The Bionomics of South Afi-iean Insects. 499 



about 700 species of Thccla have been described. In Auri- 

 villius' catalogue of Ethiopian Rhopalocera only 582 species 

 are recognized. The predominance of Lycasnid mimicry in 

 this latter Region is therefore in no way connected with 

 richness in the number of species. The chief reason is 

 certainly the existence in the Region of the sub-family 

 LiptenincV, with nearly all its species mimetic. In addition 

 to the general Acrseine appearance of ALvna amazoula, the 

 JYeptis-Yike A. nyassiB and the chrysippus-ldugii-\\k.e Mim- 

 acvaia mcirshalli-dohertyi, there is represented in the Hope 

 Collection mimetic resemblance to Terias or other small 

 Pierines on the part of Larinopocla lirc/Bcc, L. tent, Lip)tena 

 lihyssa, and L. tmchilaris ; to Mylothris by Pentila abraxas, 

 P. ■pliidia, and Citrinophila erastus; to chrysippus and the 

 chrysippus-like Eiiph^drm and Alefis by Tclipna himacu- 

 lata and T. sanguinea ; to a general Acroeine type by two 

 or three species of Pentila. Many other cases of mimicry 

 are known in the sub-family, especially towards models of the 

 genera Planema and Acrma (see Aurivillius, loc. cit., p. 580). 

 But this remarkable group does not by any means exhaust 

 the Ethiopian Lycsenid mimics, for many species of the 

 Lycmninie mimic Acrseas, Terias or other small Pierines 

 and Mylothris. The general Acroeine mimicry of species of 

 Catochrysops has already been described and illustrated. 

 Furthermore, Aurivillius considers that there is a certain 

 amount of mimetic approach between species of Lipteninm 

 and Lycmninm in which the former probably always act as 

 models. 



It is very difficult to understand this predominance of 

 Lycajnid mimicry in the Ethiopian Region, and I can only 

 suggest the possibility that the number of feasible models 

 of moderate and small size furnished by the abundant 

 Acrseinge of Africa mtxy furnish an explanation. In such 

 cases as Catochrysops j^;ec«^m?^is and mashima we see at 

 once how naturally and easily the Lycsenid under-side 

 adapts itself to the characteristic appearance of the Aerma 

 type, especially when it is further assisted by similar habits. 

 And this suggests another equally important principle 

 which has doubtless been fertile in bringing about Lycasnid 

 mimicry, viz. the habits of the models being such as to 

 bring them within the range of the forms which were to 

 mimic them. The numerous low-flying and low-settling 

 Acra^as, resting at night on grass-stems, have precisely the 

 mode of life which is well known to be characteristic of 



