312 SOUTH- AFEICAN BUTTERFLIES. 



different points of origin of the first, second, and third subcostal nervules 

 of the fore-wings ; longer internal nervure and less developed upper 

 disco-cellular nervule of the hind-wings ; and much less spinose middle 

 and hind tibia?. 



The butterflies of this genus are very variable in the outline of 

 their wings, and the females appear almost always to have longer and 

 more angulated (though often apically less acute) fore-wings than the 

 males. As, besides this, the disparity in the upper-side colouring and 

 marking of the sexes is very great, and is noticeable also in some cases 

 with regard to the under side, much difficulty is experienced in satis- 

 factorily determining the limits of the species. The males are almost 

 unicolorous above, the field of creamy or greenish white, pale or deep 

 ochre-yellow, or (in two cases) deep-red, being varied only by some 

 fuscous hind-marginal zigzag edgings, and (more rarely) discal cloud- 

 ing ; while the females are strikingly different and very varied in pattern, 

 for the most part rather resembling Liynenitis in their white or ochre- 

 yellow banding on a dark-brown or fuscous ground. On the under 

 side both sexes bear numerous fine, dark, broken strise and striolae, and 

 a common more strongly marked discal transverse streak on a pale or 

 deep ochreous or ochreous-and- ferruginous ground ; but in two cases 

 the females have a shining pale-greenish under side with the white 

 markings of the upper side reproduced. 



Thirty-two species have been recorded, all from Tropical Africa 

 except the South-African H. Alcimcda (Godt.), which is the smallest 

 of the genus. No other South- African species has been described ; but 

 I have received fi'om Natal a much-broken $ Harma, taken by Colonel 

 Bowker, which is larger and paler and has much longer antennae than 

 the ^ Alcimeda (= Uiqnthes, Westw.), and which I believe will be found 

 to represent a distinct species. It is only in wooded tracts that H. 

 Alcimeda is to be met with, but the insect is rather widely distributed, 

 occurring as far to the south and west as the district of Knysna in 

 the Cape Colony. 



102. (1.) Harma Alcimeda, (Godart). 



$ Nymphalis Alcimeda, Godt., Enc. Meth., ix. p. 384, n. 112 (18 19). 

 $ Harma Eupithes, Westw., Gen. Diurn. Lep., ii. p. 289, pi. 41, f. i (1850). 



„ „ Trim., Rhop. Afr. Aust., i. p. 160, n. 95 (1862). 



$ Harma Alcimeda, Trim., op. cit., p. 159, n. 94. 



Exp. al., I in. 9 lin. — 2 in. i lin. 



^ Cream-colour, loith a slight yellow tinge ; bordered with two 

 hrownish-fuscous lunulated streaks. Fore-wing : base suff*ased with 

 fuscous-grey, most widely on inner margin ; in discoidal cell, about its 

 middle, a small irregular imperfect fuscous ring, open on median 

 nervure, and with the outer edge prolonged downward in a curved 

 line almost to submedian nervure ; a large somewhat quadrate fuscous 



