to an Insect Fauna of the Amazon Valley. 347 



P. Lycopkron ^, Hiibn. Samml. Ex. 



2, Boisd. Sp. Gen. 358, 201, Lucas in Sagra's Hist. 



de Cuba, pi. 16, f. 1 (as Pir'uhous). 



I found tliis species only at Cameta ou tlie Tocanlins, flying rapidly in an 

 orange grove, in company with P. Thoas and otiiei's. The example before me is 

 much smaller than those from other parls of Brazil, and the lunules of the sub- 

 maiginal row on the hind wing aie much smaller than represented in Hiibner's 

 figure. The species occurs from the south of Brazil to Cuba. It offers in some 

 countries well-marked local varieties, one of which is the P. Hippomedon, Felder, 

 Lep. Fragmente, p. 20. 



P. Thoas, Linn. Cram. 167 A. B. 



This common neo-tropical species is subject to much variation. One of the 

 varieties is understood to prevail in the northern part of its range, viz., the West 

 India Islands and the southern parts of the United States, as P. Crespliontes, Cr. 

 (165 A, B. and 166 B. ), but I do not know whether it is sufficiently well marked 

 and constant to be considered as a well defined sub-species. In the Amazonian 

 region Thoas is found only about the Delta of the river. In Para specimens the 

 sub-marginal luuules of tlie hind wings are much more rounded and obtuse thau 

 in Cramer's fig., or in Bogota examples before me. On the Upper Amazons it is 

 wholly replaced by the following. 



P. Cinyras, Menetries, Cat. de la Coll. Lnp. Ac. &c. de St. 



Petersburg, p. Ill, t. 7, f. 3. 



This well-marked and fixed local form, whose " specific rights" have given rise 

 1o much useless controversy in some Entomological journals of Germany, first 

 appears in ascending the river, at Villa Nova. I neglected to notice whilst I 

 resided there, whether it was the exclusive form of Thoas in the locality. At Ega, 

 however, I convinced myself that it was there the only form which occurred. All 

 the individuals examined agree with the excellent figure of M. Menetries. It 

 appears to occur also at Bahia (Menetr. loc. cit.), probably in the interior of the 

 country (Felder, Lep. Fragmente, p. 26). 



P. Torquatus. , . . S > Cram. 177 A. B. 



$ , Hiibn. Samml. (as Cauclius). 

 Local var. Patros ? , Gray, Cat. B. M. p. 43, pi. 7, f. 5, 7, 8. 



The male is found throughout the country and oflFers very little variation. The 

 female varies very much between the Upper and the Lower Amazons. The dif- 

 ference is so great between the sexes that it is only the evidence afforded by 

 having captured P. Torquatus and P. Caudius in copula that induces me to place 

 them together. Every example examined shows all the individuals of P. Tor- 

 quatus to be $ and all those of P. Caudius and P. Patros to be $. In coloura- 

 tion the females approach P. Anchisiades and species of the JEneas group. In 

 their variation they show the same laws of substitution of colours which we have 

 seen to prevail in several other species, as in P. Bolivar, P. Vertumnus, P. Aria- 

 rathes, &c. They are subject to change of colour of the spot of the fore wing 

 from white to yellowish, and to lose it altogether, and to the replacement of the 

 carmine of the hind wing by yellow. Mr. Gray figures the three varieties which 

 occur on the Upper Amazon, where no example of the true P. Caudius has 

 occurred. A feature in the habits of the female may explain why it is subject to 

 these variations ; it frequents, like the species of the JEneas group, the shades of 

 the forest, coming out only on dull days to the borders. The male, although 

 choosing the opeu sunlight, descends also into the sunny breaks and open glades 

 of the forest, wiiere I have often seen it in pursuit of the female, although 1 have 

 only once detected it in copula. 



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