484 EUNICA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



clavola: the veins are quite divergent. The 3 principal veins are inflated at the base, the median is thickened 

 as far as to the branching-off of the 1. vein, the base of this vein sta?:ting directly beyond the base is even also 

 thickened in the (^ etc. — There is only one species known from the Amazon River, being rare as far as I know. 

 ciirkri. L. cuvieri Godt. (hyperipte Hbn.) (97 d). A medium-sized butterfly above and below dark-brown; the 



forewings with a weak prong below the apex, the hindwings strongly bent at the anal part. Forewings with 6 

 scattered white punctiform spots in the distal area and faint violet reflection in the inner area. On the under 

 surface the white spots are more numerous, the hindwings with a purple gloss. From the Amazon (Obidos. 

 Teffe, the figured specimen from Santarem). The stated habitat ,, Jamaica" might be due to a mistake in 

 confounding it with Eunica tafila (100 A a) wiiich is not c^uite dissimilar. Mostly single and in many places of 

 the range rare. 



41. Genus: £iiiiica Hbn. 



About S(l forms of considerable geographical variability, but concerning the specimens from the same 

 region, mostly being of an amazmg constancy, form this genus. The animals are very elegantly shaped, remin- 

 ding us very much of our Apafura, nearly always of a brownish-black ground-colour with few white spots, but 

 often with a magnificent blue reflection which is sometimes also seen in $$. Just like the American Megalwa 

 are in certain connections to the Cyrestis of the Old World, and the Cystineura teleboas to the African Neptidopsis, 

 we find the same connections in Eunica to the African Crenis having probably also like these numerous though 

 short spines in the larvae *). The butterflies have the median of the forewings strongly thickened or even 

 distinctly inflated at its base, as far as to the branching-off of the middle median vein ; sometimes even this is 

 also strongly thickened as well as the subcostal. The forewings are sometimes angled below the apex, the cell 

 of the forewings closed, that of the hindwings often closed by such a fine transverse vein that it is only 

 distinctly noticeable in transmitted light or after desquamation. Antennae gradually thickened to a thin and 

 flat clavola of more than half the length of the costa. Middle and hind-tibiae not prolonged as in Gynaecia, 

 Ageronia etc. Wings with slightly undulated, smooth or also dentated margin. — The butterflies fly when 

 the sun is shining, but by preference in the shade of the woods, they especially live in the mountains, are mostly 

 found single or even rarely, but at times they suddenly occur in great numbers. Most of the species are to be 

 found in the Amazon-regions and Northern Peru, only 3 species go far to the south. They seem to disdain 

 flowers, but are fond of drinking from wet brook-stones and mud-holes, from lures and rotting fruit. ; 



The colouring and markings of Eunica are in nearly all its species so corresponding that even by long 

 descriptions it would hardly have been possible to achieve full clearness. Therefore the illustrations for which 

 the plate 100 had been destined, have been subsequently doubled, thus forming the plates 100 A and B — a 

 designation otherwise unusual in the .,Macrolepidoptera"; we thought tiiis augmentation of figures to be ne- 

 cessary for the sake of a better orientation. 



E. tatila. This species is at once recognizable by the small projection of the margin below the apex, 



making an imjjression as if just below the apex a bit of the top of the wing had been cut out. The butterfly is 



dark brown with a violet — in the $ more cyan-blue — reflection and 6 — 7 scattered white punctiform spots 



idti/ii. in the distal area of the forewing. tatila H. Schdff. (100 A a) is the smallest form lying before me, it comes 



from Cuba, has rather small, not very sharply demarcated white spots and rather dull blue reflection. — 



riienilcd. cocfulea Godm. and Salv. (100 A a) is the form reaching from Colombia to the north through Central America 

 and Mexico as far as to the Southern United States (Florida). Larger, with bright reflection and large, pro- 

 nounced, and often somewhat four-cornered white spots which in the $ are so large that they almost flow 



hrllaria. together. — bellaria Fruhst., from Central Brazil, is said to be smaller than coendea, of a duller violet-blue 



and with smaller white four-cornered spots. Espiritu-Santo. Brazilian specimens are not lying before me, 



the description, however, pretty well agrees with a specimen found at the ,,Chanchamayo". — tatilina Fruhst. 



finally, described together with a ? fi'om the Upper Amazon, has on both surfaces more conspicuous and below 



more sharply demarcated white spots; on the under surface the apical and marginal areas contrast more 



sharply (aberrantly?) with the more blackish discus. — tatila is not only one of the most widely spread, but 



also one of the most common butterflies of the genus, though like most of the Eunica, appearing in great 



numbers only in certain years. 



E. maja F. (= naeris H.-Schaff.) (100 A a, b). It approximates the tatila. but the white spots on the 



forewings are covered with brown in the ^ and the apex of the forewings is straightly clipped off, not cut 



out. In the $ the white spots are large and pure white, being, however, otherwise cpiite brown and having 



no blue reflection whatever. Seems to be very much distributed in Central Brazil, is missing, however, in the 



immediate suiroundings of Rio. 



E. Concordia Hew. (100 A b). Tiic upper surface of this species resembles a little that of maja bj' the 



sj)ots on the forewings being covered with brown scales and thereby veiled. The blue reflection likewise has 



the violet tinge and even the shape of the wings is similar to that of maja, for the apex of the forewings is 



obliquely clipped off. But the lower surface is quite different, with very bright and beautiful markings, especially 



*) These connections have even h'd to a iinicin of Kmiiid :um1 its liomogfMK'oiis species with Crciiis to a subgenus, 

 called Eunicmae. C'f. Vol. XIII, p. 204. 



tatilina. 



iiiiijii. 



conroram. 



