3o8 SOUTH-AFEICAX BUTTERFLIES. 



ing considerably before extremity of cell ; median nervules long, the 

 second and third given off' very near each other. Legs rather long, 

 stout ; femora with rather thin longish hair beneath ; appendage 

 to fore-tibias rather large ; middle and hind tibifB strongly spurred, 

 usually sparsely spinose beneath, — the latter (and usually also the 

 former) superiorly with long hair ; tarsi long and thick, strongly 

 spinulose beneath. 



Abdomen of variable length, but usually rather shorter than inner 

 margin of hind-wings, and rarely slightly exceeding it. 



Larva, — Rather thick, smooth ; head large, with the two lobes 

 prominent. (Characters of P. Comma, Linn. — the type of the genus 

 — as figured by Hiibner and Duponchel.) 



This genus is more numerous in species than any other in the 

 family, and has by several authors been regarded as the typical one — 

 Hesperia. Out of the very large number — between 500 and 600 — 

 of species referred to it, about two-thirds are peculiar to the New 

 World — seventy having been described from North America alone. 

 From its Ethiopian Region about sixty species have been recorded, and 

 about forty-five from the Oriental Region. The Palasarctic Region is 

 exceedingly poor, having yielded but twelve species, and the Austra- 

 lian Region (as far as known) is no richer. 



It is with some hesitation that I have admitted the South- African 

 Ccdlicles, Hewits., and Morantii, Trim., into this genus, because in the 

 former the tip of the antenna, though curved and acuminate, cannot 

 be said to form a hook at all ; and in the latter, the palpi (especially 

 the terminal joint) are considerably longer and narrower than usual, and 

 porrected forwards. Some latitude in respect of these organs is, how- 

 ever, recognised by entomologists in the case of Fam-phila, — P. Ale ides, 

 Herr.-Schaff"., from Asia Minor, having non-falcate antennae, and P. 

 Puchholzi, Plotz, from West Africa, possessing ^ long porrect, pointed, 

 almost dependent palpi. The three larger South-African species — 

 Erinnys, Trim., Dysmephila, Trim., and Fiara, Butl. — I was disposed, 

 with Mr. Butler, to place in the genus Proteides ; but a more thorough 

 examination of their structure has convinced me that the greater pro- 

 portional length of their antennte is the only distinctive feature that 

 they present. 



The fourteen known South-African species may be arranged as 

 follows, viz. : — 



A. Antennas of moderate length ; their club short, curved, and 



pointed at tip, but not hooked. — P. Ccdlicles. 



B. Antennae of moderate length ; their club long, with a mode- 



rately long, gently-curved hook at tip ; palpi long and 

 porrect. — P. Morantii. 



C. Antennae of moderate length ; their club rather shorter and 



^ See Plotz, Stett. Ent. Zeit., 1SS2, p. 330. 



