122 Mr. H. Eltringham's Mo7io[/raph of the 



The species is not common in collections, and Trimen 

 describes it as nowhere abundant. 



42. ACRAEA ASEMA. PI. IX, f. 4. PI. XV, f. 19. 



Acraea asema, Hewitson, Ent. Mo. Mag., xiv, p. 52 (1877) ; 

 Trimen, Proc. Zool. Soc, p. 24, pi. 4, f. 3, 3a (1894); 

 Marshall, Trans. Ent, Soc, p. 555 (1896) ; Aurivillius, 

 Ehop. Aeth., p. 95 (1898) ; Neave, Proc. Zool. Soc, p. 14 

 (1910). 

 = empnsa, Butler, Proc Zool. Soc, p. 656 (1893). 



f. gracilis, Wichgraf (violarum g.), Berl. Ent. Z<nt., p. 243, 



pi. 6, f. 7, 8 (1908). 

 Angola (Bihe, Bailundu) ; Manicaland ; Mashonaland ; 

 Nyassaland (Blantyre). 



A. asema asema. 



^. Expanse 36-50 mm. Wings brick red with a rosy- 

 tinge, to ochreous or greyish ochreous, with black spots. F.-w. 

 distal portion of costa very narrowly black, apex with a small 

 black patch, continued along hind margin as a very narrow 

 black marginal border. Black spots extremely variable. When 

 all present ari'anged as follows : — In area 11 near end of cell 

 one spot and beneath this an elongate transverse spot in cell. 

 A small linear mark on upper portion of discocellulars. Siiortly 

 beyond end of cell an oblique transverse band of spots from 

 •close to costa to nervule 4, this band may be straight, irregular, 

 or outwardly convex ; beneath it and slightly more distally 

 placed a spot in 3. Beyond these, in the subapical area, a row of 

 three spots in 6, 5, and 4. These may be in a straight line, or 

 outwardly convex, or absent altogether. Beneath them a sub- 

 marginal row of three spots in 3, 2, and lb. A spot near base 

 of area 2 close to median, and two additional spots in lb, one 

 near submarginal spot, the other near base. Black basal linear 

 marks in cell, lb and la, absent in typical dry season examples. 

 H.-w. with a narrow black border arched on inner edge as in 

 molarum. This border is extremely variable and may be almost 

 entirely black, or set with internervular white spots, or the 

 internervular portions may be nearly all of the ground-colour 

 leaving only a series of black arches. Black spots as on under- 

 side, but usually smaller and some of them frequently onlysliow- 

 ing through from beneatli ; basal suffusion of black in wet season 

 specimens, often replaced by reddish in dry season examples. 



Underside. F.-w. Wet season specimens usually show the 

 black apex with three small yellowish white spots. Dry season 

 ■examples have the apex pale ochreous, and the ends of the 



