On a remarkable case of mimicry of Eueides pavana 



with Acraea Thalia 1 ). 



(Letter to Mr. Meldola.) 



Mr. Meldola communicated the following note on a remarkable case of 

 mimicry observed by Dr. Fritz Miiller : - "I have just reared from the caterpillar 

 state ten specimens (being five males and five females) of Eiteid.es pavana. This is one 

 of our rarest butterflies, and I think I have not yet caught more than half-a-dozen, 

 all of which were females. These resemble Acreea Thalia so closely that before they 

 are caught they can be distinguished only by the club of the antennae being 

 yellow, while it is black in Acr<za. Now in the male of Eueides pavana the club 

 of the antennae is black also, and this has no doubt been the cause of my never 

 catching any male. I know of no other case in which the males of a mimicking 

 butterfty resemble more closely the mimicked one than the females do, while the 

 inverse is well known to be of rather frequent occurrence." 



I) Trans. Ent. Soc. London 1879. Proc. p. II. 



42* 



