NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 241 



"The males have a patch of peculiarly formed, and closely placed scales, 

 situated on the sub-median nervule of the posterior wings, not far from tbe- 

 ou'er angle. 



" The males of the first group have the anterior tibiae and tarsi covered with 

 closely appressed scales." E. Doubleday, 



There exists no sufficient reason why Hubner's genus should not be recog- 

 nized as valid, and the few species composing it be separated from the great 

 mass of the Danaides. 



Geographically, structurally, and in coloration, they differ as much from 

 their former congeners, as is possible within the range of a closely connected 

 family ; and it seems to me, that only from a total misapprehension of the rules 

 of genetic formation, could such a naturally well defined group have been 

 merged into another of opposed forms. 



The four species of which it has been hitherto composed are all essentially 

 African, as will be seen from the following summary : 



1. Amauris phaedon, Fab. Mauritius. 



2. " echeria, Stoll. S Africa. 



3. " egialea, Cram. W. Africa. 



4. " niavius, Linne". W. Africa. 



To these well known species I now add a fifth, to which Dr. Boisduval has 

 given the MS. name of Danais ochlea ; its description follows. 



8. Amauris ochlea, Boisd. sp. 



Danais ochlea, Boisd. MSS. 



Male. Upper surface : primaries rich velvety black ; a transverse sub apical 

 white band, cut in three parts by black veinlets ; another much larger trans- 

 verse band occupies the lower central portion of the wing, exieuding from the 

 subcostal to the submedian vein, and is divided by the black median nervule 

 and first branch into three large white patches ; a srnall rounded spot near the 

 -apex ; two others on the costa, between th? transverse band, above the upper of 

 which there is also a miuute narrow dash, and three more near the outer 

 margin, placed bttween the lower pot lion of the first band and the inner angle : 

 of these the first is the largest ; between the first two of these spots and the 

 margin there are three very minute dots. All of these markings white, or pale 

 glaucous white. 



Secondaries dark brownish-black; a large semi-transparent white space 

 occupies the basal and mesial areas, extending from the costal nervure to the 

 abdominal margin, divided into ten spots by the black veins and veinlets ; 

 three submarginal white spots on the upper half of the outer margin. 



Fringe black, alternated with white on the hind wings ; the primaries are 

 cut with white only near the middle of the outer margin ; expanse three inches. 



Underneath chit- fly as above ; the apex of the primaries and the terminal 

 border of the secondaries become brownish. Upon the first there is an addi- 

 tional small apical spot, and in place of three marginal spots there is a row of 

 seven, the two lower coalescing with the third subinarginal spot. The second- 

 aries have a white spot at their base, and two submarginal rows, composed 

 respectively of eleven and thirteen white spots. 



llab Zambesi. Coll. Tryon Reakitt. 



9, MECHANITrS UTEMAIA, nOV. Sp. 



Female. Upper surface : primaries, basal two-thirds orange tawny, occupy- 

 ing all the area within ft line drawn from upper third of the costa to the middle 

 of the outer mnrgin. In addition to the usual costal stripe, a narrow terminal 

 line along the lower part of the outer margin, and a streak along the sub- 

 median vein, but not touching the inner margin, there are four other spots, all 

 black, placed thus: one, traptziform, within the cell, and one, rounded and 

 smaller, between the first and second median branches; abroad bar ncr ss 

 the end of the cell, and a narrow, curved, widening at-the-tip line runs up the> 



1866.] 16 



