PREPONA. 299 



Genus LXX. PREPONA. 



Prepona Boisduval. 

 MoRPHO Hiibner. 

 Nymphalis p. GodK 



Body extremely robust, woolly; fore wings falcate; all the wings marked above with large patches of brilliant metallic 



colours. 

 Head moderately wide, with a small conical tuft in front. 



Eyes prominent, naked. 



Labial Paljn erect, or porrected rather obliquely, and rising nearly to, or even higher than, the level of the top of 

 the eyes, but not extending to more than half the length of the head, scaly. The extremity of the upper side of 

 the second joint with rather long hairs ; set on erect, and ajiplied to the side of the frontal tuft ; the terminal 

 joint minute and subtriangular. 



Antenna; long, straight, a little more than half the length of the fore wings, very gradually thickening from the 

 base to the tip ; the under surface finely and longitudinally carinated. 

 Thorax very robust, elongate, truncate behind ; neck elongate, woolly. 



Fore Wings eiongate-trigonate, subfalcate at the tip. Fore margin well arched ; apical angle rounded. Apical 

 margin entire, very deeply emarginate, two thirds of the length of the anterior margin. Inner maro-in 

 nearly straight, equal in length to the apical margin. Costal vein strong, extending to two thirds the length 

 of the costa. Subcostal vein with its first and second branches arising before the anterior extremity of the 

 discoidal cell ; the third branch arising just beyond the cell, and the fourtli at a little distance beyond the 

 middle of the wing ; the third branch extending to the tip of the wing ; the fourth running close to it for a 

 considerable distance, and then being obliquely deflexed, so as to be united with the apical margin below the 

 apex. Upper disco-cellular extremely short, arising at the distance of tAvo fifths of the lengtli of the wino- 

 from the base ; middle disco-cellular short, straight ; lower disco-cellular three times as long as the middle one, 

 slightly curved and transverse, closing the discoidal cell by uniting with the third branch of the median vein at 

 about the distance of a line from its origin ; this third branch slightly and gradually curved. 



Hind Wings broadly subovate. Apical margin rounded, and slightly scalloped. Precostal vein slightly curved 

 outwards at its extremitj^ Postcostal vein branching at about the distance of a line from its base. Discoidal 

 cell closed by a slender disco-cellular vein, united to the median vein close to the origin of the third branch. 

 Disc of the wing generally furnished with a tuft of hairs near the anal margin in the male. 



Fore Legs of the male very short, and very densely clothed with woolly hairs ; the three divisions being of nearly 

 equal length. The tarsus exarticulate, and destitute of ungues. Fore Legs of the female longer than those of 

 the male, and more slender, scaly. The tibia slender at the base. Tarsus as long as the tibia, compressed, 

 gradually dilated, and obliquely truncate at the tip, where it is armed Avith short spines, indicating the 

 articulations. 



Four Hind Legs robust, scaly, the intermediate pair being longer than the posterior. Tibia ■ shorter than the 

 femur, with a patch of plush at the base beneath, and a double row of sliort spines. Tibial spurs short. Tarsi 

 also with several rows of short spines. Ungues very nmch curved. 

 Abdomen small, more or less conical. 



This is a very well marked genus of butterflies of large size, remarkable for the rich metallic spots on the black ground of the wings, 

 and easily distinguished from Agrias (to which it is nearly allied, especially in the arrangement of tlie veins of the wings) by the falcate 

 form of the fore wings, and the much more uniform colouring and marking of the wings beneath, which, in some of the sj)ecies, remind 

 us of the typical Nymphalides (Charaxes Boisd.). The ver}' minute and densely woolly fore legs of the males in this genus are also 

 worthy of remark. 



We are unacquainted with the transformations of the species, which are natives of the hottest parts of South America, but we arc 

 indebted to ISI. Lacordaire for the following note of their habits : — 



" Le plus grand nombre n'habite que dans les forets, et ne se rapproche qu'accidentellement des plantations. C'est surtout parmi 

 elles qu'on pent juger de la rapidite du vol par la grandeur du corselet et la solidite des ailes. Les especes ou ces organes offrcnt an 

 plus haut degrc toutes les conditions reunies pour un vol puissant, sont les N. Amphimachus, Dcmophou, Orion, etc. II est tel que 

 I'ocil pent a peine les suivre ; elles se poseut brusquenient sur le tronc des arbres, ferment leurs ailes et restent immobiles. Dans cet 

 etat elles se laissent prendre avec la main ; ou, si elles ont ete effrayees, elles disparaissent et reviennent un instant apres a la memo 

 place. On les trouve ordinairement sur les habitations, et sur les meraes arbres autour desquels volent les Peridromia."* 



* Annales de la Soc. Eiitomol. de France, 1 833, p. 393. 

 Oi-lohn- 1. ISfiO. 4 K 



