202 SOUTH-AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



222. (21.) Zeritis Pierus, (Cramer). 



Plate IX. fig. 6 ( c? ). 



$ Painlio Pierus, Cram., Pap. Exot., iii. p. 84, pi. ccxliii. ff. e, f (17S2). 



Hesperia Suetonius, Fab., Eat. Syst., iii. i, p. 320, n. 213 (1793). 



$ $ Zeritis Pierus, Var. B., Trim., Rhop. Afr. Aust., ii.j). 275 (1866). 



Exrp. al, {$) I in. 2-4^ lin. ; ($) i in. 2-5 lin. 



^ Greyish-broum, vjith a wide basal suffusion of rather glistening 

 Iwary-grey ; a small orange marldng in each tuing, sometimes obsolete, 

 or nearly so, in fore-iving. Fore-^ving : orange limited to two or three 

 short central rays about the median nervules, and often only repre- 

 sented by two small indistinct spots or a few scales, — occasionally 

 altogether wanting. Hind-wing : hoary-grey suffusion extends along 

 inner-marginal area ; orange forming a small patch of two or three 

 rays near hind-margin between third median nervule and submedian 

 nervure, sometimes much obscured and indistinct. Cilia greyish-white 

 (becoming white about posterior angle of fore-wing) interrupted with 

 greyish-brown on nervules. Under side. — Varying from ivhitish to 

 greyish and ferruginous brown, vjith paler glistening dark-edged spots 

 in hind-wing. Fore-unng : orange ; silvery- white- centred, black disco- 

 cellular, and other sj)ots, quite as in Aranda, Wallengr. ; additional hind- 

 marginal row of spots as in Almeida, Feld., but more distinct. Hind- 

 %ving : spots arranged for the most part as in Almeida, but considerably 

 larger, paler, and with their dark edges much more strongly marked, 

 especially exteriorly, — those of discal row elongated and contiguous, 

 forming a macular streak interrupted only on third median nervule and 

 submedian nervure ; row of submarginal spots obsolete ; hind-marginal 

 row almost so, except the two spots next anal angle, which are blackish, 

 immediately preceded by a paler mark. 



$ Basal grey suffusion wider, mixed with didl-yclloicish ; orange 

 pcder, more developed in both ivings. Fore-wing : orange interiorly blend- 

 ing insensibly with basal suffusion, reaching narrowly as far as sub- 

 median nervure, and from its upper outer extremity on third median 

 nervule emitting (as in Almeida, &c.) a ray as far as subcostal nervure. 

 Hind-iuing : orange largely developed over hind-marginal area (as in 

 Almeida, &c.) ; dentated hind-marginal edging sometimes reduced to 

 inter-nervular fuscous spots. Under side. — Usually rather paler than 

 in $, and with the spots of the hind-uing and the marginal ones of both 

 wings more distinct. 



This is a very close ally oi Almeida, Fold., but distinguishable by the much 

 paler brown of the upper side in both sexes, the remarkable limitation of the 

 orange on the upper side of the $ , and the disposition and development of the 

 spots on the under side of the hind-wings, which are so strongly bordered with 

 brown, and in the discal row form an almost continuous streak. It is the 

 exaggeration of this last feature in Cramer's figure above cited which convinced 

 me that this was the actual butterfly intended to be delineated by that very 

 rough representation, which in its darker colouring rather more resembles the 

 9 Almeida. 



