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Show 1892.] THE LYC;ENID,E OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC. 439 seen. Mr. Miskin does not refer to it, so that probably it is known under another name in Australia. NACADUBA MALLICOLLO, sp. n. (Plate XXVII. fig. 18.) Lampides argentina, Butl. (nee Pritt.), P. Z. S. 1875, p. 616. 3. Upperside. Fore wing light violaceous blue, whitish in the cell and towards the outer margin, which, together with the costa, is rather broadly uniform blackish brown, the border extending into the middle of the cell. Hind wing greyish brown, darker towards the costal margin, and violaceous towards the base. A marginal row of distinct black spots extending from the apex to the anal angle, bordered inwardly with a row of indistinct grey crescent-shaped lunules, and outwardly with a clear white line interrupted by the nervules ; beyond this a blackish marginal line. Cilia greyish, darker at each nervule. Underside pale ashen grey, with the white-bordered markings distinct and slightly darker than the ground-colour. Having much the appearance of N. euretes, 2 (P. Z. S. 1891, pi. xxxi. f. 7), but with the submarginal row of lunules on both wings less distinct, smaller, and more triangular. Head, thorax, and abdomen con-colorous with wings. Antennae black with white spots. A short black tail tipped with white on the lower median nervule. Expanse iy inch. Mallicollo I., N e w Hebrides (Woodford) (Mus. G. t) S.). Tanna I., New Hebrides (B. M.). The male of this insect in the British Museum is a uniform violaceous blue, with very narrow linear brown borders. This species does not appear to me very closely allied to any other, but is perhaps nearest to N. dion on the upperside of male and female. Mr. Butler has identified this insect with Acrop. 1 argentina, Prittwitz, from the Samoa Islands, but I feel confident that that species is a Jamides, which is also Mr. Miskin's opinion, as he places it as a variety of L. (= J.) astraptes, Feld. NACADUBA DION. Polyommatus dion, Godt. Enc. Meth. ix. p. 679. n. 191 (1823). Lampides perasia, Butl. P. Z. S. 1875, p. 616. New Hebrides (G. F. Mathew) (Mus. G. Sf S.). Tanna I., New Hebrides (B. M). Both sexes of this insect agreeing well with Australian specimens; two females, however, have slightly narrower black borders and consequently a larger area of white, whilst another is quite normal. Lyccena perasia, auct. (nee Felder), from Australia, in m y opinion equals N. dion. I have not seen a specimen from Amboina, whence Felder's type was obtained, but his figure seems to point to a form which has the brown borders on the underside much broader than any Australian specimens I have seen, and consequently a less extent of white. |