41 



Ithomiines occui', but such a type as is exemplified in Mclinna 

 cijdippe, black with a large orange band, is only to be found in E. 

 Peru and the adjacent parts of Bolivia. Similarly the chestnut 

 coloured type, such as is to be found in Melinaa iianlalis, is confined 

 to the middle Amazonian area. Although the smaller transparent 

 Ithomiine genera do not so readily form distinctive colour groups 

 yet several are well enough defined, and at the same time restricted 

 in their distribution. Hi/poleria ehnjsndviiin, Lencotlnjris ida and 

 i'aendoscaila aureola, all of which are transparent with an orange- 

 brown apical band, are only to be found about the upper Amazon 

 near Pebas and Iquitos in Peru. Similarly, Pteroiu/mia hemixantlia, 

 h'teronyniia eitritca, hieteroscada f/azoria, Xapeoi/enes xanthone, 

 a group with both fore- and hindwnngs dusted heavily with 

 sulphur yellow, is only to be found in S. Brazil, where it is 

 quite independent of the type of colouring set b}^ Mellmra ethra. 

 In some cases, these transparent groups of species are offshoots 

 of the larger and more conspicuous associations which centre 

 around the large and often very abundant species of ^lelhura 

 and Mechanitis. The transparent group with the orange-brown 

 band, is undoubtedly a sub-group of the wonderful assemblage of 

 similarly coloured species which are to be found with Melinaa 

 cijdijipe in Peru, such as Mechanitis methone, Ceratinia semifitlra, 

 Ceratinia bicuhira, fleliconiiis arutiona, besides another dozen or more 

 spec'ies belonging to the Papilionince, Sati/riu/c, Ni/inp/ialiiuy, and 

 the day flying family of the tleterocera, Hi/psidtr. While in British 

 Guiana the small semi-transparent group of Ithomiime composed of 

 Ceratinia rallnnia, Naiieof/enes inachia, Xapeotjenes cijrianassa and 

 Calloleria cabhjana, are undoubtedly influenced in their colouring 

 by the large main group of conspicuous Ithomiines with Melinatr 

 umeme as the centre. But that there are other groups which are 

 independent of the " L>/corea habitus " as Haensch speaks of the larger 

 Lijcorea, Melinaa groups, is undoubted, as I have already instanced. 

 A further very good case is to be found in the high mountain group 

 of beautiful Ithomiines in eastern Ecuador, which includes the 

 species L>isiiienitt^: titcndelinda, ]'ela)ni/sta cracifera and It/itntiia epona, 

 which all show a conspicuous marginal band of white spots with 

 transparent wings. The altitude at which these occur is far greater 

 than that ever attained by a Melin<ea or Mechanitis, being about 

 7,000ft. to 10,000ft. against a probable maximum of 3,000ft. for 

 Melimca, and this is much above the elevation at which they usually 

 occur. Such species as I have met with, viz., M. nnieine, M. rrameri, 

 M. eijina in Guiana, and M. tac/u/petis in Trinidad, have been found 

 at very little above sea level, where they haunt the heavy primeval 

 forests. But such species as Melinaa inessatis and .V. ida in Colom- 

 bia, and M. lilis in Venezuela, occur higher. The latter I have 

 received from Caracas, which is 3,000ft., but whether the species 

 was taken there or lower down I am unable to say. 



