386 HELICONIUS. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



nthra. rubra Stick, from Cuzco has the basal red deeper than in typical aglaope. — gratiosa Niep. is marked like rubra, 

 (jratiosa. j^^^ \y^^ ^j^g apical spot white, edged with reddistaUy. — bariOftertA. (75e) from Guayanahas the lemon-yellow 

 mirabiUs. discal spots rather spread about, and in addition a chain of apical spots. — In mirabilis Riff, from Peru the sub- 

 apical band is very short, sulphur-yellow; but otherwise the colouring of the upper surface is entirel_y black, 

 without any basal red. According to O. IVIichael it is found always together with other forms of aglaope, in 

 some localities more abundantlj^ otherwise always singly; it represents only a more or less perfectly developed 

 vnimacu- melanism. — unimaculata Hew. (75 f) has the subapical band feebly edged with red distally, but both wings 

 lata, without the basal red. — ab. rufescens Stich. and riffarthi Slich. both resemble hippolyta. but have the fore- 

 nffarlhi wings more profusely marked ^^'itll red, the hindwings less so; riffarthi has, moreover, also the discal red well 

 vicina. reduced. — vicina Men. (75 e) resembles aglaope, but has in the place of the lemon-yellow semi-band a series 

 of spots, the lower of which at the end of the cell is lemon-yellow, the semi-band projecting downwards; 

 rufolimhata. from the Upper Amazon. — ab. rufolimbata Btlr. (75 c) has the yellow band margined with red distaUy, and the 

 amor, cell-spot generally larger. — In the same way as this is related to aglaope, the form amor Stgr. (75 f) is related 

 to unimaculata Hew., that is to say the j^ellow, outwardly red-margined semi-band is broken up into a number 

 of spots ; otherwise the entire upper surf ace is black-brown ; both have a somewhat different shape, for which 

 euMla. reason I assume that they do not belong here; from the Massauary. — eulalia i?i//- ("5 *) from Guayana has 

 the forewing as in vicina, but less brillant red, and the lemon-yellow spots more compact; on the hindwing 

 the red transverse basal stripe is reduced and the red rays are altogether wanting above. In his original descrip- 

 tion RiFFARTH states that the lemon yellow spots on the forewing are edged with red. But one year afterwards 

 he corrected this statement, expressly observing that the spots are not margined with red. Thus we figure 

 in accordance with the author as milalia a specimen without any red margin. — However there do exist 

 such specimens, the figure of which, like most of our figures of melpomene, is taken from Oberthur's excellent 

 illustrations of this most variable species. But since Riffarth expressly dissociates this form from the name 

 fasciiiairix. eukilia, I give it a new name: ab. fascinatrix norn. nov. (75 f). — penelope Stgr. (76 a) from Bolivia closely 

 peneiope. approaches vicina, but has the red of the upper sui'face strongly tingtd with brown, and the lemon-yellow 

 margarita. spot on the forewing often shaded with black along its periphery. — In ab. margarita Biff. (76 a) which, to- 

 gether with typical penelope, flies on the Rio Juntas, the transverse band under the costa of the hindwing is 

 penela- bright yellow, densely dusted with red, particularly' on the veins. — penelamanda Stgr. has this band of the 

 manda. hindwing almost clear lemon-yellow, but on the forewing the otherwise yellow discal spot bright niimum- 

 penelopeia. red; Bolivia. — penelopeia Stgr. (76 a) likewise from Bolivia, is intermediate between penelope and penela- 

 manda, having tlie discal spot either red ^^ith yellow center, or, as Riffarth expressly observes, entirely red. 

 ■ — Also in Ecuador we find a number of allied forms of melpomene resembling aglaope. The most charac- 

 teristic is timareta Heiv. which has the upper surface completely black-brown, with only the spots in the discal 

 area of the forewing lemon-yellow, thus being related to y^eweZo/ie in the same way as unimaciilata is to aglaope; 

 it closely resembles our figure of yj^wto (76 a), lacking only on the forewing the red spot above the anal angle, 

 virgata. and on the hindwing the yellow band \\hich also in timareta is nearly obsolete. — ab. virgata Stick., occiir- 

 ring together with the following aberrations in Ecuador, in the same localities as typical timareta, has the ter- 

 contigua. minal area of the hindwing intersected by nail-shaped red rays. — In ab. contigua Weym. these stripes are 

 richardi. at the base confluescent, and in ab. richardi Riff. (76 b) preceded by a red transverse band; ab. peregrina 

 peregnna. gfick. has on the forewing instead of th" yellow spots of timareta a yellow semi-band. — pluto *S/gfr. (76 a) 

 from Bolivia is likewise a copy of timareta, but has a fine red spot on the lower median nervule of the upper 

 surface of the forewing, about 2 — 3 mm. from the termen, and on the hindwing a transverse band half concea- 

 erebia. led under a scaling of fuscous. — erebia Riff, is undoubtedly also an aberrative form from Ecuador, diffe- 

 ring from timareta in having the lemon-yellow spots on the forewing outwardly edged with red, as in unimacu- 

 amamlm. lata (15 i) and amor (75 f). — amaudus Sm. and Ky. represents a distinct transition to the amaryllis-gi-oup, 

 in that the yellow median stripe extends to the discal spot which is almost completely red, only occasionally 

 aphrodyte. faintly dusted with yellow inwardl_y; Bolivia, Peru. — The last forni is aphrodyte Stgr. (76 b), likewise from 

 Bolivia; groundTColour uniformly dark, only interrupted on the forewing by a frayed red transver.se band si- 

 milar to that of melpomene atrosecta, preceded by a yellow, more or less red-tinged discal .spot. — Nearly 

 all the forms of melpomene, those at least representing local races and not isolated aberrations, are in certain 

 localities extremely common. Although we have here recorded all the names given by Riffarth, Niepelt, 

 Stichel and others to quite unimportant aberrations, we are far from attaching importance to all of these. 

 Applying the same principles, one might, following OberthItr's work on melpomene, vesta and tel.viope alone, 

 invent dozens of new names, all of which would have more or at least as much value as many of the above 

 mentioned forms. It is easy to see that such liberality in giving names does not add to clearness, but rather 

 obstructs it, considering that dozens of such forms are found at the same time and in the same locality. Anj' 

 work which reduces this jumble of names to a reasonable measure, \^ould be of mucli more value than the 

 introduction or description of further "formae novae". 



Tosina. Of H. amaryllis we know several forms ranging from Guatemala and Venezuela to Peru : rosina Bsd. 



