LYC.EXID.i:. 



179 



209. (8.) Zeritis Phosphor, Trimen. 



$ Zeritis Plioxphor, Trim., Rliop. Afr. Aust., ii. p. 269, pi. 4, f. 12 (1S66). 



Ex}). al., 10 liu. — I in. i lin. 



$ Shining golden-orange, with dark borders. Fore-wing: costa 

 dusky at base : a conspicuous brownish-black spot closing discoidal 

 cell, and united to a border of the same colour, which, commencing on 

 costa just above it, and very broad in apical portion, diminishes in 

 width to anal angle, where it turns inward a little on inner margin. 

 Iliiid-ioing : costa, base, and inner margin broadly bordered or suffused 

 with blackish-brown ; a dark disco-cellular lunule ; beyond middle, 

 parallel to hind-margin (which is edged with a black line) a row of 

 blackish spots, forming a macular stripe from costal to inner-marginal 

 bordering ; lobe and tail on anal angle reddish-brown, the former 

 sparsely scaled with bluish-silvery, the latter white-tipped and slightly 

 twisted. Under side. — Fore-wing: costa, apex, and hind-margin 

 bordered with pale greyish-ochreous, with a reddish tint on hind- 

 margin ; ground-colour very pale orange-yellow ; three metallic, black- 

 edged spots in cell, — below cell a black spot contiguous to middle 

 cellular one ; two metallic dots on costa ; transverse stripe of six 

 metallic, black-edged spots beyond cell (of which the three lower are 

 confluent) turning inwards so as to appear almost continuous of spot 

 closing discoidal cell ; a submarginal metallic-dotted streak rather 

 strongly marked. Hind-iving : greyish-ochreous, with a ferruginous 

 hind-marginal tinge ; metallic dark-edged spots arranged much as in 

 Harpax, Fab. ; two in cell, one closing it ; row beyond middle more 

 conspicuous, composed of seven spots, arranged in pairs, except the 

 seventh, — which, with the sixth, is large and brilliant; submarginal 

 streak as in fore-wing, but strongly metallic at anal angle. 



The above description is tliat of the fu'sfc example discovered by Colonel 

 Bowker, a $ expanding only 10 lines across the wings, taken on tlie Bashee 

 Eiver in KafFraria Proper. Two ? specimens subsequently captured on the 

 Tsomo Eiver, in the same territory, are considerably larger, expanding respec- 

 tively 12 and 13 lines. Of these two, the larger has the outline of the hind- 

 margin of the fore-Avings elbowed about extremity of third median nervule, 

 Avhile in the other (as well as in the small Bashee River example) there is only 

 a slight prominence in that part. The hind-marginal dark border of the fore- 

 wings is very broad in the largest specimen, and the submarginal dark streak 

 of the hind- wings suffused and almost continuous. I have not seen any but 

 these three examples. 



Though near Harpax; Fab., in outline of wings (including the form of tlie 

 tail on the hind-wings) and in the pattern of the under side, this curious species 

 is very different as regards the palpi, the length of which — together with the 

 metallic-orange of the upper side of the wings — approximate it to Zeuxo, Linu., 

 Chrysaor, Trim., and their allies. 



Concerning the Bashee River specimen. Colonel Bowker wrote that it was 

 the only one he saAV, and was caught at the edge of a forest in the month of 

 IMarcli. The two larger examples Avere also taken on the edge of a large forest 

 (called the "Boolo") in December 1865, and Avere observed to fly down from 

 some trees to drink at a small pool. 



