NYMPHALID.E.-ACR^IN.E. 



ACR.EA. lY. 



XIV.— ACK^A CERASA. ? . Figs. 1, 2. 



Acra-a Cerasa, Hewitson, "Exotic Butterflies," vol. ii., Acvaa, pi. ii. fig. 10 

 (1861) ; Trimen, " South African Butterflies," vol. i. p. 139 (1887). 



Exp. nearly 2 inches. 



Female. Upperside. Anterior wings hyaline, slightly brownish towards 

 the margin, base tawny as far as the cell (or rather further towards the inner 

 margin), except between the costal and subcostal nervures ; cell with a large 

 oval transverse black spot just beyond the middle, and a longitudinal black dash 

 between this and the base ; there are also faint traces of another spot towards 

 the end of the cell, and two black spots below the two lower submedian nervules. 



Posterior wings ta^^•ny, with the hind margin dusky hyaline, most broadly 

 on its upper half. There is a large black basal spot, marked with tawny ; two 

 large black spots on the costa, the second opposite the upper extremity of the 

 cell, two more in the cell, one basal, the other medial, and about four basal 

 spots below the cell. The lower part of the upper discocellular nervule is 

 marked with a black streak. Beyond and below the second costal spot is a 

 curved row of three black spots, the lowest resting on the lower extremity of 

 the cell, and below this is a transverse row of four more spots, extending to 

 the inner margin, on which, just above the level of these spots, is a small black 

 dash. There is also a submarginal row of seven smaller black spots, increasing 

 in size from the costa to the anal angle. 



Underside similar, slightly iridescent, but with no tawny colouring, except 

 so far as this shows through. 



Body black, palpi tawny, tipped with black, legs striped with tawny, and a 

 tawny spot before the extremity of the abdomen beneath. 



Hab. Natal. 



lu the Hewitson Collection (British Museum), and in those of H. Grose Smith and 

 R. Trimen. 



A scarce and local species, for which the only locality mentioned by Mr. Trimen is Pinetown, 

 Natal. He considers it to be most nearly allied to the West African A. Quirina, Fabr. He 

 describes the posterior wing of the female as having, " near hind margin, between third median 

 nervule and submedian nervure, a row of three very small black spots." We do not find any 

 indications of these in our specimen ; but as Mr. Trimen adds that the butterfly varies considerably 

 both in size and in the number of spots, their absence is probably not of any importance. 



VOL. II., JULY, 1892. c 



