African Species of the Genus Acraea. Ill 



This remarkable form occurs on Princes I., W. 

 Africa. Some old examples bear labels indicating that 

 they were taken on the mainland, but if the form ever did 

 occur there it does not appear to do so now. Aurivillius 

 (Ann. Mus. Genov., I. c.) records sixteen $$ and eight $$ 

 taken on Princes I., Jan. to Aug. 1901. The Oxford col- 

 lection possesses a $ kindly presented by Prof. Aurivillius. 

 The $ I have figured is in the general collection in 

 the Berlin Museum, and is labelled Senegal. 



The larva and pupa of A. egina have been described by 

 Aurivillius /. c, and liis short description agrees with the 

 specimen figured on Plate VI. From an example before 

 me the larva may be thus more fully described. 



Length about 34 mm. Dorsal area pale yellow the junctions 

 of the segments marked by fine black lines, in front of each of 

 which the yellow is deepened to an orange tint. The rows of 

 spines arise from rather broad black transverse lines. The 

 yellow area is bordered by a rather broad dark brown line 

 beneath which is a lateral line of pale yellow broken up into 

 spots followed by a brown sublateral line. Head black with a 

 bifurcated pale line. True legs black. Prolegs dark brown 

 segmented with yellowish. Spines rather stout, black, with 

 fine black bristles. The bases of spines slaty blue. 



The typical A. egina extends from Senegal across Africa 

 to Rhodesia, Nyassaland, and Uganda, whilst the sub- 

 species areca occurs in Nyassaland, German E. Africa, 

 and British E. Africa. It is a well-defined species easily 

 distinguished from the forms to which it bears a super- 

 ficial resemblance. A series in the Oxford collection, taken 

 at Chirinda includes examples somewhat intermediate be- 

 tween egina and areca. The ^ armature is quite distinct, 

 and shows no close affinity with that of any otlier species. 



GROUP VII. 



. Acraea cepheus. PI. VIII, f. 12. 



Acraea cepheus, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., {Pap.) ed. 10, p. 487 (1758) ; 



Mus. Lud. Ulr., p. 252 (1764) ; Clerck, Icones. Ins., 2, pi. 43, 



f. 4 (1764) ; Mabille, Hist. Nat. Mad., Lep. {A.) 1, p. 98, pi. 



12, f. 1, 2 (1885-7) ; Butler, Proc. Zoo]. Soc, p. 66 (1888) ; 



Aurivillius, Rhop. Aeth., p. 93 (1898) ; Butler, Proc. Zool. 



Soc, p. 26 (1901). 



