SOUTH-AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



Plate I. fig. 3. 



I describe this curious larva and very remarkable pupa from the sketches 

 and notes of Mr. W. D. Gooch, who reared the butterfly in Natal. He 

 observes that one of the caterpillars, in the absence of a proper supply of its 

 food-plant, devoured a chrysalis of its own species. 



This Planema is nearly related to the West-African P. Euryta (Linn.), 

 especially as regards the 5 • The $ Ar/anice is, however, a smaller and veiy 

 differently coloured insect : Eurijta $ (in all its variations) being dull- 

 brown, with the fore-wing band dull-red, while the hind-wing has no distinct 

 band, but only a general dull-red suffusion from the base. The $ Aganice 

 chiefly differs from the $ Euryta in its much narrower white bar in the 

 fore-wing. In both sexes the basal spots of the hind-wing are smaller in 

 Arjanice, and differently arranged as regards the outer row of them, which is 

 straight across, instead of being strongly curved as in Euryta. 



This is a thoroughly sylvan butterfly, keeping closely to woods and their 

 immediate outskirts. It is a higher flyer than most Acrceince, and delights 

 to sail across clearings after the manner of Amauris Eclieria, settling quite 

 in the same way, with the wings closed and hanging down, at the end of 

 some overhanging branchlet or twig. I met with it only in the neighbour- 

 hood of D' Urban, once in July 1865, and frequently in February and April 

 1867. It is there accompanied by two rare mimicking species, Pseudacroea 

 Tarquinia, Trim., which closely resembles the ^ , and P. imitator, Trim., 

 which even more accurately copies both sexes. At the end of 1879 ^^^ begin- 

 ning of 1880, Colonel Bowker met with the paired sexes on two occasions, 

 and sent me the specimens. Unlike its congeners, P. Aga7iice seems to be 

 very constant in both sexes, alike in pattern and coloration. The $ when 

 worn has the bands whitish instead of pale-yellow. 



Localities of Planema Aganice. 



I. South Africa. 



D. Kaffrai'ia Proper. — Igora River Mouth (/. H. Bowker). 



E. Natal. 



a. Coast Districts. — D'Urban. Umgeni Railway Station (/. II. 



Bowker). 



II. Other African Regions. 

 A. South Troj)ical. 



a. Western Coast. — "Angola {Pogge)" [? sj). ead.'\ — Dewitz. 



Genus PARDOPSIS, N.G. 



Acrcea, Fab. (part), Boisduval, Faune Ent. de Madag., &c. (1833); 

 Trimen, Rhop. Afr. Aust., i. p. 105 (1862). 



Imago. — Head rather wide ; _^9o/;9i slightly swollen, very hairy 

 (especially beneath), the terminal joint not so small as in Acra:a, and 

 set with hairs ; antennae long, more than half the length of the fore- 

 wings, with an abrupt, broad, flattened, spoon-shaped club. 



Thorax very short and narrow. Fore-wings shaped much as in 

 typical Acrwa, but rather more prominent apically ; costal nervure 

 short, terminating on costa beyond middle ; first subcostal nervule 



