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Show 1895.] MR. H. H. DRUCE ON BORNEAN LYCEENIDEE. 607" down the middle and having much the appearance of a grain of wheat inverted; at the upper (basal) end of this patch is, attached to the membrane of the wing, a tuft of long pale brown hairs which can apparently stand erect, lie flat over the patch, or be so enclosed by the two halves of the patch as to be visible only at the base. The submedian nervure is much affected by the patch and is bent towards the inner margin wdiere it passes it. Type, Sithon scopula, Druce. This remarkable genus is, so far as I can ascertain, monotypic, and with Thrix, Doherty', presents the peculiarity of having the glandular patch as well as the tuft of hairs on the fore wing on the upperside. The scaly patch is very curious and causes a considerable erection on the underside. It seems possible that the insect has the power of sheathing the long tuft of hairs, at any rate I have before m e specimens which show it individually in the three positions described above. I notice also that all around the patch the scales are rubbed away as if from tbe continued friction caused by the wdiisking of these hairs. It is a very interesting insect, and when some one is able to observe it in nature w e shall doubtless learn more of its peculiarities. VlRGARINA SCOPULA. Sithon scopula, Druce, P. Z. S. 1873, p. 353, pi. xxxiii. fig. 2. cf. Upperside-fore wing rich purplish brown, with all the margins lighter, the outer margin being more broadly so. Hind wing: upper half, including apex, dark brown; lower half light cserulean blue, sprinkled with whitish towards tbe anal angle. A series of three indistinct whitish spots in the interspaces, two between the median nervules and one between the submedian nervure and the 1st median nervule, and crowning these whitish spots are three indistinct small patches of scattered black scales. Lobe but slightly developed, white, with a marginal black spot on its upper edge. Cilia of fore wing brown ; of hind wing brown, down to tbe edge of the blue, when it becomes pure white and is so continued to the anal angle; tails pure white. Underside yellowdsh buff-colour, corresponding with the brown of the upperside on both wings; lower half of hind wing white, with a somewhat irregular brown band composed of confluent lunules placed about halfway between tbe middle of the wing and the margin. A series of four distinct black spots towards the anal angle, situated as follows: the first, and smallest, close to the margin between the median nervure and the second median nervule; the second, large, between the first and second median nervules; the third intermediate in size between these two, placed much farther from the margin and consequently out of line, and in that respect corresponding with the portion of the brown band which is immediately over it; the fourth spot, which is small, is placed on the margin over the lobe and is in line with the first two. There 1 Thrix, J. A. S. B. vol. Ix. pt. 2, p. 35 (1891), described as having four subcostal nervules to fore wing. |
