of 

* “Cat. N.Z. Butterflies,’ p. 22. 
+ ‘Trans, N.Z. Institute,’ ix. 463. 
£ Ibid. xviii. 205. 
VI—THE BUTTERFLIES. 
March, 1886, I saw another female specimen in the same 
locality. A male was taken at Wanganui on May 15th, 
1898. About three years later quite a number of speci- 
mens were taken in the neighbourhood of Auckland, and 
single specimens at Nelson, and at Ohau, in the Manawatu 
district, more recent captures inelude a fine series taken by 
the Rey. Alex Doull, at Otahuhu, in 1904, to whom I am 
indebted for specimens, and a specimen at Silverstream, 
Hutt, by Mr. A. P. Buller. In the same year Mr. 
Ritchings Grant reported the occurrence of H. bolina at 
Wanganui in March, and Mr. R. I. Kingsley stated he had 
seen seven specimens at Nelson and heard of others. Mr. 
E. C. Sherlock also observed several specimens of this 
butterfly, in 1904, at the Thames. In 1907, Mr. Leslie 
Roskruge stated that he had seen the butterfly near the 
Government’ Buildings, at Wellington, and Mr. Bannehr 
observed one in Cuba Street about the same time. Mr. 
Herbert W. Williams reported, that on March 12th, 138th, 
and 14th, 1908, he observed thirteen specimens of this 
insect, whilst’ travelling from Hick’s Bay to Opotiki. The 
Maoris from Hick’s Bay had not noticed the butterfly 
before, but the specimens from near Opotiki had been seen 
a few days prior to Mr. Williams’ visit. The track mostly 
follows the sea coast, but in some places turns inland. All 
the butterflies, but one, were observed on the sea face, and 
most within about 100 yards of the sea itself. On April 
24th, 1909, a female H. bolina was taken resting on a tree 
at Karori, and a male was seen at Paekakariki on the same 
day. On March 20th, 1911, a female specimen was taken 
by Mr. Hesse at Wanganui, and two others seen by Mr. 
Morris N. Watt about the same time. In 1916 or 1917 a 
male specimen was seen by Selwyn Woodward at Karori. 
On May 5th, 1918, Mr. F. de J. Clere took a female 
specimen at the Lower Hutt and, during the same month, 
Mr. D. Miller observed a male and female at Weraroa, and 
two females and a male at Foxton. A female specimen 
was taken at Motunui, Taranaki, in 1924, and one at 
Ikamatua, near Greymouth, in June of the same year. In 
January and February, 1925, several specimens occurred 
around Nelson.* 
From the irregular nature of these occurrences, it 
may, I think, be assumed that, so far as New Zealand is 
concerned, H. bolina is an occasional immigrant, and is not 
yet permanently established in the country. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is 34 inches, of the 
female 4 inches. On the upper side all the wings of the male are 
rich brownish-black, with a large white blotch in the middle of 
each, surrounded by a patch of brilliant flashing blue; there is 
also a small white spot near the apex of the fore-wings and a 
series of white crescent-shaped markings on the termen of all 
the wings. The fore-wings of the female are brownish-black, 
with a patch of deep orange-brown near the tornus; there is a 
series of four very large oval white spots on the costa, beyond 
the middle, a smaller white spot near the apex, and three rows 
of small white marks parallel to the termen; the hind-wings are 

* New Zealand Journal of Science & Technology, vii., 365. 
