THEMONE. 



m 



Genus XXXIV. THEMONE. 



Themone Westwood. 

 Helicopis H/ibner. 

 LiMNAS p. E. Doubleday. 

 Aricoris p. Boisduval MS. 



Body robust ; black, with a broad lateral border of orange ; (habit of certain exotic Callimorpha?) : wings large, black, 



varied with large orange and yellow markings. 

 Head small, especially in the females, clothed with very short hairs. 

 Eyes rather large, naked in the typical species. 

 Labial Palpi very small, curved, compressed, scaly, the tip not elevated above the height of one fourth of the eyes, 



and not visible beyond the hairs of the face ; terminal joint minute, elongate-conical. 

 Antennm about half the length of the fore wings ; articulations indistinct, not ringed with white ; terminated by 



an elongated, moderately robust, gradually formed club (smaller in the females), obtuse at the tip. 

 Thorax robust. Tippets -wide. 



Fore Wings large (especially in the females), clongated-subtrigonate in the males. Costal margin nearly straight ; 



apical angle obtuse. Apical margin entire, slightly convex in the male, much more strongly in the female. 



Postcostal vein with three branches ; the first only arising before the anterior extremity of the discoidal cell ; 



the second about one third, and the third at about two thirds, of the distance between the discoidal cell and 



the tip of the wing. Upper disco-cellular vein very minute : middle and lower ones forming an arch, the 



lower end of the latter uniting- with the third bi-anch of the median vein at a very short distance beyond its 



origin. 

 Hind Wings large, subovate, slightly scalloped in the females. Postcostal vein arising much nearer the body 



than the precostal. Upper disco-cellular vein oblique, arising at the base of the branch of the postcostal vein : 



lower one larger, oblique, slightly arched, uniting with the third branch of the median vein at its origin. 

 Fore Legs of the male slender, very densely clothed with long fine hairs. Fore Legs of the female about one 



third longer than those of the male, thick, scaly. Tarsi with the middle joints armed below with fine spines. 

 Four Hind Legs rather short, scaly. Tarsi armed beneath with very short slender spines. 

 Abdomen of the males elongate-conic ; short and ovnl in the female. 



The type of this genus is the Helicopis Pais of Hiibner, a handsome insect, which in its general appearance bears considerable 

 resemblance to Mcthone Cecilia and Aricoris Epitus. From both tliese, however, it differs in the arrangement of the branches of the 

 postcostal vein of the fore wings ; there being only one branch before the extremity of tlie discoidal cell instead of two, and from the 

 latter it further differs in there being two branches beyond the cell instead of only one. In this respect it agrees with Hesperia Ouranus 

 Fabr., on which account I have added the latter to this genus, although it differs from Th. Pais in having hirsute eyes, longer 

 palpi porrected considerably in front of the f;ice, the end of the lower disco-cellular vein of the fore wings united with the third branch 

 of the median vein at its origin, and the hind wings with the costal vein not reaching beyond the middle of the costa. Its situation, 

 therefore, must be considered doubtful ; but I know not where else to place it, when its peculiar style of colours and marking is taken 

 into consideration. 



THEMONE. 



A. Hind Wings rounded. 



a. Ej/es naked. (Themone Weslw.) 



1. Them. Pais.* 



'I'liemone Pais Westw. MS. ; Doiihl. Westw. S; Hewitn. 

 Gen. D. Lep. pi. 72. f. p. (fem.). 



Helicoiiis Pais Hiihner, Snmml. e.vot. .Sdwi. Band ii. f. — ., 

 Zntrage exot. Schni. {. 749, 750. ; E. Boiibl. Lixt Lep. 

 Brit. Mns. pt. 2. p. 17- (Limnas? P.). 

 Papilio Haliiis ? Diilman, Anal. Entomol. p. 45. n. l6. 

 (Female) Limiias ? Phorniis E. DouM. Lixt I^ep, Brit, 

 Mux. II. p. I.I). 

 Brazil. B. M, 



* The male of this species tlifFcrs in its more triangular fore wings, and in wanting the white tip in those wings, and the row of yellow lunules and white 

 marginal spots of the hind wings. The female is given by Mr. E. Doubleday as a distinct species. 



