African Species of the Genus Acraea. llo 



A. petraea jietrnea. 



^ . Expanse 50-60 nun. Wings bright rosy red, rather darker 

 at apex of f.-w. and in subniarginal part of h.-w. F.-w. base 

 suffused with black, slightly in cell and more widely in la 

 and lb. Costa and hind margin narrowly black. Nervures 

 and nervules strongly marked and bnmdly black where joining 

 hind margin. Black spots as follows : — In area 11 near middle 

 of cell an oblique sjjot joining costal and subcostal. In cell 

 a subbasal spot adjacent to sul)costal, followed by a second 

 lai'ger subtriangular spot touching subcostal and median, a 

 double spot on upper and middle discocellulars. Just beyond 

 cell a band of confluent spots from nervule 11 to 3, narrow 

 at first, widening suddenly in area 6 so as to join discocellular 

 spot, narrower in 5 and 4, but occupying the entire basal half 

 of area 3, and sometimes curving round on nervule 3 so as 

 almost to join hind margin. In areas 2 and lb two submarginal 

 spots, and in 2 a large spot touching median and nervule 2 ; 

 beneath this in lb and nearer margin a large reniform spot. 

 Inner margin narrowly black. 



H.-w. Base suffused with black, rather broadly so in lb, 

 Ic, and lower half of cell. Hind margin with black border 

 1"5 mm. wide. Nervules strongly marked. Black spots as 

 follows : — In area 7 a small submarginal spot. A sinuate discal 

 row of eight internervalar spots (no spot in 3), a subbasal 

 spot in 7, two spots in cell, one on m.d.c, a basal and a 

 subbasal in Ic, a subbasal in lb, and la. 



Underside. F.-w. dark salmon pink, apex greyish pink with 

 deep orange internervular rays. A small black spot on costa 

 near base. Spots near base are wanting and the remainder are 

 of different shape and smaller size, the outline of the upperside 

 spots showing through. H.-w. pale .salmon pink with some 

 reddish internervular marks at base, and reddish internervular 

 rays. Hind margin bearing seven yellowisli white spots. 

 Black spots as above with an additional spot visible in 8, 

 near precostal. Head black with a white central line, and 

 two small lateral spots, red lateral tufts on collar. Thorax 

 black with two faint dorsal white lines. Basal half of abdomen 

 black with orange lateral spots, remainder orange. Claws unequal. 

 The foregoing description applies to an average wet season (^ . 

 The black markings of this species are very variable in shape 

 and extent, and it is almost impossible to make a description 

 which will satisfactorily cover the range of individual variation. 

 Trimen describes a (J aberration (I. c, p. 146) with f.-w. entirely 

 dull black. 



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