AGRIAS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 567 



and set with fine hairs. The tracheae are bordered in black. The head of the larva remarkably large and broa- 

 der than the trunk. The larva itself with high obtuse horn at the head and two very long cones at the anus. 

 On the first segment two white dots; the fourth segment somewhat thicker than the others. Pupa with 2 long 

 rather pointed horns. (Description according to blown-out specimens of .4. clmuUamis in the British Museum.) 



According to Dr. Hahxel, Agrius are not so restless as their allies, the Prepona, and although their 

 flight is sufficiently swift, they still do not disclose that rapidity by which the Prepona, being superior in size 

 and wing-contour, distinguish themselves. Especially remarkable is the persistence with which they cling to 

 their once chosen resting-place, a leaf high u]) projecting freely into the road. There ojie may observe them 

 motionless for a long time, and even if they fly off, they return exactly to the same spot. In this unswerving 

 rest they allow us, without fear, to approach the net by means of a long stick, and on liitting then energetically 

 in the direction in which they want to fly off. we mostly have the butterfly safe in our net. The height 

 in which they usually rest, varies from 5 to 10 m, so that the odour of the bait laid out does not always come 

 near them. 



Passl writes (in the Soc. Ent. 1911 p. 27) about the habits of the Colombian species, ,,that Agrins 

 have a swift and very timid flight, appearing mostly only on very hot days at noon and always single, in the 

 extensive primeval forests and rarely at altitudes of more than 1000 m." ,, While Prepona often cross rapidly 

 the forest already at 9 a. m. and even when the sky is somewhat cloudy, I so far saw Agrias only in the 

 greatest heat at noon. Several times I also chanced to see them dashing in circles round high crowns of trees, 

 and even when they approach the bait on the ground, they come down frojn above in wide spirals, often encir- 

 cling yet the place for a minute, in which one can recognize only a red line, owing to the swiftness of their 

 flight. The latter has repeatedly been compared to that of Prepona, but I cannot quite approve of this, since 

 Prepona have a decidedly slower motion, in which they often produce a whizzing noise, similar to that of large 

 Hesperids. There exists, however, a remarkable likeness in the flight of Agrias and in their whole behaviour, 

 with Smyrna which genus is also very similar in the habitus and the representatives of which are not alone 

 widely distributed but also locally quite common in Tropical America." 



The single individuals of Agrias are subject to great variability of colours, what is already proved by 

 our 38 figures belonging only to seven species. The sexual dimorphism is more pronounced than in Prepona, 

 the shape of the wings of the $? is inclined to considerable variations in the contour of the forewings. In both 

 the sexes there occurs dichroism, and we know ^(^ with red and with ochre-yellow basal spot of the forewings 

 independent of the locality. In one si^ecies we notice intermittingly. according to the locality, an orange or 

 blue basal spot. The extent of the celebrated blue reflection is likewise subject to great deviations, being either 

 rudimentary or luxuriant, or sometimes even absent altogether. The markings on the under surface, however, 

 are extremely constant, forming a welcome hint for the grouping of the polychromatic territorial races; but 

 also here there are again coloristic motives without importance, yellow and red varying ad libitum; besides, 

 the basal spot may in one race cover half the upper surface of the wings (heatifica) or be confined upon narrow 

 streaks (beata). Just like the spots of the wings, the colour of the scent-tufts also varies from light yellow 

 to reddish-brown {sardanapalus, claudianus), from orange to greenish (Jievntsonius, beatijica). 



Considering the great variability of the Agrias it is not to be wondered at that their specific valuation 

 has been most varying. Kirby in 1871 knew already 7 species, of which, according to the notions of to-day, 

 one form heatifica Hew. (1869), is to be inserted in heicitsoniamts Bates (1860), so tliat there remain de facto 

 only 6 species. One of them (A. claudia) was already known since 1776, remaining foi'gotten for more than a 

 century, until my explorer Julius Michaelis discovered it again in 1894. From 1776 to the epoch-making 

 voyage of Bates in the middle of the last century, there was only one Agrias yet discovered in Colombia. Bates 

 succeeded in discovering 4 distinct species and several geographical races. Then there was again a standstill, 

 until Dr. Hahnel, together with his pupils, brought a number of interesting areal forms to our knowledge. 

 Thus it arrived that Staudinger in 1888 believed to be justified in enumerating no less than 14 species with 

 5 sub-forms. In 1897, I confined this number, in spite of the discovery of new local forms, to 12 species which 

 Staxtdixger reduced once more, a year afterwards, to 10 collective species. Of these 10 species there are again 

 two immediately to be eliminated as sub-forms, so that we must to-day return to the number of collective 

 species in Kirbys Catalogue, because since Bates there has come again but one fully qualified species to Eiu-ope: 

 A. narcissus. We may, therefore, assume that we now know all the really existing species, but we have yet 

 to expect a great number of sub-forms of which there are new ones discovered by every important ento- 

 mological expedition. The chief z-ange of our magnificent genus is congruent with the watercourses of the Amazon 

 in its whole enormous extension. 6 species have their habitat there; a seventh species (narcissus) was first 

 observed in Surinam, later on in Cayenne, but ascertained also for Obidos by my collector Michaelis. Thus 

 there remains but one non-Amazonic species, aedon F .. which occurs exclusively in Colombia and on the volcano 

 of Chiriqui. 



