RHOPALOCERA AFRICJE AUSTRALIS. 



hind-wing and the peculiar badges possessed by the $ , and 

 from the latter by the abruptly-clubbed antennae, hairy 

 eyes, and single tail of hind-wing. The only known South 

 African species is very like a large Lyccena in appearance, 

 especially the $ . 



135. Sithon Batikeli. 



Lycsena Batikeli, Boisd., Faune Ent. de Mad., p. 24, pi. 3, 



[f.5. 



Sithon Antalus, Hpfr., in Peters' Reise nach Mossamb. 



[Ins., p. 400, pi. 25, f. 79. 



LycaDna Anta, Trimen t Trans. Ent. Soc., Lond., 3rd Ser., 



[I, p. 402. 

 Exp. 1 in. 1 lin. 1 in. 5 lin. 



$ . Shining aeneous-brown, shot with violet from bases ; 

 cilia greyish -white. Fore-wing : inner- marginal tuft of 

 hairs black. Hind-wing : a rather long, linear, black, white- 

 tipped tail at extremity of third median nervule ; two black 

 spots on hind-margin, respectively just above and below 

 origin of tail ; lobe of anal angle marked with a greenish- 

 sil very-scaled, black spot. UNDER-SIDE. Pale-greyish ; in 

 both wings an incomplete, brownish-grey, whitish-edged 

 ring, closing discoidal cell, a row of similar rings, confluent, 

 forming a rather broad transverse band beyond middle, and a 

 submarginal row of brownish-grey, lunular markings, indis- 

 tinctly white-edged inwardly and outwardly. Hind-wing : 

 near base, two or three whitish-ringed fuscous (sometimes 

 dull-ferruginous) spots, forming a short transverse row ; 

 hind-marginal spot above tail marked inwardly by a yellowish 

 lunule, that below tail all bluish-silvery ; spot on anal lobe 

 inwardly scaled with bluish-silvery. 



? . Bluer than $ , excepting near hind-margins, which are 

 broadly brown; markings similar; a dusky disco-cellular 

 streak in each wing. UNDER-SIDE. Quite similar, the 

 markings more distinct. 



Hopffer distinguishes his Antalus from Batikeli, Boisd., merely by the 

 fuscous colouring of the three spots on under-side of hind-wing near base, 

 which Boisduval describes as red. But this distinction, at best a very 

 slight one, cannot hold good, now that I have seen, as above stated, 

 intermediate examples in which the spots are decidedly ferruginous. The 

 description in " Faune Ent. de Mad., &c.," is very good, but the figure is 

 most inaccurate both in drawing and colour, the under-side markings being 

 shown as bright red and blue, with a dash of yellow at anal angle of hind-wing. 



" Rate : flies swiftly from tree to tree. March and April." Bowker, in 

 litt. 



