2 70 SOUTH-AFRICAIS^ BUTTEEFLIES. 



This is an extensive group of closely allied forms, about ninety species 

 having been described. They are butterflies of rather small or middle 

 size, mostly characterised by very conspicuous sharply-defined white or 

 ochreous bands and spots on a black or fuscous ground. The metro- 

 polis of the genus is the Indo-Malayan Sub-Eegion, but it extends through 

 the Austro-Malayan Islands to Australia, and in opposite directions to 

 China, Japan, and Eastern Siberia, over the Ethiopian Eegion, and 

 even to Eastern Europe, — two species (Aceris, Lep., and Liicilla, W. V.) 

 occurring not uncommonly in many parts of South Russia, Turkey, 

 Austria, &c. 



Of the fifteen Ethiopian species known, four are apparently limited 

 to Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands, and three to Angola; five 

 others seem only to have occurred in Western Africa north of the 

 Equator ; while of the three remaining, all of which inhabit Southern 

 Africa, H. Agatlta (Cram.) appears to range throughout the Continent, 

 N. Marpessa, Hopff., extends through South-Tropical Africa and on the 

 eastern side northward to Abyssinia, and N. Goochii, Trim., has only 

 been found in Natal. Of these three South- African forms, only Mar- 

 pessa appears to penetrate the Cape Colony, a specimen having been 

 sent to me from Port Alfred at the mouth of the Kowie River. Agatha 

 is considerably the largest, and is very striking from the size of the 

 pure-white bands. Goochii is the smallest, and differs from both the 

 others in possessing a longitudinal white bar in the discoidal cell of the 

 fore-wings. 



The butterflies of this genus frequent sheltered wooded spots. 

 Agatha and Maiyessa, which I observed in Natal, and Frohenia, Fab., 

 a yellow-banded species which I took in Mauritius, all have a weak 

 but rather floating flight ; they haunt a particular tree or shrub, and are 

 fond of settling on the leaves, often keeping their wings expanded when 

 at rest. 



87. (1.) Neptis Agatha, Cramer. 



Fax>ilio Melicerta, Fab. [nee Drury], Syst. Ent, p. 508, n. 274 (1775). 

 Fapilio Agatha, Cram., Pap. Exot., iv. t. cccxxvii. If. A, B (1782). 

 Nymphalis Melicerta, Godt., Euc. Meth., ix. p. 432, 11. 260 (181 9). 

 Aejjtis Melicerta, Trim., Rhop. Afr. Aust., i. p. 146, n. 87 (1862). 

 Neptis Agatha, Hopff., Peters' Eeise nach Mossamb., Ins., p. 383 (1862). 



Ux2). al., 2 in. — 2 in. 7 lin. 



Broivnish-'black, with a reddish gloss, with imrc-v:hite transverse 

 hands. Fore-wing : a slightly curved, rather broad white band, com- 

 posed of six contiguous spots, beyond middle, extending from costa to 

 first median nervule not far from hind-margin ; on inner margin, a 

 little before the end of band, a semicircular white spot, crossed by sub- 

 median nervure ; along hind-margin three rows of paler markings, 

 thin, lunular, partly white, the two first spots of the innermost row 



