296 



OPSIPHANES. By H. Fruhstorfer. 



cassiculifs 



pseudo- 

 cassia c. 



undulate bands are formed by the closer striation and shading. The distal margin itself is somewhat duller, 

 especially anteriorly. Abdomen with lateral friction-pads. The $ larger, broader-wmged, with a band-like 

 light patch behind the cell. Distal margin of the forewing nearly straight. 



0. cassiae inhabits troi^ical South America from Colombia to Bolivia and from Guiana to Rio de Janeiro 

 and Santa Catharina. Common wherever its food-plant, the edible banana, has been planted, on the leaves 

 of which the light green larva lives. The species probably flies all the year round, and examples are known 

 from Suruiam which perhaps belong to a dry-season form. The separated branch-races are not very sharply 

 divided; in the Central Brazilian races it cannot be proved with certainty whether they are due to geographical 

 or only climatic influences. — • cassiae L. came from Surinam, but is apparently distributed as far as eastern 

 Colombia. Forewing with a yellowish band, much more narrowed anally than m lucullus (61 a); hindwing 

 with a shoi't yellowish marginal band from the apex to about the upper median, thence onwards narrowed and 

 mostly only continued as reddish shadows. Underside of the hindwing with a very large, nearly retort-shaped 

 apical eye-spot, sometimes distally produced, and a small, rounded, yellow-riiaged anal ocellus. Between the 

 two occasionally some blind accessory eye-spots, cassiculus Sfich. is a smaller form, perhaps belonging to 

 the dry season. The 3* has the band of the forewing somewhat narrowed, sharply cut posteriorly by the me- 

 dian veins and showing a tendency here to break up into spots, and with both its proximal and its distal edge 

 deeply incised. Hindwing unicolorous dark brown, at most in the apex one or two quite blurred, scarcely 

 perceptible small, narrow, diffuse spots. $ somewhat larger, band of the forewing but little outcurved proxi- 

 mally on the cell, posteriorly strongly notched at the median veins, tlie veins themselves there somewhat dusted 

 with brown. Hindwing only with some small pale ochre-yellow apical spots or the short beginning of a dentate 

 marginal band. — pseudocassiaei*'7»/(.s<. ^ : length of the forewing 42 mm. This interesting, small race foi-ms 

 a transition from cassiae to tamarindi, as it bears on the forewing a compact, dark ochreous band as broad as 

 in cassiae decentius Fruhst. and has the hindwing unicolorous, entirely without markings, like tamarindi. On 

 the under surface pseudocassiae is about intermediate between tamarindi and xiphos in marking and colouring. 



pudicus. Manaos. — pudicus Fruhst. inhabits Bahia. Transverse band of the forewing light yellowish, of about uniform 

 breadth from the costa to the anal angle and considerably broader than m cassiae L. Hindwing with a short, 

 narrow, light yellow admarginal band, terminating at the upper median. $ with scarcely appreciable red- 

 brown tinge on the hindwing. Under surface: pale grey, the yellowish oblique band of almost uniform colour 

 across the entire forewing. Ocelli of the hindwing, including the anal, very large. This subspecies, which 

 manifests distinctly the dry-season characters, has probably sprung from what was originally a dry-season 

 form, similarly to the East Javan forms which liave already attained to fixity as subspecies. It is fairly cer- 

 tain that in the other northern provinces of Brazil, some of them with still more sterile conditions and even 

 longer rainless periods than prevail in Bahia, still more specialized cassiae races occur. — decentius Fruhst. 

 forms the transition from pudicus to the Central and South Brazilian local form lucuUus. Bands as in pudi- 

 cus, but dark orange-coloured. Under surface : ochreous band of the forewing short, broad, extending from 

 the anal angle only to the middle median, at the lower median deeply notched by the black basal colouring. 



hmdlus. Muias Geraes.- lucullus Fruhst. (61 a) differs from all the northern races in having the under surface consider- 

 ably darkened, witli all the whitish and yellowish parts standing out more distinctly, especially on the hind- 

 wing. The striation is almost deep black and the purple tinge is increased in extent and intensity. (^ : band 

 of the forewing dark ochreous, costally very broad, proximally very irregular, i.e. deeply incised, anally narrow- 

 ing as in Hubxer's fig. I, pi. 74. Admarginal band of the hindwing in contrast to pudicus and decentius little 

 developed, only consisting of 2 or 3 diffuse patches. $ : transverse band of the forewing much enlarged, broader 

 and paler than in typical cassiae, proximally irregular. Admarginal band of the $ very broad and long, al- 

 ways distinct and remaining light yellow as far as the middle median. Anal area tinged with red-brown. 

 Under surface; (^ with the yellowish anal band of the forewing quite narrow, obsolete. $: band very bi'oad, 

 light yellow to the second median, then somewhat covered with reddish scales, running to the costal margin 

 and becoming gradually paler. Ocelli of the iiindwing very large. The butterfly is common at Rio among 

 banana, on the leaves of which the light green larva lives. Espiritu Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and espe- 

 cially common also at Blumenau, in Santa Catharina; also in Paraguay, but very rarely. — castaneus Stich. 

 Upper surface very dark; oblique band continuous to the lower median vein, then broken up; hindwing uni- 

 colorous. Under surface very bright, with large eye-spots. ? larger, almost as in typical cassiae, but the mark- 

 ings at the distal margin of the Iiindwing indistinct. Specimens sometimes occur with the band of the fore- 

 wing much lighter and abbreviated, recalling tamarindi. Central America and Colombia. — rubigatus Stich. 

 Forewing of the ^ somewhat broader, apex less pointed, the band generally as in the typical subspecies, occa- 

 sionally somewhat widened, posteriorly complete to the extreme end, or here sometimes indistinct. Hindwing 

 with some small apical spots, which are sometimes continued as washed-out rust-red crescentic spots at a short 

 distance from the margin. Hinder angle behind the cell more or less tinged with dark rust-red. Other- 

 slrophios. wise like typical cassiae; the form shows all transitions to this. From Coca in Ecuador. — strophios Fruhst. 

 Band of the hmdwing mostly at some distance from the distal margin, prolonged nearly or cjuite to the anal 

 f.ngle, much as m the typical cassiae $. Likewise connected by transitions with the neighbouring forms. 

 Coroico in Bolivia. 

 zeloles. 0. zelotes is split up into 2 local races: zelotes Hew., from Colombia, o above dark brown, forewing 



drccnliiis. 



caslaiiciis. 



ruhir/alus 



