112 RHOPALOCERA AFRICA AUSTRALIS. 



This curious little Butterfly has rather short antennee, with abrupt, rather 

 large clubs. The discoidal cell of hind-wing is considerably more elongate 

 than in other South African Acrace, and gradually widens to extremity, 

 where it is rather abruptly truncate. Its small size and want of spots, with 

 the clouded nervures, readily distinguish it from any known South African 

 species. M. Boisduval proposes that it should form the type of a new 

 Genus, called Alcena. It seems rare in collections, its small size and in- 

 conspicuous appearance probably rendering it liable to be overlooked by 

 collectors. Nothing is recorded of its haunts or habits. A single spe- 

 cimen in my collection was among the captures of Herr Guienzius, at 

 Natal* 



Natal, Coll. mihi. 



" Araazoulu Country/' Boisd. 



FAMILY 5. NYMPHALID^B. r ] 



NYMPHALIDJE, Swains. 

 NYMPHALIDES, Boisd. 

 NYMPHALII, j m h 

 NYMPHALITES,/ 

 NYMPHALIDI, Steph. 

 ARGYNNITES, Blanch. 

 ARGYNNIDJE, Dup. 

 ARGYNNIDI, Steph. 

 ARGYNITJE, Chenu. 

 VANESSIDJE, Dup. 

 VANESSIDI, Steph. 



IMAGO. Head of moderate size, or rather broad ; eyes 

 rounded, prominent, usually smooth ; palpi always well- 

 developed, more or less elongate, projecting considerably 

 beyond head, their tips generally approaching each other, 

 more or less hairy beneath ; antennas rather long, stout (par- 

 ticularly in the most typical Genera), with a divers shaped 

 club, which is sometimes broad, abrupt, and flattened ; and 

 sometimes gradully formed, and more or less cylindrical. 



* Mr. D'Urban took a few specimens of this singular Acrtea in British 

 Kaffraria, and has furnished me with the following note of capture : " Near 

 Fort Murray, March 20th, 1861. Flying amongst long grass, like a * skip- 

 per.' " These examples are more deeply-tinted than those described by 

 Dr. Boisduval, and are much suffused with blackish on both wings from base 

 to beyond middle ; the white on underside is conspicuous, as well as the 

 clouded nervures, and the yellow on fore-wing deeper. They are smaller 

 than described above, being about 1 in. in expanse ; and possess the yellow 

 neck and abdominal colouring mentioned by Dr. Boisduval as indicative of 

 the ? of this species. 



