4,S8 Mr. O. A. K. Marshall on 



V. The Oriyin of the hlack-mnrlccd, golden-hrotim Triangle 

 at the base of the Hind- Wing undcr-sidc in many 

 Ethiopian Butterflies. 



Mr. Roland Trhnen, F.R.S., considers that the black- 

 marked, triangular, golden-brown basal patch on the under- 

 side of the hind-wing of the female P. cynorta which 

 mimics Flanema gea, and P. echcrioidcs [and we may now 

 add P. Jaeksoni] " points to the inference that mimicry of 

 the Planema group was in both these Papiliones the 

 earlier tendency, and has only more recently been diverted 

 in the direction of Aiiiauris in the case of the Southern 

 species " ; for " this character is in the ^s of cyiwrta and 

 echerioides even more developed than in the $s, and is in 

 direct mimicry of the Planema'' ("South African Butter- 

 flies," vol. iii, 1889, p. 258). But if in the female of 

 cynorta, which is admitted to be an excellent Planema 

 mimic, this very character is reduced, how can it be 

 believed tliat its greater development in the male is a case 

 of direct Planema mimicry, seeing that in every other 

 respect this sex, if a mimic at all, is a most imperfect one ? 



A comparison of the Papilios and Plancmas with the 

 most remarkable development of this warning character at 

 the base of the under-side of the hind-wing renders it 

 probable that in this respect the latter have acted as 

 Mullerian mimics rather than models. Tlie character is 

 far more highly developed and specialized in a section of 

 Ethiopian Papilios than in any of the Planemas : it also 

 appears in forms which are unknown, and accompanied by 

 other warning characters which are also unknown in the 

 Planemas; it reaches its highest devclipment in species 

 which do not mimic Planemas. It is also probable that 

 the conspicuous, sharply-outlined white band of the male 

 echerioides, cynorta, etc., nearly alike on both upper- and 

 under-sides, is a warning character peculiar to this group 

 of tailless Ethiopian Papilios. In the most strongly- 

 marked species, with sexes nearly alike {zcnohia, cyiyrimfila, 

 etc.), the outer margin of the band on the fore-wing is 

 coarsely serrated in a very characteristic manner on both 

 surfaces. Furthermore (in cyprxofila, gaUienus, etc.), another 

 warning character of great interest is added in the row 

 of large conspicuous marginal white spots on both surfaces 

 of the hind-wing and smaller ones on the fore-wing. In 

 this respect this group of Papilios presents an exact 



