468 MEGALURA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



coresia. M. coresia Godt. (= ceiynthia Hbn., sylla Per.) (96 a). Dark chocolate-brown above, with the distal 



margin lighter, beneath the basal half of the forewing is satiny white, the distal half brown. In Texas, but there 

 mostly still rather rare, through Central and northern South America southwards to Peru and southern Brazil. 

 The popular name ,, Waiter" alludes to the upper surface (dark, long-pointed frock-coat) and the iinder surface 

 (white waistcoat). 



norica. M. norica Hew. (96 a). Mostly smaller than coresia. The forewing black-brown, with single light stripes 



runninc off from the inner margin towards the median. The hindwing lighter brownish with dark longitudinal 

 stripes. The under surface quite different from that of coresia, brown with dark dentate lines and a small 

 transverse band, mostly somewhat lighter, from the inner margin of the hindwing to the upper median vein; 

 the distal margin of the foi'ewing mostly frosted with whitish. Ecuador and Peru. 



Ihemisiocles. M. themistocles F. (96 a). Wings pretty uniformly striped with yellow-brown and black-brown, 



under surface similar to that of the preceding species. The difference is that in themistocles the light stripes 

 traverse the entire forewing, in norica they are only distinctly visible at the inner margin. Brazil. 



chiron. M. chiron F. (chironias Hbn., cinna Swains, nee Or.) (96 a). The commonest and best known Mega- 



lura. As in the preceding, the wings are striped with yellow-brown and black-brown above, but the stripes are 

 cpiite straight, not curved as in themistocles. The under surface entirely different, with slight mother-of-pearl 

 gloss, mostly dark grey-brown in the distal part, light dusty grey in the proximal part; the two parts divided 

 by a straight, white, dark-edged band traversing both wings. In typical c/iiroJi there are 5 or 6 distinct white 

 punctiform spots before the apex of the forewing above. The species has an extraordinary range, occurring 

 from the Antilles and Mexico through the whole of Central and South America far towards the south. On Cuba, 

 together with tyjjical specimens, others occur in which the apical dots of the forewing above are absent, and 

 which also mostly differ in the ground-colour from typical chiron and often have the under surface more unico- 

 chironides. lorous tan-yellow, little opalescent. These have been distinguished as ab. chironides Stgr. I have before 

 me quite a number of transitional forms from Cuba, so that I cannot agree with Staudinger's opinion, 

 insularis. also shared by Fruhstorfer, that chironides is a distinct species, insularis Fruhst. (= marius Stoll nee Cr.), 

 described from Jamaica, presents such a transition. — The larva of chiron, like most Megalura species, probably 

 lives on Ficus and Morus ; according to Moschler it has been found in Porto Rico on Madura tinctoria. 



merops. M. merops Bdv. (96 b). Dirty grey -brown above, apical half of the forewing black, copiously dotted 



with white; beneath dull silver-white with brownish parallel transverse lines. From Costa Rica through the 

 whole of northern South America to Bohvia. In the south of its range the species alternates with egina Bates. 

 Common. 



alcibiades. M. alcibiades Stgr. The upper surface of this butterfly exactly resembles chiron, the under surface 



berania. It differs from both in the absence of the anal lobe on the hindwing. The butterfly must be very rare 

 or be seldom taken on accouiit of its similarity to the very common chiron. Central America: Chiriqui and 

 Veraguas. 



egina. M. egina Bates. This species, which is very common on the Upper Amazon, though ver}^ like chiron or 



themistocles above, is at once distinguished by the light, glossy under surface, in which it approaches M. merops. 



harmonia. M. harmonia Dbl. <£• Heir. (96 e). This species also has the light, satin-glossy under surface, traversed 



by parallel lines. Above it is bright orange-yellow, almost exactly hke berania <^, but the apex of the forewing 

 is much more pointed and the distal-marginal line bright black. The $ is also on the upperside dull, white, 

 with a yellowish tone. Mexico. 



tuielina. M. tuteliiia Hew. is marked almost like harmonia on the upper surface, but the apex of the forewing 



is even more pointed, the ground-colour more fiery red-yellow; it chiefly differs on the under surface, the red- 

 brown having a violet gloss, traversed by 3 small, linear brown bands, so that the underside resembles themistocles. 

 Amazons; apparently very rare. 



berania. M. berania Hew. (96 c). 5* above fieiy red-yellow, but with rounded apex, beneatli dall yellow, with 



white satin}' gloss and 6 — 8 yolk-yellow transverse bands. The $ is dull grey-brown above, whitish beneath, 

 but marked quite like the 3* except that the bands on the upperside are broader and more distinct. Tiie typical 

 (J(J have a black distal margin to the forewing, dark border at the apex and dark, on the hindwing almost 

 black lines (= crassilineata Fruhst.). Fruhstorfer is quite right in calling attention to the difference of this 

 form from the Honduras specimens, which have a dark yellow transverse line; but these latter are the non- 

 fruhstorferi. typical and must bo renamed (= fruhstorferi nom. nou.) (96 c). 



livius. M. livius Kirby (= berania $ Heiv.) (96 b). Upper surface black-brown with dark transverse bands 



not unlike norica (96 a), but the under surface is like white satin, with fine brown lines. Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. 



