MESOSEMIA. By Dr. A, Skitz 643 



M. praeculta SticJi. (142 e) has ahove a black border of the wings: across the wing there run besides i,fii<riilla. 

 3 black stripes tlie position of ^^■hich is sho^n in the figure. There is only I o before nie from Fas.sl's collection, 

 having been captured on the Rio Songo in Bolivia, 750 m. 



M. zikla Heir, from Ecuador exhibits the white band of the fore\Aing. whi'-h in reba (125e) reaches :ikl<i. 

 only as far as to the centre of the wings, running fi-oni the costa as far as before the anal angle of the hind- 

 wings; the whole apical and distal marginal part of the forewing^' is black. Besides, however, the disc of 

 the forewing and the distal part of the hindwing are traversed bj numerous transverse stripes of different 

 thickness. — ozora Heir. (125 d) has fewer of such transverse stripes; on the forewii^g those b e f o r e the eye- "zom. 

 spot are absent altogether, on the hindwing only 4 (instead of 5 or 6) are complete. The $ exhibits a very broad 

 white band of the forewing, beginning broad bi'hind the middle of the costa and ending just as broad before 

 the end of the inner margin. Likewise from Ecuador. 



M. macrina Fldr. (= yaporogosa Mevgel) (125 g). The (J of this species differs from the reba-Q by marrhin. 

 another black stripe being placed about the centre between the black discal stripe and the distal margin. The 

 proximal discal stripe passes directly over into the sniall white band of the forewing; the latter appears beneath 

 much broader. In the $ (= mustela-? Stich.) the smallwhite band extends as far as to the inner margin not 

 only on the forewing, but it may be also continued thinner on the hindwing. — In mustela Hew. (142 a) the timsichi. 

 small white band is in the? scarcely stronger than in )nncrin(i-(^ and is entirely aljsent in the (^, where it is replaced 

 V)y the continuation of the black proximal discal stripe. Moreover, the black discal stripes are here otherwise 

 thinner and duller, especially in the hindwing. Both forms are foiuid in Colombia. 



M. niyrmecias Stich. (142 a). (J jet-black, in the costal marginal part and near the border brightened »u/niHcia.'<. 

 up by a lighter brownish-grey, the stripes and central eye-spots being indistinct, owing to the deep black. $ 

 brownish-grey, without the white band, the marking more distinct. In both sexes recognizable by the border 

 of the wings being greatly reduced lielow the pointed apex. Guiana, Bolivia. 



M. melpia Heir. (125 i). J above quite black so that almost only the pupils of the eye-spots of the melpUt. 

 forewings arc to be seen. Under surface lined with numerous transverse stripes; $ dark brown, on both sur- 

 faces similarly marked as the (J beneath. From the Amazon. (^^ from Teffe have above a magnificent blue 

 reflection in the sunshine, being entirely absent in specimens from the Rio Madeira. The very complicated 

 marking of the under surface seems to vary somewhat in all the habitats from which specimens are known; 

 the lines are sometimes a little more stretched, sometimes slightly undulated etc. Not rare. 



M. vaporosa Stich. Wings above brown, forewing at the apex, all the \\-ings in the marginal part raporosn. 

 lighter, fore\^•ing otherwise like in coen Hbn., but without the whitish apical cloud; on the hindwing the sub- 

 marginal line and dot are dark brown. Under surface brownish grey, on the forewing the discal lines are double, 

 curved and enclosing a singly-pupilled sjjot. On both surfaces there is a brown third, innermost line forming 

 an elongate spot ; the hindwings with (i undulate brown lines, the middle ones thicker, enclosing 2 spots. Outside 

 a dull band, the row of submai-ginal dots likewise dark brown. Length of forewings 15 mm. According to a (J 

 from Para. 



M. ibycus Hew. (12(5 a). Oiic of the smallest species, on both surfaces yellowish-brown with a small ibycu.i. 

 eye-spot on the forewing and dark stripes before it and behind it. as the figure shows. The eye-spot on the 

 forewing has only 1 white pupil — at least in the (J ■ — and the middle transverse stripes riui in a straight 

 line. The type seems to occur only on the Upper Amazon. — parish! Die. differs hardly from it. We figure parMi. 

 it according to a specimen from Bartica (Brit. Guiana) in the Tring Museum. Quite equal specimens, however, 

 lie before us also from Cuyaba (Coll. Bang Haas), somewhat larger ones from Peru and transitions to ibyeiis 

 from the Rio Negro in Colombia (Coll. Fassl). In typical parishi the eye-spot is larger, with 3 white jjupils, 

 and the double median stripe of the liindwing is finely undulated, often also the discal lines of the forewings 

 are more irregular and the whole marking more inexact on account of the interspersed linear shades. Not rare. 



IVl. cippus Hew. (125 i). Considerably larger than the preceding, but coloiu'ed the same, the trans- ripjiu.i. 

 verse stri]>es more copious and regular, in the hindwing of the $ and on the under surface almost zebra-like. — 

 sylvina Bat., described from the Lower Amazon, differs by the proximal line surroiuiding the eye-spot jiara- .^i/lrina. 

 bolically being with both sides convergent towards the inner margin, and })y the submarginal line being very 

 much undulated towards the apex, but on the whole more finely marked. 'I his line is finer also in the hindwing, 

 but with thicker knots before the middle of the border. ■ — synnephis Stick, from the west of Matto Grosso seems .•ii/nnrphis. 

 to be near to the species; the central eye-spot has only 1 pupil, the parabola round the eye-spot does not converge 

 with its sides, but they stand about vertical on the inner margin ,antl the anterior (proximal) part of the line 

 round the eye-spot is defined at the median. Hindwing with a cellular spot. It seems, therefore, to be a slightly 

 deviating (^ of the extremely variable cippus, though I know the form only from the description not giving 

 any differentiation with another species, cippus is a very widely spread species of a most characteristic 

 appearance. From Guiana and Colombia across the Amazon District as far as Peru, Bolivia and Central Brazil, 

 in the most districts common and greatly varying in the marking. 



