Mr. W. W. Saunders on some new Species of Erycina. 215 



XXXIX. On some new Species of Erycina. By W. W. 

 Saunders, Esq., F.L.S. 



[Read 5th February, 1849 ] 



In the following paper I propose giving descriptions of several 

 new species of the tailed Erycinas, for the discovery of which 

 Entomology is indebted chiefly to the exertions of Mr. Jurgensen 

 in Mexico, of Mr. D. Dyson in Honduras and Venezuela, and 

 more recently to Messrs. Wallace and Bates in the vicinity of Para. 

 At the same time I shall add references to the species already 

 described, so as at once to bring under the eye all that is at pre- 

 sent known of this interesting group of diurnal Lepidoptera. 



I do not find that this group has been treated on since the 

 publication of M. Morisse's monograph in the Gth vol. of the 

 Annales of the Entomological Society of France. This author 

 enumerates six species, and I am fortunate now in being able to 

 double this number. Our knowledge of the various species is 

 still very imperfect, and in several instances only one sex is 

 known. As the sexes vary greatly in outline and colouring, 

 further investigation will in all probability prove that some of the 

 species founded upon the female sex will not stand good. In 

 geographical range the species appear to be confined to the con- 

 tinent of tropical America, Mexico being the northern, and Brazil 

 the southern, limits of their range. Several sub-genera have 

 been proposed for dividing the tailed Erycinas; but, looking to 

 the imperfect knowledge we yet possess of the species, and the 

 length of the palpi, on which the sub-genera chiefly depend for 

 characters, how these palpi gradually diminish by almost imper- 

 ceptible degrees, from the long porrect ones to those scarcely 

 apparent, I shall for the present include all the species under the 

 generic term Erycina, with such divisions as appear to be de- 

 sirable for bringing the species most nearly allied together. In 

 determining the species I have received assistance from my friend 

 Mr. E. Doubleday, who has kindly furnished me with descriptions 

 of those species which I could not without get access to so readily 

 as he is able to. For the excellent figures accompanying this 

 paper I am indebted to the talented pencil of another friend, Mr. 

 Westwood. 



vot. V. z 



