PROTOGONTUS. 



Genns LXXVITT. PROTOGOJ^IUS. 



Protogonius Huhner. 



Helicodes Boisduval MS., E. Boubleday, List. Lfp. Brit. Mm. 



Fabius Duncan. 



Nymphalis \). God'. 



Body moderately robust ; wings large ; fore wings long, deeply angulated in the middle of the apical margin ; hind 



wings with a long spatulate tail. 

 Head moderately large, finely hairy, with a minute conical tuft in front. 



Eyes large, pi'ominent, naked. 



Labial Palpi large, obliquely porrected ; the tip elevated considerably above the level of the top of the eyes, and 

 extending in front as far as the length of the head, clothed with scaly hairs, flattened in front ; the apical half 

 of the second joint beset on the upper side with short hairs; apical joint slendei', acute at the tip, and quite 

 distinct from the preceding joint when seen from above. 



Antennce short, not more than one third of the length of the fore wings, slightly curved ; terminated by a very 

 gradually formed slender club, finely carinated beneath on the inside, and slightly obtuse at the tip. 

 Thorax oval, not very large, woolly. 



Fore Wings long and wide. The fore margin very strongly arched; apical angle more or less obtuse. Apical 

 margin not more than half the length of the anterior, but with a large angular projection in the middle, below 

 which the margin is very oblique to the inner angle. Inner margin slightly curved, and somewhat longer 

 than the apical. Costal vein moderately strong. Postcostal slender, Avith the first and second branches 

 arising before the anterior extremity of the discoidal cell, and both running into the costal vein near the 

 middle of the length of the wing, not widely apart ; third branch arising near the middle of the length of the 

 wing, and extending to the tip, being slightly deflexed for a short distance preceding the apex. Upper 

 disco-cellular vein very short and oblique, arising at the distance of two fifths of the length of the wing from 

 the base ; middle disco-cellular still shorter, but less oblique ; outer disco-cellular four times as long as the 

 preceding, less oblique, curved ; closing the discoidal cell in a rather acute point, before the middle of the disc 

 of the wing, and uniting with the third branch of the median vein at a smaller distance from its origin than 

 exists between the base of the second and third branches ; this third branch slightly curved, running to the 

 extremity of the angular projection of the apical margin. 



Hind Wings broadly triangular. Costal margin nearly straight, but with the base rounded. Apical margin 

 with a long spatulate tail in the middle, down which the extremity of the third branch of the median vein is 

 extended. Precostal vein short, straight, and subclavate. Costal vein not extending to the outer angle of the 

 wing, which is obtuse ; the extremity of the branch of the postcostal vein extending to the middle of this 

 obtuse part. Discoidal cell short, closed by a slightly curved outer disco-cellular vein, which is united to the 

 median exactly at the origin of its third branch. Anal margin deeply grooved. 



Fore Legs of the male very small, thickly clothed with scales and scale-like hairs, not forming a brush. Tibia 

 nearly as long as the femur. Tarsus about half the length of the tibia, slender, exarticulate. Fore Legs of 

 the female very short, but rather longer than those of the male, thick, densely squamose. Tibia two thirds the 

 length of the femur. Tarsus as long as, and broader than, the tibia, compressed ; the basal joint occupying 

 rather more than half the tarsus ; second, third, and fourth joints oblique, armed beneath with several small 

 spines. Terminal joint minute, without claws. 



Four Uind Legs short, thick, squamose. Tibiaa spined irregularly throughout. Tibial spurs short. Tarsus very 

 squamose, with several rows of short spines beneath ; last joint terminated above by long slender bristles. 

 Claws and outer lobe of the paronychia nearly similar in form ; inner lobe of the latter shorter, slender, 

 incurved. Pulvillus small. 

 Abdomen rather small, oval. 



Larva subcylindrical, granulose, not spined, slightly attenuated behind ; head with two short obtuse horns 



on the hinder part. 

 Chrysalis very short and thick, with a strong conical protuberance formed by the middle of the back of 



the abdomen. 



The Caterpillar of the typical species of this genus, represented lay Stoll, exhibits a strong general resemblance to that of the typical 

 Nymphales. It has the body rather tapering towards the hinder extremity, and is shagreened, without any horns or setose tubercles 

 on the segments of the body, except a pair of short obtuse erect horns on the head, and two conical juotuberances at the sides. It is of 

 a dull green colour, with a dark brown stripe along the back, and spots and short stripes of the same colour on the sides. The head is 

 black with green lines, and on the upper part are two, and on each side of the anterior part of the first segment three, small rounded 



