444 BHOPALOCEBA. 



HELIOPETES. 



Heliopetes, Billberg, Enum. Ins. p. 81 (1820) ; Watson, P. Z. S. 1893, p. 64. 



A genus containing about fifteen species, nearly all of which belong to the Neotropical 

 region, H. ericetorum being, perhaps, the only exception. 



From the superficial resemblance of the species to the African Leucochitonea levubu 

 they have frequently been placed in the genus Leucochitonea by various writers. But, 

 as Capt. Watson has pointed out, they have little or nothing to do with that genus, but 

 should be grouped under Billberg's name Heliopetes, of which H. arsalte (Linn.) is 

 the type. 



Of the eight species found in our region all but two have a very wide range over 

 the South -American continent ; the two exceptions are : — H. macaira, which, though 

 generally distributed throughout our country, does not seem to pass the Isthmus of 

 Panama, and H. cnemus, which seems restricted to Southern Mexico. Of the southern 

 species, five range as far north as Sinaloa, H. petrus being the only one that does not 

 pass Nicaragua. 



The antennae have a moderately long, blunt, slightly curved club ; the palpi are 

 porrect, the terminal joint slender, projecting slightly beyond the prominent hairs of 

 the second joint: the primaries have a distinct costal fold in the male; the third 

 median segment and the lower and middle discocellulars are subequal, the upper 

 discocellular distinct and about half the length of the others ; the secondaries have 

 a short third median segment, the discocellulars are subequal and, as well as the 

 radial, feeble. The hind tibiae have two pairs of spurs, and in the male a tuft at the 

 proximal end. 



l. Heliopetes domicella. 



Syrichthus domicella, Erichs. in Schomb. Reise n. Guiana, iii. p. 604 \ 

 Heliopetes domicella, Wats. P. Z, S. 1893, p. 64 2 . 



Alis fuscis, ad basin pilis griseis notatis, fascia lata communi, irregulariter limbata, alba ; anticis maculis 

 quatuor costalibus, serie submarginali et una inter venam medianam et ramum suum secundum, albis ; 

 posticis serie duplici (exteriore evanescente) alba, ciliis albis fusco interruptis : subtus ut supra,' colore 

 fusco-ochraceo suffusis et posticis ad basin albidis. 



§ mari similis. 



Hob. Mexico, Rio Papagaio, Dos Arroyos, Acapulco (H H. Smith).— South America, 

 from Colombia to Guiana l and Brazil. 



The only district within our region where Heliopetes domicella occurs is Western 

 Mexico, and here Mr. Herbert Smith captured several specimens when collecting in 

 the State of Guerrero in the months of September and October 1889. These agree 

 accurately with our South-American examples, of which we have a large series from 

 many places ranging from Colombia to South-eastern and Southern Brazil. Erichson's 

 types came from British Guiana, where they were taken by Schomburo-k i. 



