10 THE RNTOMOLOGIST. 



THE GENUS OF ^^ DIRCENNA BARRETTII," Dannatt. 

 By Percy I. Lathy. 



Me. Walter Dannatt (Entom. xxxiii. p. 299) describes and 

 figures a new butterfly, belonging to the Neotropidae, under the 

 above name ; he states that " this remarkable species, though 

 believed by Dr. Staudinger to be a Dircenna, differs in some 

 respects from hitherto known species in this genus." 



A single male of this species has been for some time in 

 Mr. Adams's collection, and when I arranged the Neotropidse I 

 placed it in the genus Hymenitis, next to H. dircenna, Feld. ; on 

 identifying it from Mr. Dannatt's figure and description, I com- 

 pared it with several species of Dircenna and Hymenitis, and, 

 though it differs slightly in neuration, I think it is in the latter 

 genus that it should be placed, among H. zavaletta, Hew., and 

 its allies. 



In the neuration of the fore wing, barrettii differs from both 

 Dircenna and Hymenitis in the cellular spur being emitted above 

 lower discoidal nervule ; this character, however, does not seem 

 to be of great importance, as in long series of H. zavaletta. Hew., 

 H. zygia, G. & S., and allied species, the position of cellular spur 

 in relation to lower discoidal nervule shows considerable varia- 

 tion, and, though in no case is it actually above, in some speci- 

 mens it is emitted from the same point. In the position of the 

 middle median nervule, which at its origin is more than twice as 

 far from lower median than upper, and in the lower median 

 nervule being given off further from base than in Dircenna, it 

 agrees with Hymenitis. 



It is in the neuration of the hind wing that the relation to 

 Hymenitis is most clearly seen ; here the upper median nervule 

 is shorter, the lower discoidal further from upper median, and 

 upper angle of cell further from outer margin than in Dircenna. 

 The prsecostal nervule is forked, as in H. zavaletta and its allies ; 

 in H. oto, Hew., H. libethris, Feld., and similar species the prse- 

 costal is simple, as in Dircenna. 



The character, however, which above all others makes me 

 assign this species to Hymenitis, is the anastomosing of the 

 upper discoidal nervule with the subcostal nervule near apex, 

 thus forming a loop ; this peculiar neuration is not found in any 

 other genus of the Neotropidse. The upper and middle median 

 nervules are nearer together at their origin than in typical 

 Hymenitis. 



The locality of Mr. Adams's example is Chanchamayo, South- 

 east Peru ; it differs slightly from the type, inasmuch as there is 

 a faint dark bar crossing middle of cell of fore wing. In this 

 respect it approaches H. dircenna, Feld., but it may be easily 



