172 RHOPALOCERA AFRICA AUSTRALIS. 



Both the figure and description referred to are of the female 

 of this species; but no doubt can be entertained, on comparing 

 the insects, that the specimens for which Mr. Hewitson pro- 

 loosed the name of Ephira, are really males of Ethalion. 



This species appears peculiar to South Africa, and has, as yet, only been 

 taken at Natal. I am nearly certain that I once noticed the male insect on 

 the borders of a wood at Knysna, on December 23rd, 1858. The Butterfly 

 flew twice from the edge of the wood over the hill-side rising above it, and 

 attracted attention from its very black appearance, as it rapidly passed me. 

 I can think of no other species resembling it both in size and colour. 



Port Natal.— Coll. Brit. Mus., et Coll. W. C. Hewitson. 



99. Nymplialis Tiridates. 



Papilio Tiridates, Cram., Pap. Exot., pi. 161, f. A, B. 



Dru., III. Nat. Hist., Ill, pi. 23, f. 1, 2. 

 „ „ Fah., Spec. Ins., II, p. 11, n. 43. 



„ „ Herhst, Nat. Bek. Ins. — Schmett., IV, 



[pi. 62, f. 3, 4. 



Nymphalis Tiridates, Godt., Enc. Meth., IX, p. 354, n. 14. 



Charaxes Tiridates, Boisd., App. Voy. de Deleg., p. 593. 



Expands 3 in. 7 lin. — 3 in. 1 1 lin. 



Black, glossed with metallic deep-blue ; and with transverse 

 rows of blue spots. Fore-wing : blue brightest at base ; 

 beyond discoidal cell, a little below costa about middle, is 

 the first of an obliquely-transverse row of four blue spots, 

 tending towards anal angle, and meeting an outer, transverse, 

 slightly-waved row of similar spots, extending from costa 

 near apex to inner-margin not far from anal angle ; hind- 

 margin varied with a row of conspicuous, duU-ochreous, 

 lunular marks. Hind-wing : blue gloss brightest near base ; 

 near hind-margin, two rows of sub-lunular blue spots, the 

 outer row parallel to hind-margin, the inner, more irregu- 

 lar ; two rows of duU-ochreous lunules along hind-margin ; 

 two short, black, tails, at extremities of first and third median 

 nervules, respectively — the former the longer of the two. 

 Under-side. — Shining, dull-olivaceous grey ; with blue-black, 

 zvhite-edged, transverse strice, and dull-yellow spots. Fore- 

 wing : three transverse striae in discoidal cell ; one just 

 beyond it ; two short striae beneath cell — one above, the 

 other below, third median nervule ; a dentate, externally 

 white-edged, blue-black stripe, from first median nervule 

 beyond cell, almost to inner-margin near anal angle ; the 

 outer row of blue spots, on the upper-side, represented by 

 dull-yellow, larger spots, increasing in size near inner-margin, 

 the two last being internally black-margined, and externally 

 with two blue-black, violet-edged spots. Hind-tving : some 

 transverse striae, near base, enclose a space of dull-yellow : 



