G90 REPORT— 1897. 



resemblance to L. chrysippus, inasmuch as all of them possess a dark tip to the 

 fore wing crossed by a white bar, as in the Danaine butterfly. Looking at the 

 near allies of these species and at the Acvaintp as a whole, we may feel confident 

 that this black-and-white tip is not an ancestral character of the group, but a 

 comparatively recent modification. Again, the fact that this character is some- 

 times more strongly developed in, and sometimes confined to, the female sex agrees 

 with the corresponding relationships in other parts of the world, and furthermore 

 supports the conclusion as to the recent acquisition of the markings. 



Convergence between the Acradna; and Danaiiuc of the genus Aniauris was 

 next looked for and many examples found. Thus Acra-a johjistoni of East Central 

 Africa certainly suggests the appearance of one of the cchen'a group, such as 

 A. hanninf/tonii, found in the same locality; while in West Africa Acrcca lycoa 

 resembles the black-and-white AmaurU danwdes and A. ecjialca. Similar resem- 

 blances in the West are to be seen between the large black-and-white females of 

 the numerous species of the Acrseine genus rianenia and other Acrteas in the 

 same locality, such as A. carmeiitis (female) &nd A. jodutta (female), while tin- 

 species referred to, of both Acraeine genera, bear some considerable resemblance to 

 an abundant West African black-and-white Danaine — Amavris ninvius. Similar 

 relationships occur in the Soutb-East, where Acrseas, such as Planema eseltvia 

 (white form of female) and P. aganice bear considerable resemblance to the abun- 

 dant black-and-white Danaines — Amauris ochlea and A. dominicmius. 



It was of great interest to prove that the members of these convergent groups 

 occur, not onlj' in the same place, but at the same time. Mr. Guy A. K. Marsliall 

 has kindly done this work, sending me several groups captured at one place in a 

 single day. At Malvern, near Durban, Natal, on March 6, and again on JIarch 

 30, 1897, he captured Limnas chrysippus and several species of Acraa, with the 

 black-and-white tip to the wing. On March 27 he captured, in the same locality, 

 the black-and-white Planemas (Acircinre) P. esebn'a and P. aganice, together with 

 an abundant black-and-white Neptis {N, ayatha) and a closely similar day-flying 

 moth, Nyctimeris apicalis. It is very probable that these latter forms do not 

 mimick in the Batesian sense, but are themselves specially defended and fall into a 

 Miillerian group. Mr. INIarsliall did not, on that day, capture any of the black- 

 and-white Danaince. Mr. D. Chaplin, however, on April 5, 1896, obtained at 

 Berea, a suburb of Durban, Aniauris ochlea and Planema aganice, as well as 

 Limnas chrysippus, with two species of convergent Acrreas {A. encedon and A. 

 petrcea). Mr. F. D. Godman and Mr. 0. Salvin have kindly presented these 

 specimens to the Hope Collection at Oxford. 



I think it must be admitted that tliere is now strong evidence for the same 

 convergence between specially protected abundant African species from the same 

 locality as that which is already well known in the tropical East and in tropical 

 America. Various degrees of perfection exist, and it is in every way probable 

 that the resemblance of some members to the standard of their group is not of 

 long standing, and will improve in the future. 



Other facts in the colouring of African Lepidoptera also support this interpret- 

 ation. Thus certain LycainidcE of the genera Pentila and Ala-na are known to 

 fly very slowly, and in the case of the latter to feign death when captured — cha- 

 racteristics of unpalatable forms. While they thus difi'er in habits from Lyctenids 

 generally, they also differ entirely in their appearance, which rather suggests that 

 of an Acrcea. The same is true of moths belonging to many groups, and perhaps 

 of the abundant butterflies of the genus Byblia. Similarly the large group of 

 Lepidoptera, which has for its centre the abundant day-flying moths of the genus 

 Aletis, appears to be moulded upon the colouring and pattern of Limnas chry- 

 sippus, differing only in an even greater conspicuousness, due to the white spots or 

 rings on the black body, and the highly developed black-and-white border to the 

 hind wing. It is probable that the common species of the genus Euphepdra, which 

 form some of the most conspicuous members of this group, are themselves specially 

 protected. To take one more example, certain species of the Pierine genus Mylothris 

 are rendered specially conspicuous by the interrupted black border to the hind 

 wings, the interruptions extending along the hind margin of the fore wangs. A 



