lo SOUTH- AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



belt of the continent, but this is no doubt partly due to its having been 

 better searched for the smaller butterflies. It has representatives' of 

 17 genei-a, the species numbering at present 120.'- Three genera, 

 viz., Ccqiys, Hewitson, Deloncura, Trim., and Armgia^ Wallengr., are 

 peculiar ; while Alcena, Boisd., and Lachiiocnema, n.g., do not appear to 

 be known from north of the Equator. Zeritis is also a specially South- 

 African genus, 2 3 of the 2 8 species known not being found elsewhere. 

 The genus most numerously represented is the cosmopolitan Zycccna, 

 of which 47 species are recorded; lolans has 8, Aphnccus 7, Lycamcs- 

 thcs 6, and Hypolycmia 5 South- African species. Of the remaining 

 genera, there are of Bcudoriv. and B'Urhania each 4 species, of Arrugia 

 3, 3Iyrin.a, Chrysorychia, and Lachnocncma 2, while the five others 

 have each but a single representative. 



^The Lyccenidw exhibit no power of sustained flight, although many 

 of them are very active, and some even swift in their motions. They 

 keep very much about particular spots, and many of them (such as 

 Tkecla and Lycccnci) are decidedly gregarious. Some of the finest 

 species of Myrina, lolmis, &c., remain always about a special bush or 

 tree, returning repeatedly to it when disturbed, and seldom taking 

 wing when unmolested. These and many of the ground-loving species 

 of Zeritis can, with caution, be captured by hand. The swiftest and 

 most alert of the South-African species are Capys Alphcvus and 

 Deudorix Antalus, which frequently succeed for some time in evading 

 the collector. Pentila, UUrlania, and Alceim are exceedingly slow on 

 the wing. 



The curious larv«, shaped like wood-lice for the most part, are 

 extremely sluggish, and look in many cases more like a coccus or some 

 vegetable excrescence than caterpillars. Some of them are smooth, 

 many clothed with a short down, some with fascicles of short bristles 

 on regularly disposed tubercles, and a few hairy generally. Several 

 are regularly corrugated dorsally, and others prominently humped in 

 one or two places. Very few of the larvte of South-African Lycccnidcc 

 have been discovered ; that of Myriiia ficcdula, Trim. (PL i. fig. 7), is 

 humped as just mentioned, and coloured protectively in imitation of 

 its food-plant ; that of lolam Silas, Westw. (PI. i. fig. 8), is very convex 

 dorsally, and slightly forked at the tail ; that of Hypolyccvna Lara 

 (Linn.) (PL ii. fig. i), of almost even width throughout ; and that of the 

 aberrant D'Urlania Amakosa, Trim. (PI. ii. fig. 2), unusually slender 

 and hairy .^ 



^ In the tabular statement given above (in the general remarks on Rhopalocera, under 

 heading, " 7. South-African Butterflies") I have given the genera as 15 and the species as 

 116. Since that table was drawn up I have withdrawn Liptena, as not possessing a true 

 South-African representative, and added Chrysophanus (which I had intended not to keep 

 separate from Lt/cana), Alcena (misplaced in Acireince), and Lachnocnema, n.g. The addi- 

 tional species are a Deudorix, an Aphnccus, and two Lycccna'. 



" The caterpillar of Spalgis Eplus (Westw.) is figured in Moore's Lepidoptera of Ceylon 

 as possessing several dorsal erect and lateral horizontally projecting long curved spines (op. 

 cit, pi. 34, fig. 16.) 



