552 PREPONA. By H. FRUHSTOfiFfiR. 



flight and their endeavours to remain in a considerable height prevent tlie blue of the ui^jjer surface from beco- 

 ming conspicuous in a similar way as in the Morpho". 



Most of the Pre'po7ia-s'pecies inhabit the hot lowlands, some few prefer the mountains. 



The beautiful P. garle-ppiana Stgr. was discovered in altitudes of 1500 to 1800 m, its nearest ally neo- 

 terpe Honr. was captured by Ockenden during the rainy season, in November, still at an altitude of 10 000 

 feet near Limbani, Carabaya, Peru. A ^J of eugenes laertides Stgr. in the Tring-Museum, was taken by Simons 

 in xlugust or September 1901 near La Merced on the Rio Toro, Peru, at an altitude of 3000 m. It may be 

 that both the collectors are mistaken in the statement of the altitudes. 



A sure fact, however, is that Fassl has found a Prepona chronms yet at an altitude of 2100 m in 

 Colombia, and according to him chromus is the highest flying of all the blue Prepona forms that have so far been 

 observed here. 



About the vertical range of some Bolivian species Fassl reports (Entom. Rundschau 1913, April p. 44): 



,,As to the enormous height to which the red Prepona fly, the magnificent and variegated upper sur- 

 faces of which evidently do not agree at all with the other butterflies occurring there, a comparison of the 

 animals in their sitting position issues a most striking similarity of their backs : silvery white dots and streaks 

 on an ochreous, reddish or black ground. I captured for instance on a self-made road of 4 km length in the 

 dark primeval forest of the North-Yunga in Bolivia, at an altitude of 1700 m, the following species of butter- 

 flies, in the course of 6 months: Adelpha saundersi, Prej)ona bucHeyana, xenagoras, garleppiana, Opoptera brac- 

 teolata, Eryphanes zolvizora, C'aligo phokilides, Lymanopoda albomaculata and albocincta, several species of 

 Pedaliodes being ,, mildewed" on theu' backs, Daedalma dinias etc." 



I am in doubt whether these white and silvery spots of the backs of the preceding animals are 

 perhaps adapted to the water-drops of their home in the primeval forests of the mountains being eternally 

 humid and dripping with wet. The Prepona which fly 800 m lower in the woods of the hot valleys, in spite 

 of the much greater number of species, do not show one single back being so intensely dark and decorated 

 with silver, neither does any Adelpha, Brassolid or Satyrid exhibit such a conspicuous likeness of colours on 

 their backs, as the above mentioned alpine animals of the same genera. 



omphale amesia Fruhst. being covered with violet reflection originates from Lita in Ecuador from an 

 altitude of 3000 feet. About the occurrence in the Amazon-district we learn from Michael that of 9 species 

 {demo'phon, antimache, meander, laerles, gnorima [recte: omphale], eugenes, pheridamas, dexamenus and lico- 

 medes) the latter two do not fly on the Lower Amazon. From Surinam I possess, however, dexamenus and 

 licomedes, and from French Guiana licomedes, so that licomedes might also occur on the Lower Amazon, where 

 it is perhaps met only very rarelj' and will be discovered yet later on. 



The black and blue Prepona-npecies are, at least generally, widely spread. Owing to then- strong wings, 

 they are most fitted to distant excursions. They all inhabit, without any exception, the troiDical and neotropical 

 zone, Mexico being the northernmost range, South Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia the southernmost range. Of 

 all the species known, mecmder has the greatest distribution, being the sole species that is nowheres absent 

 from the northernmost confines to the southernmost, except the Antilles. Next to it are demojihon, laerte 

 and antimache. 



Several species, such as licomedes and dexamenus do not pass beyond the proper tropics, others are 

 local as for instance chalciope inhabiting only the more temperate latitudes, deiphile occurring only from Espiritu 

 Santo to Rio, bucMeyana living exclusively in Peru and Bolivia. Central America also has its special forms 

 in phaedra, lygia and Camilla. 



Some species, probably the phj'logenetically oldest ones, are very constant, others again, very likely 

 the younger forms, such as laertes, omphale etc. are still in the state of fluctuation and evolution. Hardly any 

 specimen is like the other. For such species there are certain centres of races to be distinguished in the neotro- 

 pical district. Within these centres there are rather congruent directions of variability noticeable, which cease 

 whenever a species passes over to another, adjoiiiing district. As far as our faunistic knowledge suffices, we 

 can distinguish six provinces modifying the development of a species. They are: 



I. Central America from Mexico to Panama. IV. Surinam and the Amazon district. 



II. The Antilles. V. Southern Brazil. 



III. The Andine region. VI. Paraguay. 



We notice in: 



I. Large forms with faded colours. IV. Inclination to yellowish colouring. 



II. Reduction of the blue colouring. V. Small non-variegated sjjeciinens. 



III. Large specimens of intense colour.?. VI. Small and pale specimens resembling certain 



forms of the dry period. 



The maximum of development in the number of species and beauty of colours is attained by the Pre- 

 ■pona in Peru and Bolivia. There we find 12 species, i. e. as many as in the whole enormous Brazilian Empire. 



