366 SOUTH-AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



B. Nortli Tropical. 



a. AVestern Coast. — " Camaroons (Buchholz)." — Pltitz. Accra : 

 "Aburi (TFe/f/Ze)." — Moscliler. Ashanti. — Coll. Brit. Mus. 

 Gold Coast (E. Bourke). Sierra Leone. — Coll. Mus. Oxon. 

 " Gambia River {Molo7ieyy—Q^. E. Shelley. 



Genus HESPERIA. 



Hesperia, Fabricius (part), Ent. Syst., iii. i, pp. 258 and 325 (1793). 

 Is77ie)ie, Swainson, Zool. Ulust., i. pi. 16 (1820-21). 

 Jsmene, Westwood, Gen. Diurn. Lep., ii. p. 514 (1852). 

 Rhopalocampta, Wallengren, K. Sv. Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1857 ; Lep. Rhop. 



Caffr., IX 47. 

 Ismene, Trimen, Rhop. Afr. Aust., ii. p. 317 (1866). 

 Hesperia, Butler, Cat. Fab. Diurn. Lep., p. 269 (1869); and Ent. M. Mag., 



1870, p. 58. 



Imago. — Head very broad, not narrower than thorax, densely hairy, 

 but without extra-antennal tufts; palpi with basal and middle joints 

 much swollen (especially the middle joint, which is egg-shaped and 

 twice as long as the basal one), and very densely clothed with scales 

 and hairs (of which the marginal hairs on each side beneath are rather 

 longer than the rest), — terminal joint long, not shorter than middle 

 one, very slender, straight, not acuminate, clothed with exceedingly 

 fine, short, closely-appressed hairs, porrected horizontally ; antennce of 

 moderate length or rather short, very gradually and moderately thick- 

 ened from about middle, and towards extremity tapering to a fine point, 

 and very strongly recurved into a long hook, 



Thoraoi exceedingly stout, clothed with dense hair, longer than 

 usual dorsally. Forc-vnngs more or less elongated aj^ically ; costa 

 nearly straight, but slightly curved at base and apex ; inner margin 

 slightly concave ; discoidal cell narrow, long or very long (from three- 

 fifths to two-thirds the length of wing), closed by slender disco-cellu- 

 lar nervules in an inwardly-oblique line ; lower radial nervule well 

 developed, originating midway between upper one and third median 

 nervule ; first median nervule very long, much curved, given off not 

 far from base at a great distance before origin of second. Hind-iuings 

 more or less prominently and broadly lobate about anal angle ; basal 

 protuberance of costa very prominent, fringed with hair ; disco-cellular 

 nervules obsolete or reduced to an extremely attenuated line ; radial 

 nervule also greatly reduced or obsolete. Legs rather long, stout ; all 

 femora inferiorly, and middle and hind tibiai suj^eriorly, more or less 

 densely fringed with long silky hair ; appendage to fore-tibise well 

 developed ; terminal spurs of middle and hind tibi?e, and second pair 

 of spurs of the latter, rather long and stout ; all tarsi strongly and 

 closely spinulose beneath. 



Abdomen thick, but tapering posteriorly, usually considerably 

 shorter than inner margin of hind-wing, but in $ of some species 

 almost as long ; a terminal tuft in ^. 



