124 THK ICNTOMOLOGIST. 



INTRODUCTORY PAPERS ON LEPTDOPTERA. 

 By W. F. KiRBY, 



Assistant-Naturalist in Museum of Science and Art, Dublin. 



No. VIII. NYMPHALID.E— NYMPHALIN^. ARGYNNIS, AND 

 ALLIED GENERA. 



The Nymphalina consist of a number of well-defined 

 genera, which it is difficult to group into sections, but which, 

 as they are too numerous to treat of as a whole, we will deal 

 with by the use of artificial groups founded on a certain 

 amount of general resemblance to some well-known genus ; 

 and in the present paper we will discuss the genera allied to 

 Argynnis. The atrophied front legs, combined with the open 

 hind-wing cells, are characters sufficient to prevent the 

 NyrnphalincB being confounded with other butterflies. 



The two first genera, Colcenis and Dione, are long-winged 

 South American butterflies, whose real affinities are with the 

 HeliconincB. Their colour is usually fulvous, more or less 

 banded or spotted with black. The species of Coloenis 

 measure about three or four inches across, and the under 

 side is either coloured as above, or indistinctly marked. 

 One species, C. Dido, differs from the others in being of a 

 beautiful green, with black markings above, and brown and 

 silvery ones below. It may be known at once by the whole 

 cell of the fore wings being filled up with green. The species 

 of Dione have shorter and broader fore wings (except 

 D. Juno, which more resembles Col(enis in shape), and are 

 rich fulvous, spotted or veined with black, and the hind 

 wings and the tips of the fore wings aie covered with oval 

 silvery spots beneath. In D. Vanillce even the black spots 

 in the cell are centred with silvery beneath ; and in 

 D. Moneta and D. Glycera the basal half of the fore wings is 

 pale crimson on the under side. 



Turning now to the ISymphalina proper we commence 

 with the East Indian and Australian genus, Cetliosin. It 

 contains a number of closely-allied and very similar species, 

 which may be distinguished from any other genus by the 

 elegant festooned black and white marginal markings, 

 especially on the under surface of the hind wings. They 

 somewhat resemble Danni ; and indeed some species appear 

 to n)imic D. Chrysippun, and others of the genus Danaus. 

 The Ceihosice are black, generally with a white or yellow 

 band or white spots or lunules across the tip of the fore 



