338 Mr. H. W. Bates's Contributions 



Group 4. P. Anch'isiades, and allies. 



This group approximates in the character of the slendernessof the antenna; to 

 the great /Eneas, group of Tropical American Pupilimies, and indeed might be 

 included therein, did it not contain a number of species of peculiar facies (e. g., 

 P. Phurnaces, Dd. ; P. Photiniis, Dd. ; P. ThymbriEus, Bdv., &c.), which would 

 not harmonise well with the other species. I hey have not, either, the ample 

 abdominal wing-fold so characteristic of the group mentioned. They are allied, 

 in this and other respects, to P. Torqiiatus of the Tlwus group. They aie not true 

 forest butterflies, like the JEueas series of species ; they frequent merely the skirts 

 of the woods and congregate on the moist margins of water. Anchhiades, and 

 some of its varieties, are the only forms found on the banks of the Amazon. 



P. Aitch'isiades Esper, Ausl. Schmett. t. 13, f. 1,2. 



Cram. 318 A. B. C. D. (as An- 

 chises, Lin). 

 Local var. Isidorus . . $ Doubid. Ann. Nat. Hist, xviii. 



(1846), p. 374. 

 Gray, Cat. B. M. p. C4, pi. 5, f. 1. 



This is a very variable species, at least in sonne localities. On comparing a 

 series of examples of the allied form hiieus, Fabr., from different localities with 

 the present, 1 think it would be difficult to find characters constant enough to 

 separate them as two spfcies ; one form or other of the two occurs over a wide ex- 

 tent of country, from Rio Grande in 32° S. lat. to ftlexico, in 16° N. lat. The 

 varieties found in the Amazon region, however, I will refer to the Anchhiades, 

 taking Cramer's figures as the type. In the typical form both sexes have a large, 

 rounded, dull while spot on the fore wing, and a broad belt of four elongate red 

 spots on the hind wing ; the dentations of the hind wing are of equal size, and 

 the ihi'ce marginal sinuses nearest the angle are tinged with rose colour, the rest 

 being bordered with white. Very iew of the examples found by me on the 

 Upper and Lower Amazon agree with the type in these characters; but the 

 individuals vary in one and the same locality. The following are some of the 

 varieties. 



V^ar. a, $. Marginal sinuses all bordered narrowly with white, that at the 

 anal angle only being spotted with ro«e colour. White spot of fore wing 

 reduced in size, being enclosed between the post-median nervure and the first 

 median nervule. Santarem, I^ower Amazon. 

 Var. b, $ . Hind wing very much produced towards the anal angle and the 

 whole outer margin scarcely convex. Marginal sinuses all bordered with 

 while. Ega, in company with the type. 

 Var. c. Isidoim, Dd., ^. The example before me is only an approximation 

 to the hidonis, Dd. The fore wing above is immaculate. The hind wing 

 has the dentation at the third median nervule much more produced than the 

 others. 'J'he sinuses are all edged with white. The red belt of hind wing is 

 similar to that of the type, but much smaller. Beneath, the fore wing has a 

 large dusky-white spot, halfway between the median nervure and the hind 

 angle, divided by the first and second median nervules; the hind wing has, 

 in the place of the red belt of the upper surface, a series of four spots, of 

 which the two central ones are lar^'e, and pinkish-white in colour, the outer 

 one very small, of same colour; the inner one rounded and rose-red ; all 

 four are accompanied on the upper side by a small rose-red spot. There is 

 also a row of three similar red spots between them and the costal edge of 

 the wing. P. Isidnrus differs a little from this variety, but only as a further 

 divergence from the type ; it was found in Bolivia. My specimen I took at 

 Ega, in company with the type, Anchhiades. P. Idtrus occurs in the south 

 of Krazil ; other inconstant forms occur in r-fondiiras and Mexico, some of 

 which have not yet been described either as species or varieties (e.g. P. 

 Pandion, Bdv., of the Fiench collections). I bred /'. Ancitisiades from 



