354 MORPHO. By H. Feuhstorfee. 



The tufts of bristles predoininaiitly black, at the anterior margin white. — In Rio de Janeiro, on the other 

 ienuilim- hand, occurs a form with the distal margin quite considerably reduced, tenuilimbata Frulist., and the $$ from 

 haia. ^j^jg state are somewhat smaller than those from Blumenau, they are lighter blue, like the (^S, the white median 

 band of the forewing traversing the Aving to the middle median vein and not so sharply defined. The under 

 surface is altogether less highly coloured, wanting both the copious «'hite dusting and the purple or viiaous 

 tinge which adorns nestira. tenuilimbata is one of the ornaments of the landscape in the neighbourhood of Rio 

 de Janeiro, where it is common in April and May, splendid fresh exemples being met with especially after heavy 

 rains in the gardens of the villas and in the streets at C'orcovado. Michaelis found tenuilimbata a great rarity 

 in Espiritu Santo, and I have recently seen (J,^ from Matto Grosso. Tegumen with somewhat shorter thumb- 

 shaped lateral protuberances than in menelaus occirlentalis Fldr., valve distally more compressed, the dorsal 

 mineiro. pad not dentate, tenuilimbata leads over to mineiro Friihst. (69 b ,^, 70 a $), from Minas Geraes. Langth of 

 forewing in cJ 75 mm., in $ 83 mm., against (^ 90 mm., $ 98 mm. in nestira. A small local form, perhaps 

 only the product of a tract of country in which the dry season is of long duration. ^ deep blue with the black 

 distal^border of both wings very broad, particularly in comparison witli its small size. White costal and apical 

 spots reduced. Under surface : forewing : basal part vuiiform dark brown, distal area with greenish grey scaling. 

 The postdiscal silver spots,' mostly7prominent in nestira, obsolete except for a few atoms. All the ocelli 

 reduced, very small, forewing only with one eye -spot between the medians. $: black distal border of both wings 

 broader, more uniform, containing more prominent, rounded (not strigiform) white snbmarginal dots. The 

 white band on the forewing beyond the cell so obscured by the more intensive and distally extended blue 

 reflection as to be only observable in certain lights. The blue basal tinge on both wings lighter. Under surface : 

 ocelli as in the 3* niuch reduced, the crescents on the forewing more open. The silver ornamentation proximally 

 to the ocelli darker, more bronze-colour. Minas Geraes. mineiro is analogous to perseus richardi Fruhst. (69 a) 

 from the same district and is similarly dwarfed in habitus and in the form of the ocelli, nestira apparently 

 does not reach Rio Grande do Sul and also seems unable to subsist in the dry northern provinces, such as Ba- 

 hia and Pernambuco. Although the species is bred in Blumenau nothing has j^et been published concerning the 

 orimta. early stages. — ornata subsp. nov., named from examples in coll. Staudinger, has a broader black distal 

 border, iii the $, on the other hand, the white submarginal band of the forewing is reduced. From Casa 

 Braca in the province of Sao Paulo, South Brazil. 



M. amathonte, whose specific right has repeatedly and justifiably been called in question, can never- 

 theless be easily separated from the forms of the menelaus series by having the ocelli on the underside ringed 

 with yellow instead of red. The i^o are about intermediate in the shape of the wings bet\\een menelaus and 

 didius, the black apical border as in menelaus, the distal margin very narrow, as in godarti didius. Distributed 

 amathonte. from Colombia to Nicaragua. Splits up into three well differentiated local forms : amathonte -Deyr. is one of the 

 characteristic butterflies of consignments from Muzo, Colombia, and the SS ^^'^ never w anting in the so-called 

 "Bogota lots", which are sold in Germany and England. The $, however, is always rare and differs conside- 

 rably from the S- S above lighter blue than menelaus with a slight admixture of whitish, recalling M. ado- 

 nis. Under surface somewhat lighter than that of menelaus with more copious whitish grey powdering on the 

 submarginal jjart of both wings. The white pupils of the ocelli on the forewing occupy the distal part of 

 the yellow bordering. The white median band, which characterizes centralis, is much shortened, the white dis- 

 cenlralis. cal patches considerably narrower and even more pointed than in the Central American race. — centralis 

 Stgr. (71 a) is an albinotic geographical form with the o(^ even ligliter blue and more intensively glossy. The 

 upper surface of the $$ as a rule has the white median bands even broader than our figure shows and traver- 

 sing the entire forewing. The under surface in both sexes, as also in amathonte, of fairly uniform colouring, but 

 m centralis strikingly pale yellow-grey with whitish submarginal area on both Avings. Occurs from Panama to 

 Nicaragua, mostly represented in collections by the form from Chiriqui, where it is rather common,^ while at 

 julanthiscus.othev places it is only met with very sparingly. — julanthiscus Fruhst. conies from Ecuador and was originally 

 united with M. didius Hpffr. ; even larger than didius. but more approachmg menelaus and godarti in the colouring 

 of the upper surface, having the blue of deeper and duller tone and not opalescent. The under surface is note- 

 worthy for the considerably smaller ocelli, which are placed on a darker ground, the metallic decoration is 

 reduced, rather golden than silvery. All the ocelli with golden bordering. Red antemarginal bands of both 

 wings more intensive and pronounced, as also their black bordering, which is proximally accompanied by a 

 bronze-coloured ornamental band, wanting in didius. The transverse bands in the cell of the foremng and the 

 proximal gold crests of the ocelli on the hindwing less conspicuous than in didius, more distinct than iii 

 assarpai. $ still unknown. Santa Inez, Ecuador. 

 godarti. M. godarti Guer., with the name-tj^e from Bolivia, extends northwards to Peru, where it breaks up into 



one or two local forms, concerning which, in the rarity of specimens, some doubt still exists as to whether they 

 should be joined to one or other of the two species didius and menelaus. Those forms are here regarded and 

 treated as godarti in which the $? have the cell of the forewing much narrower than those of didius and 

 which at the same time approximate more nearly to menelaus in the darker blue, slightly violet-tinged upper 

 surface. ,$(^ beneath either predominantly pale milk-white or broadly shaded with red-brown. Of the $ there 

 occurs also at Coroico, at elevations of 1200m., a form with red submarginal spots on the upperside of the 

 forewing. The following two or three branch-races I have had to work out in part from the diagnoses of 

 alexandra. their authors and without having seen the originals: ■ — alexandra Hew., described without any indication of 

 locality from an example in coll. Labrev of Bowdon near Manchester, decidedly belongs here and not to anaxibia. 



