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VI. On Mimicry in certain Butterflies of New Guinea. 

 By F. A. Dixey, M.A., M.D., F.R.S. 



[Read March 6th, 1918.] 



In Seitz's " Macrolepidoptera " (Indo-Australian "Region ; 

 English Edition,. p. 147) under the genus Huphina, Fruh- 

 storfer speaks of abnormis, Wall., " euryxanthe," Honr., 

 and " ornythion," Godm. & Salv., as related species. This 

 passage contains two minor inaccuracies and one distinct 

 error. Honrath's insect was named by him euryxantha., 

 Oberthiir afterwards spelt the name with a final e, in which 

 he has been followed by other authors. Staudinger, how- 

 ever, in " Iris," and Grose Smith and Kirby in their 

 " Rhopaloeera Exotica " rightly give the original spelling. 

 The second inaccuracy is in the name " ornyihion" which 

 was written by its authors ornytion. 



These are trivial matters; of greater importance is the 

 statement of affinity between ornytion and the other two 

 species. Though it bears so striking a resemblance to 

 Huphina abnormis, the relationship of ornytion to that 

 butterfly is not close, for it belongs in fact, as shown by 

 structural characters, to the very distinct genus Delias. 

 Much confusion has prevailed with regard to all three 

 butterflies now named, and it may be worth while to 

 attempt to clear this up before proceeding to the actual 

 subject of my paper. 



In his well-known memoir on the Eastern Pieridae, 

 published in 1807, Mr. Wallace described and figured under 

 the name of Tachyris abnormis a remarkable Pierine from 

 New Guinea.* He observes that in coloration " it. bears 

 a striking general resemblance to the beautiful nym- 

 phalideous butterfly, Mynes Geoffroyi, which inhabits the 

 same country." The type specimen, which may still be 

 seen in the National Collection, is a female; if Wallace 

 had been acquainted with the male, he could scarcely have 

 avoided noting that it does not possess the anal tuft of 

 hairs which characterises the genus Tachyris. But the 



* Trans. Ent, Soc. Lond.. Series III. vol. iv. p. :5G8 ; PI. VIII. 

 Jig. . r », $. 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1918. — fARTS I, II. (DEC.) 



