IJuttcrJUes of Southern Africa. 345 



Sub-family PAPILIONIN^E, Swains. 

 Genus Papilio, Linn. 



Papilio Ophidicephalus, Oberth. Etudes d'Entomologic, 

 p. 13 (1878). 



Papilio Mencstheus (Dru.), Trimcn \_part.'], Eliop. Afr. 

 Aust. ii. p. 320, pi. 2, fig. 1 (1866). 



This is the Southern representative of Papilio 3Ienes- 

 tlieus, Drury, but is a much larger form, no example of 

 either sex of the West African butterfly that I have 

 measured expanding more than 5-^^ inches across the 

 wings. Apart from size, Ophidicephalus is best recog- 

 nized by (1st) the more decided yellow, inclining to 

 sulphureous, of the markings; (2nd) the greater size 

 of all the markings, hut especially the ividtlt of the 

 transverse band of forewings near casta and the con- 

 tiguity and outwardly-truncate form of its component 

 spots ; (3rd) the more conspicuous ocelli of the hindwings 

 and irroration of the disc between those markings ; (-ith) 

 tlie much longer and basally much broader tails. In the <? , 

 the discal silky clothing is barely seen on the 3rd median 

 nervule of the forewings ; and the disco-cellular oblique 

 marking of the same wings in both sexes is not separated 

 into two distinct spots. The dentation of the stripe of 

 the hindwings which borders the costal ocellus is much 

 more prolonged and acuminate. 



Two male examples lately acquired by the South African 

 Museum, Avhich were taken by JMr. T. Ayres in the 

 Leydenburg District of the Transvaal, are in some respects 

 intermediate between the Southern and Tropical Western 

 forms, though nearer to the former. In size, colouring, 

 and development of hindwing, ocelli and tails, they are 

 quite like Ophidicephalus; but in the foi'ewings the 

 transverse band is as narrow as in Menestheus (except at 

 its costal commencement where it is somewhat broader), 

 and its component spots are all separated from each other 

 except the first three, though they preserve the outwardly 

 truncate form characteristic of Ophidicephalus. In one 

 specimen, moreover, the oblique marking of the discoidal 

 cell in the forewings is divided into two parts, but the 

 upper part remains much larger than the corresponding 

 mark in Menestheus. 



Mr. Druce (Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1875, p. 416) has 

 noted that the variety figured by rac " seems to take the 



