6 SOUTH-AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



represented by two irregular whitish transverse rays, interiorly broadly 

 bordered and in parts intruded on by dark-brown clouding, — a similar 

 patch of the clouding being present on hind-margin about extremity of 

 radial nervule ; in a third example, only the whitish ray near base is 

 indistinctly represented, while the whole discal region and lower half of 

 discoidal cell (up to base and a straight lino through the cell) is dull 

 fuscous-brown ; and in the fourth example the whole surface is almost 

 uniformly gi'ey, the rays being faintly shown by a glossier paler cloud- 

 ing, and the intermediate parts by some ochreous tinting, — at extremity 

 of cell an ill-defined blackish spot. 



$ Similar to $, except that the markings generally are larger, 

 especially the bar across hind-wing. Under side. — More uniform than 

 in $, and nearly resembling that of the fourth ^ example above de- 

 scribed, but tvitJi a decided glaucous-grccn tint both in hind- wing and 

 in apical region of fore-wing ; any trace of paler bars in hind-wing 

 being obsolete, or nearly so. 



In the $ the fore-wings are more prolonged apically than in the 

 $ ; but the hind-wings are alike in both sexes, the costal prominence 

 beyond middle l^eing very slight, while the projection at the extremity 

 of the first median nervule is very well developed, forming a broad tail 

 or process Ath inch in length. The palpi of the $ are longer and more 

 attenuated than those of the ^. 



This Lihytliea is very nearly allied to L. Lahdaca, Westw., a native 

 of Sierra Leone, Camaroons, Angola, and Congo (see Genera of Diurnal 

 Ze^idojytera, vol. ii. p. 413 note, pi. Ixviii. f. 6). The South- African 

 form may, however, be readily distinguished by the more produced and 

 angulated fore-wings and by the greater prominence of the projection 

 in the hind-wings. The markings of the upper side are all larger, paler, 

 and more fulvous than in Lethdaca ; in the fore-wings the conspicuous 

 disco-cellular bar is a feature wanting or very indistinctly represented 

 in the West- African species, which, moreover, possesses a dull-fulvous 

 or greyish irregular marking (between large discal spot and submedian 

 nervure) absent in Laius ; and in the hind-wings, the transverse bar is 

 nearly straight instead of arched or concave interiorly, as in Lahdaca, 

 and the separate spot between the subcostal nervures is peculiar to 

 Laius. As regards the under side, the ^ Labdaca (I have not 

 examined the $) is very much like the more strongly-marked (^ s of 

 the South- African insect ; but the fulvous-ochreous in fore-wing is 

 limited to a short basi-disco-cellular bar. 



The genus Lihytliea, so widely distributed over the earth, yet containing 

 so very few species, was not apparently known to possess any African repre- 

 sentative until Westwood {toe. eit.) in 185 1 described and figured the species 

 from Sierra Leone already mentioned. In 1866 I described (Trans. Lnt. 

 Soc. Land., Ser. iii. vol. v. p. 337) as L. Cinyms a scarce Lib t/fJiea,inhixhiimg 

 Mauritius and Madagascar, and noted at the same time that Mr. Waller, of 

 the Zambesi Mission, had shown me a Lihytliea taken near the Shird River, 

 which I judged from recollection might be the same species. Since the dis- 



