146 RHOPALOCERA AFRICiE AUSTRALIS. 



marked ; hind-margin slightly convex and sinuated ; anal 

 angle distinct ; inner-margin convex near base, slightly con- 

 cave about middle. Hind-wings large, rounded ; costa 

 strongly arched ; hind-margin moderately dentate ; inner- 

 margins but slightly convex, not covering posterior portion 

 of abdomen. Legs rather short and stout. Abdomen slender, 

 much compressed, rather elongate. 



Larva. — Head very large, bifid on its summit ; a pair of 

 dovs^ny, elongate, tubercular processes, projecting laterally, 

 on both the second and third segments — those on the third 

 segment much the longer ; an upright pyramidal process on 

 the penultimate (?) segment. The Larva is somewhat attenu- 

 ated posteriorly. 



Pupa. — Much curved; thick in central portion; head 

 deeply bifid. 



These characters of Larva and Pupa of Neptis are descrip- 

 tive of the figures of the early states of N. Aceris in Hors- 

 field and Moore's *' Catalogue of Lepidopterous Insects in 

 the Museum of the H. E. L Company," pi. V, f. 10, 10a. 



The insects included in this Genus, which is nearly allied 

 to Limenitis, Fab., are marked conspicuously with white or 

 yellow on a black ground. Only one species, N. Melicerta, 

 Fab., is known to inhabit South Africa. It is an elegant 

 Butterfly, the snowy-white markings rendering it very con- 

 spicuous. 



A yellow-banded species, N. Dumetorum, common in the 

 Isle Bourbon, is likely to be also an inhabitant of Natal. 



87. Neptis Melicerta. 



Papilio Melicerta, Fab., Syst. Ent., p. 508, n. 274. 



Papilio Agatha, Cram., Pap. Exot., pi. 327, f. A, B. 



Papilio Agathe, Herbst. Bek. Ins. — Schmett., IX, pi. 238, 



[f. 7, 8. 



Papilio Melicerta, Fab., Ent. Syst., Ill, 1, p. 244, n. 762. 



Acca Blandina, Hiibn., Verz. Bek. Schmett., p. 44, n. 389, 



Nymphalis Melinoe, Godt., Enc. Meth., IX, p. 432, n. 261. 



Expands 1 in. 9 lin. — 2 in. 4 lin. 



Brownish-black, with a reddish gloss; with pure-white 

 transverse bands. Fore-wing : a slightly curved, rather broad, 

 white band, composed of six contiguous spots, beyond middle, 

 extending from costa to third median nervule not far from 

 hind-margin ; on inner-margin, a little before the end of 

 band, a semicircular white spot, crossed by submedian ner- 

 vure ; along hind -margin three rows of paler markings, thin, 

 lunular, partly white ; the two first spots of the innermost 



