PROTOGONIUS, I 7 I 



ils colours, black, tawny, yellow, and white, give it much out- 

 ward resemblance to one of the Heliconiince, or to Lycorea, or 

 Melincsa, among XheDanaince and IthomiincB ; but the wing-cells, 

 closed by very slender rudimentary disco-cellular nervules, and 

 the dentated wings, show it to be one of the true Nymphalince. 

 The antennae are rather short, and are produced into a long 

 club, not pointed at the end. The fore-wings have an arched 

 costa, and the hind-margin is only slightly oblique to the 

 middle, where it throws out a strong tooth. Below this the 

 hind-margin curves strongly to the hinder angle, and like that 

 of the hind-wings, is strongly dentated. In the middle of the 

 hind-margin is a moderately long spatulate tail. 



There are a considerable number of forms of this genus, 

 which were originally considered to belong to one variable 

 species ; but latterly they have been treated by Butler and 

 others as distinct. They chiefly differ in varieties of pattern and 

 arrangement of the various colours; but there is also some 

 difference in the size and shape of the tooth on the hind- 

 margin of the fore-wings, and in the length of the tooth at the 

 anal angle of the hind-wings, which is scarcely marked in some 

 forms, and becomes a strong sharp projection in others. They 

 are all natives of Tropical America. 



" Found flying near the borders of the forest, and settling on 

 extended branches with its wings closed perpendicularly." 

 {Bates.) 



There is little doubt that the various species of Protogonius 

 mimic those of Lycorea in their various localities. Thus 

 P. ochraceus, Butler, from Trinidad, mimics L. fiavesce?is 

 Kirby, from the same locality. 



PROTOGONIUS FABIUS. 



{Plate XXV., Fig. 2.) 



Papilio fabius, Cramer, Pap. Exot, i., pi. 90, figs. C. D. (1776). 



