(16() RODIMA; ANCYLURIS. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



periandcr. D. periander Or. (= iphinoe Gadt., laonome Sndr.i.) (130 d). (^ magnificently lustrous cyane-blue; 



naerinnus. forewing with a quite faintly lighter, tliin oblique stripe, which is stronger only in ab. naevianus Stick, and 

 joined, in Mexican specimens, by another a,nalogons stiipe of the hindwing. On tlie liindwing the a.nal area 

 is spotted in red, Init the small macular band does not extend so tar as in di/sonii. In specimens from Guiana 

 and Peru the spotting is mostly strong, with a some^vhat longer small red band, in Brazilian specimens ge- 

 nerally weaker, only at the inner margin. Some South Brazilians (not all of them) are said to be more exten- 

 rlriift'nnis. sively blue and their $$ to have above no proximal band of the forewing (— - eleusinus iStich.). The material 

 before me containing about 300 specimens (in the Tring Museum alo'ie there are several hundreds of pe- 

 riatider, in my collection 30), shows that here a variation does not take place according to countries, but 

 according to finding-places (maybe altitudes?); thus there occur spiecimens v/ith a white band of the forewing 

 and Avithout it in Pern, fuch witli a light band of the hindwing in Mexico and again in South Peru, while it 

 is absent in specimens from Colombia being situated between (= laonome) and so on. The whole range is 

 enormously extensive. The species is distributed from Mexico all over Central and South America as far as 

 South Brazil to the east ai^d Bolivia to the west. Tlie animals are sometimes rarer, sometimes more common, 

 but tljey are especially keenly collected for their charming colours; they may be baited and are easily taken; 

 they come to the water and strongly scenting stuff and fly near open spaces in the woods, where some rays 

 of the sun ma-^ tour'h the ground during the day. 

 (irih,irUt)ius. D, atthtirianus E.-Sh. (130 e). This butterfty is so far known only from Goyaz (from the Araguaya). 



The ^ above black, almost without blue reflection, with a strong white oblique band, the hindwing with a red 

 spot at the inner margin and a small red band behind which there are white dots on the under surface. 

 The most remarkable difference is to be seen beneath, where the ,J (ma_\be also the 2) is entirely without the 

 small jiroximal light band. 



36. Genus: Kotliiiaia Ww. (= Euerciina Sndr.s.). 



The butterflies at first sight greatly resemble the $2 of the genus Diorina. from which, however, they 

 differ rather much from an anatomical point of view*). Wheieas in Diorina the first subcostal vein of the 

 forev/ing (about as in Zeonia) rises from the anterior cellular angle and all the other subcostal branches rise 

 behind it, in Rodinia the three first subcostal branches rise before the cell-end. In Rodinia the discocellulars 

 are placed more tran.sversely , in Diorina the cells — particularly in the hindwing — end so obliquely that 

 the upper cell-wall is scarcely more than half as long as the lower one. In some Diorina [periander) not 

 only the upper, but also the lower median vein crosses the tail-appendage, in Rcdinia the latter ends before 

 the base of the tail at the inner margin. Furthermore, the palpi of Rodinia on account of the middle joint 

 being shortened, are so diminished that they are scarcely visible from above, whereas in Diorina they project 

 like a nose. The Rodinia of which only 2 forms aie known must be extremely rare, for among the more than 

 100 000 American Erycinidae which I was able to compare I only saw 3 or 4 specimens. They live on the 

 Amazon River and are said to fly very fast. 

 cfiliihiiriihi. R. calphurnia Sndr.s. (110 Af). Dark brown \\'ith a white median band which, however, does not reach 



the base of the tail on the hindwing. Before its end begins a red diffuse spot extending as far as into the base 

 of the tail. Upper Amazon. 

 ilrljihitiiii. R, delphinia Sf.gr. (110 A f). The white median band is diffuselv continued through the tail-appendage. 



I>ower Amazon. 



37. Genus: AncyliiHs Hbn. 



These conspicuously coloured, neat butterflies belong to the most beautiful of their Idnd on the face 

 of the globe. We often find above scarlet or orange bands on a deep blackish brown ground and beneath 

 a magnificent blue or green metallic colouring, the total appearance being still more prominent by hemo- 

 chrome spots of the under surface or white dots. Also the shape of the broadly stretched wings is mostly' 

 distinguished b;v a graduated lobing in the anal part of the hindwing, and sometimes there is in addition 

 a violet-blue or cyaneous reflection of the upper surface. Morphologically, the genus piroves to be so nearly 

 allied both to Diorina and the following Necyna that the separation is sometimes not easj . The most obvious 

 difference from Necyria may be the abnormously .shaped hindwings, whereas the Diorina are easily discernible 

 by the palpi being visible from above. The head of the Ancyluris is broad with a flatly convex forehead, 

 the eyes verj- large, the palpi short and appressed, the sip^hon long and fine, antennae very straight and slender, 

 at the ends scarcely noticeably thickened. Thorax strong and regular, the middle-legs (especially the tibiae 

 long; abdomen in the rj slender and pointed, forewing with a long and pointed apical part, hindwing with an 

 anal part being prolonged to a lobe. The wings in the living insect are extremely delicate and soft, so that 

 it is most difficult to procure undamaged specimens. At one and the same flying-place one mostly meets 

 with but I, hardly ever more than 2 forms, and we are induced to assume that many of the numerous 

 and often scarcely distinguishable species which were set up are only subraces of few species representing each 

 other in the different districts: this sup])osition is also forced upon us by a number of specimens exhibiting 

 to the left broader, narrower or differently coloured bands, than to the right. Wc, therefore, although there 



*) KiRBY places llifin between .\ yinphidiinii aiul Thmpe, Stichel between Dyfiiiidlhui aiul Thi-thc; MKNciEL more 

 luckily places them near Li/mnas: their resemblance to Dinriiia is probably merely external. 



