148 SOUTH- AFRICAN liUTTERFLIES. 



included in it by Ilewitson and Kirby, but wliich arc rightly referable 

 to the genus Zcrltis. 



Tlio Aphncei are on tlio upper side for the most part of rather dull- 

 brownish colouring varied with ochre-yellow, but several (especially the 

 $ s) have a vivid purple or violaceous-blue gloss extending from the 

 bases over a considerable area of the wings. On the under side their 

 beauty is very remarkable, the pale-creamy or yellowish ground-colour 

 being crossed by numerous well-defined bands of orange or ochre- 

 yellow, brown or purple, containing brilliant silvery or very pale-golden 

 stripes. In the Orcas group (noted above as having five branches to 

 the subcostal nervure of the fore-wings), the silvery marks, though 

 very largely developed, are broken up into separate spots, the rest of 

 the bands being either merged in the ground-colour or represented by 

 a dark edging to the spots. A tendency in the same direction is exhi- 

 bited by the under-side pattern of A. ha, Hewits., a small species from 

 the Gaboon. 



Of the South-African species, only one — tlie largest and most beau- 

 tiful, viz., the newly-discovered A. llittxliinsonvi, Trim. — belongs to 

 the Orcas group ; five represent tlio most numerous group, viz., that of 

 Mollis, Cram. ; and the remaining one, A. Pscndo-zeritis, Trim., has a 

 very distinct aspect, and in the undor-sido characters shows a resem- 

 blance to some species of Zcritis. 



These butterflies are very swift on the wing, but settle very fre- 

 (luently on twigs and leaves of shrubs, more rarely on flowers, and 

 sometimes on the ground. Of the four species I have seen in nature, 

 I think the very handsome A. Masilikazi is the most easily captured, 

 though it usually frequents higher twigs and flowers than the others. 

 This species is most prevalent on the Natal coast, but several of the 

 genus haunt exceedingly dry or almost desert country, notably A. 

 Namaquus, Trim.,^ which I discovered in Little Namaqualand. 



193. (1.) Aphnaeus Hutchinsonii, sp. nor. 



Exp. al, {$) I in. 6 lin, 



^ Fuscous, ivith disco-inncr-marginal area from base ivulcli/ suffused 

 with violaccoiis-hlue in both wings ; six conspicuous white spots in sub- 

 apical area of fore-winrj. Fore-wing : blue occupies basal two-thirds of 

 discoidal cell, and all the space between first median nervule and inner 

 marf^-in, except a moderately wide border on hind-margin ; immediately 

 beyond extremity of cell a rather large subquadrate pure white spot ; 

 a submar<>-inal row of five similar but rather smaller spots, of which the 

 third (between lower radial and third median nervules) is out of line 



' The North- Africiui ami Arabian A. Acamas and .1, Tamuniha arc also dwellers in 

 desert tracts. 



