CRICOSOMA; PACHYTHONE. By Dr. A. Seitz. 679 



53. Gpiius: CVicosoiiia FIdr. 



The species of this genus are closely aliietl to tliose of the following, but they differ from the Sym- 

 machid by the costa of the forewing (particularly of the (5";^) not being bulged out. The name of Cricosoma 

 may by no means disappear, as long as only one species described as Cricosoma is regarded as belonging 

 to no otherwise denominated genus. But besides, the forms described as Cricosonut , maybe with some ex- 

 ceptions, form a very well distinguished group which would at least have to be maintained as a subgenus. 



C. irrorata Godm. (142g). This species, unknown to me in its free state, and described from the irrorain. 

 Carimang River in Guiana, is the smallest of the genus; the (^ is dirty j-ellowish grey, at the margin lighter, 

 both the wings dotted in blackish. According to Stichel, the 1. subcostal vein of the forewing touches 

 the costal for a short distance; this, however, is only an effect of the costa forming a crookback, the ex- 

 panding precostal area pressing the costal near to the subcostal veins; this is a slighter degree of the deve- 

 lopment as we find it in the following genera in a still greater measure. The species seems to be rare, maybe 

 because the resemblance to the 67/or«'s-species {rhnonitis, argyrodines etc.) occurring in crowds in the same 

 country makes it difficult to discover them. 



C. eraste Bat. (142 g). Smaller than the irrorntn, the ajjex of the forewing more pointed, the colour m,ste. 

 dull red-brown, the black dots arranged more in transverse rows. According to Stichel, the identitication 

 of the figure in the British Museum copied by us has taken place with Bates" original. Teffc on the Amazon. 



C. bates! Stgr. (12S h). Somewhat larger than the preceding, the forewings not pointed at the apex; bnlr.fi. 

 the dark spots in some places converge forming blackish clouds. Discovered by Dr. Hahxel near C'oary 

 on the .Upper Amazon. — punctata Btlr. differs probably only by a -somewhat different arrangement of the punrtala. 

 dots on the upper surface. — Both occur in the Amazon district. 



C. hippea H.-Schajf. (135d) is an extremely variable species, the ground-colour of which is entirely hippt-K. 

 blackish-brown, but it may also be so much interspersed with brownish-red that the upper surface appears 

 almost red. It is always recognizable by the small light oblique band of the forewing which, however, 

 runs sometimes more steeply, sometimes more flatly. Guiana. Not rare. 



C. phaedra Bat. (135c). Bright orange-red; the black small dots do not f(n'm any clouds, but they phanlm. 

 grow somewhat larger towards the distal margin and represent thin transverse streaks in the cell of the 

 forewing. In the forests of the Rio Tapajoz. 



C. asclepia Heir. (128h). Wry much like the preceding, but the dark dots are absent in the disc asidcpid. 

 of the upper surface of the wings. Ecuador. — In xypete Hew. (128 h, 135 b), being somewhat larger, the -ri/prlr. 

 dots' are combined to distal-marginal chains or costa! transverse streaks of the forewing, sometimes more, 

 sometimes less. Here the (J is mostly darker red than the $. Central America. Rather common. 



C. leopardinum Fldr. (i28e, as leopardina). Bright ochre-yellow, the black transverse streaks in the tfopnrdi- 

 costal part of the forewing still more abundant and dense than in xypete, but also the other surface of the '"" 



wings densely covered with black dots. Bahia; rare. ^ hilaria Hew. Here the crowds of black dots become hiinrin. 

 condensed in the apical part of the forewing to a black cloud. From the Amazon. 



54. Genus : Pacli^tlioiie Bat. 



The Pachythone are so easily recognizable that scarcely o n e of them has ever been brought into 

 a wrong genus; iii the Erycinidae this fact is rare and a proof for this genus being one of the most natural. 

 Though the body is small, it is of a very clumsy structure; the head and thorax are almost globular, the 

 abdomen relatively stout and short ; the antennae shorter than in nearly all the other genera and at the 

 ends with a short, knob-like, small club; the palpi are also short, with a very short, relatively stout terminal 

 joint; the veins do not exhibit any peculiarities except the cell of the hindwing. which is otherwise short 

 in many Erycinidae, being here almost as long as that of the forewing. — The Pachythone are mostlj' 

 very rare butterflies, not differing in their habits, as far as is know'n nowadays, from the allied genera. In 

 the structure of the body, they somewhat resemble Mesene. but also Syrmalia and Symmachia. 



P. erebia Bat. (142 i) is a small, above jet-black butterfly with white fringes of the hindwing. Under n-rbia. 

 surface paler, likewise without markings. Amazon. Rare. 



P. pasicles Hew. (142 i). Dark brown, the margin of the forewing lighter with a series of dark dots, pasidis. 

 Forewing above with dark transverse dots in the basal part and a curved stripe beyond the middle, hindwing 

 with 3 shortened stripes in the basal part, 3 transverse stripes ci'ossing the distal part of the wings, and 

 a dark border. Beneath like above, the transverse stripes are absent or broken up to strigiform dots. 

 Espiritu Santo. Rare. 



P. palades Hev. (142 i). Sooty blackish-bT-own. darker markings than in ■pamcle.'i. besides a light-yellow paJ<i<lc><. 

 oblique band of the forewing. South Brazil, rare. — philonis Hen\ is quite a. similar species from Colombia philniii.'^. 



