644 MESOSEMIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



calypso. M. calypso Bat. from the western district of the Amazon is the southern representative of.hesperina 



hespcrina. jjHy^ (li:2 a) from Central America. The wings of tlie ,J are above azure, the forewing with 6, the liinclwing 

 with 7 transverse stripes, if one takes the marginal stripe into account, calypso is said to have 3, hesperina 1 

 pupil in the central eye-spot. Near Santarem, calypso exhibits some minute deviations (as every new finding- 

 place offers them), such as a lighter under sm-face producing a more distinct marking thereby (= avicula tStich.). 

 iluiys. — thetys G. and S. from Colombia is reported to resemble calypso, the submarginal line of the hindwing, however, 

 cyanira. to be beneath thickened to a knot before the middle of the border, and cyanira Stick, from Ecuador has a lighter 

 icnmvitlala . azure upper surface. — tenuivittata Stich. is of a duller blue and the middle transverse stripes are but delicate 

 lines; from Rio cle Janeiro. The $$ of these forms, being partly transitional, resemble somewhat small cippus-'^'^, 

 but the central eye-spot in the hindwing is better developed, while in tyjaical cippus-'^'-} it is above mostly 

 only shadow-like or even not indicated at all, and the two parabola encircling the eye-spot of the forewing 

 are closer together in the costal region. The species is much rarer than cippus. 

 macotis. M. macotis Hew. {= cippus-$ Bat.) (125 i). (J of a more intensely metallic blue than hesperina; 



besides easily discernible from the forms of the preceding species by the basal two thirds of the hindwings being 

 without stripes and metallic blue. The $ is like cippus, but between the stripes more light than dark brown, 

 though in fresh specimens not so light as in the older original to our figure. Guiana; more common than calypso. 

 A (J from Cuyaba (('oil. Bai^g-Haas) is above very light blue and beneath of a duller colour, with more yellow- 

 ish-brown than dark-brown lines. 

 7U)w. M. nina Hbst. (= formosa Wjv.) (125 i). Very much like the preceding species; but the cJ has only 



in the basal half of the forewing blue which, however, is of a very intense lustre, the whole distal half of the 

 forewing is blackish brown, with dull brighter markings; on the hindwing the antemarginal black stripe is 

 placed nearer to the marginal stripe. The $ resembles that of mneoiis, but the marginal area of the hindwings 

 is whitish. From Guiana to Peru; rare. 

 ephync. M. cphyne Cr. is another small species with the ^ being blue above. From very little differences 



quite a number of forms have been denominated and described as proper species, although some seem to deviate 

 only by the well-known differences of the habitats. Cramer's ephyne seems not to have come anymore at 

 all; it undoubtedly originated from Surinam from where we also know nina, maeotis etc. A very closely allied 

 vietura. form is metura Hew., and both have been combined with tnisipsa Hew. (142 a), the (J of which is azure above, 

 misipsa. ^^Q ^ being of a dirty greyish-blue. As regards the zebra-striation, the $ greatly approximates idotea (125 e), 

 the (J, however, is less striped in the basal part of all the wings. From Guiana across the Amazon as far as 

 Peru. From the latter country Stichel described another subspecies of the ^ with a broader stripe in the 

 distal part of the hindwing and beneath a yellow-encircled eye-spot of the forewing, on the whole larger and 

 polyyiauca. more brightly coloured; he denominated this form polyglauca. — mesoba Hew. (142 a) from Ecuador is very 

 niesoba. similarly marked, but coloured almost white, except a faint gi'ejish-blue tinge at the base of the forewing and 

 clidcU. in the disc of the hindwing. — dulcis Stick, is said to originate from Matto-Grosso and perhaps from Peru; 

 $ greyish-blue, on the hiiuUxing 2 median eye-spots below each other; (^ somewhat smaller than the 9, above 

 blandina. light blue. — blandina Stick, very similarly marked, central eye-spot entirely black (in dulcis with a white 

 cugenea. pupil), from Surinam. ■ — eugenea Stick, greatly approximates ni7i.a (125i), but the blue of the upper surface 

 in the (J not so glossy, in tlie inner marginal part of the forewing reaching as far as to the border, and the 

 apical part of the forewing is less deep black, so that the dark marking of it is more prominent; from 

 cspcranza. Surinam. — esperanza Scks. from Costa-Rica resembles didcis, but above it is of a bright blue, in the hind- 

 wing there are only 2 black lines complete close at the distal margin, of the subterminal line there exists only 

 the beginning at the apical part. Of the $ we know only one mutilated specimen. 

 coclcslis. M. coelestis G. and >S'. is a rare species from Co.sta-Rica and Colombia; it has the shape and size of 



macrina (125 g), but it is above in the disc of the wings sky-blue without any markings at all; only the usual 

 eye-spot stands at the cell-end of the forewing, and before the border there run 2 black lines parallel to it. — 

 cachknia. cachiana Schs., likewise from Costa Rica, is above just as bright sky-blue, but the apical part of the forewings 

 is broad black, as well as the distal margin. The $ was taken to be the typical coelestis-^. 



Vni. Group. (Semomesia Ww.) 



Upper surface of the hindwing in the ^J with a costal p a, r t of s i 1 k y g 1 o s s. 



macaris. M. macaris Here. (125 h). (J very light blue, the median eye-spot is small, and the guttiforni spot 



being conspicuous in croesus is absent. The $ is brown with whitish transverse stripes, similar to the $ of 



maeotis (125 i), but more uniform, not darker in the marginal half than in the basal half. Amazon District 



tencUa. as far as Peru. — Of tenella Stich. the ^ is said to be somewhat larger than typical macaris, with a more pointed 



milwrca. apex. — aetherea Sticli. is just the same, but the friction area at the costa of the hindwing is smaller and 



optima, the velvety scent-spot is absent; Peru. — optima *S'?ic/*. from the Amazon has a larger scent-spot of the ^. These 



butterflies are not common. 

 (jnninuii. M. geininus F. (125 g,h). ^ above glossy sky-blue with black margins of the wings and a black 



oblique band of the forewing. $ blackish-brown with transverse stripes of a dull blue gloss edged in black. 

 ■ Known only from Central Brazil, as for instance from Minas-Geraes (San Jacintho River); very local and rare. 



