( i49 ) 



On some lielicouoid Dauainte and Fleliconidaj in the Collection 

 of the British Mvsev/n : by Arthur G. Butler, F.L.S., &c. 



In his great papei" on the Le] )ido] )tera o£ the Amazon Valley, 

 Mr. Bates has regarded the genv?. Mechanitis (typical) as con- 

 sisting of hut one extremely variable species ; among the 

 varieties he descril^es, two are named, as being better marked 

 forms than the others ; but to my mind the differences are no 

 greater than between the typical species M. pol//ninia and the 

 other forms in the genus. 



In the case of M. olivencia, Mr. Bates says, " It is a variety of 

 M. poli/mnia which varies in an important part of structure ; 

 l5ut this remark would be equally applicable to " var. 2," of 

 which we read '' hind wings of the $ more angular than in 

 M. polymnia, the apex being as if truncated." 



As I desire to see consistency in our nomenclature, and 

 moreover find it extremely awkward not to have names for 

 the supposed forms of M. polijninici, I shall follow Mr. Bates's 

 example both in the above-mentioned paper, and in the Entomo- 

 logist's Monthly Magazine I., p. 33, and name them. 



Egaensis group. 



1. Mechanitis obscvra. 



M. e(jncnsis far. 1, Bates, Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiii., ]). .532, 

 (1802.) 



$, ? Ega, (Bates.) B.M. 



Also found at Pupiuiha, Kio Jurua. 



The above form may very possibly be a race of M. ee/aensis 

 with which it occiu-s ; but it is very common, and differs 

 constantly in the nuich deepoi- tint of the wings and wider 

 black l)ands. 



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