PHILOGNOMA. MEGISTANIS. 



511 



which is armed with four pairs of short spines, indicating the articulations. Tarsus in Decius shorter, but 

 broader, and of more uniform width. 

 Four Hind Legs rather short, moderately thick. Tibia? flattened beneath ; each lateral edge armed with a row 

 of small fine spines. Tibial spurs short, acute. Tarsi beneath flat, with four rows of fine spines. Claws and 

 paronychia short. 

 Abdomen rather small, ovate. 



Transformations unknown. 



These insects are very closely allied to Nymphalis in their general appearance, as well as in the majority of their characters. Like 

 most of the species of that genus, also, they are natives of Africa. They are, however, tlisthiguislied by tlie hind wings being furnished 

 with only a single tail, as well as by the straiglit dark fascia running obliquely across all the wings on the under side. The discoidal 

 cell of the hind wings is also much shorter, being terminated by a very slender vein, which is united to the median vein between the 

 origins of the first and second branches ; a peculiarity we have hitherto rarely met with in the numerous species of this family. 



The species represented in our PI. XLIX. f. 3., from Ashanti, is smaller than the typical species Decius and Varancs, and differs 

 from them in the third branch of the postcostal vein arising very close beyond the extremity of tlie discoidal cell, and the fourth branch 

 about halfway between the base of tlie third branch and the tip of the wing. On the under side, its wings are varied with red -brown, 

 having mmierous short, slender, transverse, and angulated black lines, with a rather broad silvery bar across the wings, extending from 

 near the tip of the fore wings nearly to the anal angle of the hind wings, bounded behind by a straight black line. 



The Nymphalis Erota of Fabricius, placed by Godart between Decius and Varanes, I have ascertained from Donovan's drawings in 

 the Hopean Library at Oxford to be identical with Cynthia Arsinoe. 



PHILOGNOMA. 



1. Philogn. Decius. 



Papilio Decius Fahricius, Ent. Syst, iii. pt. 1. p. Gj. n. 



210.; Cramer, Pap. t. Hi. f. A.B. ; Drury, III. in. 



pi. 6. f. 1, 2.; Godart, Enc. M. ix. p. 363. n. 46. 



(Nymphalis D.); Lucas, Hist. IVat. Lep. exot. pi. 64. 



f. 2. ; Donovan, Nat. Repos. vol. 4. pi. 10<). 

 Palla Decia Hilhner, Ferz. bek. Schm. n. 441. 

 Sierra Leone, Ashanti. B. M. 



2. Philogn. Varanes. 



Papilio Varanes Fabricius, Ent. Syst. in. pt. 1. p. 66. n. 

 206.; Cramer, Pap. t. l60. f. D.E. t. 388. f. A.B. ; 

 Godart, Enc. M. ix. p. 364. n. 48. ; Lucas, Hist. Nat. 

 exot. pi. 65. f. 1. 



Coea Varanessa Hiibner, Vers. bek. Schm. n. 442. 

 Var. Drury, III. in. pi. 31. f. 1, 2. 

 Sierra Leone, Ashanti, CafFraria. B. M. 



3. Philogn. Laodice. 



Papilio Laodice Drury, III. iii. pi. 26. f. 3. (1783). 

 Papilio Lycurgus Fabricius, Ent. Syst. in. pt. 1. p. 67- 



n. 209.; Jones Icones. v. t. 69. f. 1. 

 Nymphalis Lycurgus Godart, Enc. 31. ix. p. 364. n. 49. 

 Sierra Leone. 



4. Philoon. Lichas E. Doubleday MS. ; E. Doubl. Westvi. &; Hewitson, 



Gen. Diurn. Lep. pi. 49. f. 3. 

 Ashanti. B. M. 



Genus LXXVII. MEGISTANIS. 



Megistanis Boisduval MS. 

 Eriboea and Coea p. HUhner. 

 Nymphalis p. GodK 



Body very robust ; fore wings large, subangulated below the apex ; hind wings witli one or two short tails. 

 Head moderate-sized, transverse, slightly tufted in front. 

 Eyes prominent, naked. 



Labial Palpi large, porrected obliquely, not reaching to the level of the top of the eyes, extending further in 

 front than the length of the head ; inner edges close together ; the tips converging, forming together a long 

 conical front, thickly clothed with scales, except the back of the middle joint, which is furnished with hairs ; 

 those near the middle of the joint being long and recurved, and applied to the face. 

 Antennce not quite half the length of the fore wings, rather slender, nearly straight ; terminated by a distinct 

 elongate-ovate club, gradually formed, occupying about one fifth of the length of the antenna, delicately 

 carinated on the inside beneath. 

 Thorax robust, oblong, truncated behind, densely woolly ; the metathorax clothed with long hairs. 



Fore Wings large, elongate-subtriangular. Fore margin well arched ; apical angle rounded. Apical margin 

 two thirds of the length of the anterior, slightly angulated below the apex, deeply emarginate in the middle. 

 Inner margin nearly straight, about as long as the apical. Costal vein strong, extending about two thirds of 



November 1. 1850. 



4 N 



