70 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



tion of about five (African), occur within this area. Two, 

 //. bolina, Linn., and //. misippus, Linn., have a wide range, the 

 former occurring on every island in the Malayan Archipelago, as 

 well as India, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, and the latter 

 in Java, Borneo, Lombock, Timor, Celebes, India, Guiana, Aus- 

 tralia, and Africa. 



" This genus," says Wallace, 1 "and those which have been 

 separated from it, furnish us with examples of almost all the 

 anomalies of variation. Some species present an amount of 

 variation perhaps greater than any to be found among butterflies; 

 others scarcely vary at all. The sexes are, in some species, ahso- 

 lutely without a feature of their colouration in common ; in 

 others they are hardly distinguishable. In a large number of 

 species there is the most wonderful mimicry of other groups, so 

 that they have been mistaken for Danaidca and Acrtvidoi, and 

 there is perhaps nothing more striking than the accurate manner 

 in which some African species imitate the striped and spotted 

 Acrcece, which inhabit the same districts. In the Eastern islands 

 the protective mimicry has sometimes caused the usual sexual 

 characters to be completely reversed, which has led to confusion 

 in the determination of species." The mimicry of Danaus 

 chrysippus, Linn., by Hypolimnas misippus, is not only a won- 

 derful, but a well-known example. The common Danaus 

 (Limnas) petilia, Stoll., is regarded as the Australian form of 

 D. chrysippus. The last-named species occurs in India, Burmah, 

 Malayan Archipelago, Africa, and even Europe. 



In respect of the Australian form of Hypolimnas bolina, Linn., 

 the males are very constant in colouration and ornamentation, 

 but the females present an almost unending series of variations, 

 both in size, colour, and ornamentation. The chief feature of 

 interest to the student is that the female is apparently, in a 

 state of flux, the examination of many examples showing a 

 tendency on the part of the insect to conform to the Danaid 

 type. 



In our cabinets we have a number of varieties. One, collected 

 some years ago by Mr. G. Masters atGayndah, Queensland(Front., 

 fig. 3), measures, in expanse, four inches. If is dark olivaceous- 

 brown, suffused with purple. The forewing has a few small 

 sub-costal spots above the cell ; a transverse blue macular fascia 

 beyond the end of the cell : a submarginal series of white spots 

 placed between the nervules, the two uppermost of which are 



1 Wallace.— Trans. Knt, Soc. Loncl., 1S69, p. 27S. 



