RECENT LITERATURE. 307 



of C. pamphihis and C. dorus, and called attention to the occasional 

 development of a row of submarginal spots on the fore wing. — Mr. 

 Edwards, series of several species, including dark C. arcania, and 

 species of the allied genus Ilypocistina from Australia. — Mr. Turner, 

 series of various Palaearctic and Nearctie species, including G. elko 

 from Vancouver. — Hy. J. Turner {Hon. Bep. Sec). 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



Polymorphism in a Group of Mimetic Butterflies of the Ethiopian 

 Nymphaline Genus Pseudacraa. 



Under the above title there appears in ' Nature ' (Macmillan & 

 Co.), for September 12th, Professor Poulton's latest contribution to a 

 subject which exercises a pecuhar fascination over the mind of the 

 naturalist concerned with the interpretation of mimicry based on 

 natural selection. Two years ago Dr. Karl Jordan communicated to 

 the Entomological Congress at Brussels his studies of the male 

 genital armature of the Pseudacrseas, and deduced therefrom the 

 specific identity of a large group made up of P. euryttis, L., and its 

 numerous allies on the west coast of Africa, of Neave's hobleyi, terra, 

 and obscnra in Uganda, of Trimen's rogersi in Mombasa, and his 

 imitata in Natal. As a further result this involved the remarkable 

 conclusion that " the sexually dimorphic P. hobleyi, mimicking the 

 sexually dimorphic Planema macarista in the Entebbe district, was 

 the same species as the two monomorphic Pseudacrseas flying in the 

 same forests with it, viz. P. terra, and P. obscura mimicking respec- 

 tively the sexually monomorphic Planema tellus and P. paragea. 



This identity of species i-emained to be confirmed by a complete 

 knowledge of the life-history of the species, and in this extremely 

 interesting paper Professor Poulton now informs us that Dr. Car- 

 penter, working in one of the islands of the Victoria Nyanza, has 

 succeeded in breeding out from a female obscnra "with a touch of 

 hobleyi" the butterfly known as terra, Neave. This welcome and 

 conclusive proof, however, was not forthcoming in time for Professor 

 Poulton to convey it to the Oxford Congress, the cablegram with the 

 single word "terra" from Entebbe arriving about a fortnight after the 

 President's communication of " Messrs. C. A. Wiggins' and Dr. Car- 

 penter's researches on mimicry in the forest butterflies of Uganda." 

 But with this evidence before us we may now be sure that the cospeci- 

 fication of all the forms of the hobleyi group thereabouts will presently 

 be confirmed, and this in such a way as to place beyond all doubt 

 the genetic relationship subsisting between them. This means that 

 quite twelve species sink as mimetic forms of one ; and, as it may 

 reasonably be doubted whether so remarkable a case will ever again 

 be presented, we may echo Professor Poulton's congratulations to Dr. 

 Jordan, Mr. Wiggins, Mr. Neave, and Dr. Carpenter on the parts they 

 have played in solving a bionomic problem of extraordinary interest 

 and complexity. 



H. R.-B. 



