MAYER: COLOR AND COLOR-PATTERNS. 209 



These species are characterized by their bhie iridescence, and the 

 narrow yellow or white bands upon the primaries ; the hind wings 

 are pointed at the outer apex, and the venation approaches the type 

 found in Eueides aliphera. H. ricini (Plate 5, Fig. 66) is a good 

 example of a form intermediate in coloration between group 1 and 

 the " Erato group " (2). 



The type of group 2 is Heliconius erato (Plate 4, Fig. 60, and 

 Plate 5, Figs. 67 and 68) . This group is closely allied to group 1 in 

 its characteristics. A good connecting link between groups 1 and 3, 

 the "Melpomene group," is H. phyllis (Fig. 65). 



The third, or "Melpomene group," is represented by H. mel- 

 pomene, H. callicopis, H. cybele, H. thelxiope, and H. vesta (Plate 6., 

 Figs. 70-74, and Plate 4, Fig. 59). H. vulcanus, H. venus, H. 

 chestertonii, H. burneyi, and H. pachinus are also examples of this 

 group. 



{'2) j\Iiinicry beticeen the Genus Heliconius and the Danaoid 

 Group. To Schatz's group 4, the " Sylvanus group," belong all those 

 species of Heliconius which have departed widely from the colora- 

 tion pattern of the other three groups, and have come to resemble 

 various species of the genera Meliuaea, Mechanitis, and Tithorea of 

 the Danaoid Heliconidae. H. eucoma, H. eucrate, H. dryalus, and H. 

 sylvana (Plate 8, Figs. 88, 89, 91, and 95) are good examples of 

 group 4. By glancing at the diagrams on Plate 8 it will be seen 

 that H. dryalus resembles Melinaea paraiya very closely ; in fact, the 

 likeness is so close that it is almost certain that no eye could distin- 

 guish between the two insects when they are upon the wing. Another 

 startling resemblance is that between H. eucrate and Mehnaea thera 

 (Plate 8, Figs. 91 and 92) ; moreover, there is but little difference 

 between the color-patterns of H. eucrate, Eueides dianasa, and 

 Mechanitis polymnia (Figs, 91, 93, and 94). H. sylvana and 

 Melinaea egina (Figs. 95 and 96) are also said to mimic each other. 

 The resemblance certainly appears very close at a casual glance, yet 

 when the colors are plotted, as in Figs. 95 and 96, the differences be- 

 come quite apparent. H. claudia (Plate 5, Fig. 69) is a good con- 

 necting Unk between the Sylvanus group and the Melpomene group. 

 In both the Melpomene and Sylvanus groups the venation has departed 

 from the Eueides aliphera type, and the contour of the hind wings is 

 niijch more rounded and elliptical than is the case in the Antiochus 

 and Erato groups. (Compare Figs. 50 and 60 with Figs. 58 and 59, 

 Plate 4.) There are rather less than twenty species which certainly 



