OF THE AMAZON VALLEY. 521 



nervures which traverse the disk of the same wing being of a yellowish colour instead of 

 black. In the 2 the discocelMars and the terminal parts of the median branches are 

 accompanied by dusky streaks. It cannot be considered, however, otherwise than as a 

 local variety of D. Bero, which has the hyaline disks of the wings always clearer, and 

 the black borders more sharply defined than D. HJioeo. D. Dero is peculiar to South-East 

 Brazil, and is not found in the Amazon region, where the local form D. Bhoeo takes its 

 place. I have seen specimens of D. Bhoeo also from the neighbourhood of Bogota, New 

 Granada. It flies in thinned parts of the forest in Ygap6, or flooded districts, in the dry 

 season. The species is always accompanied by the following, D. Epidero, to which it has 

 so close a general resemblance, that I always found it difficult to distinguish one from the 

 other when on the wing. The two forms, however, have no very close real relationship, 

 there being points of difference in their structure, namely, in the shape and neuration 

 of the hind wings in the males. The constant companionship of the two species can 

 only be explained by the social and gregarious instincts of the Reliconidce. 



2. DiucENKA Epidero (Boisduval MS.), n. sp. 



Expanse 2" 6'". d . Wings hyaline, a patch of bright yellow across the middle and 

 apical regions of the fore wing and the basal half of the hind wing. Fore wing : 

 above, with the margins blackish, a triangular spot on the hind part of the ceU, near the 

 base, and a narrow belt across the disco-cellulars, extending down the second median 

 branch (and partly down the third) to the Mud margin, also blackish, the dark colour 

 on the posterior margin extending quite to the median nervure and its first branch. 

 Beneath, the same, except that there are two or three white specks at the tip of the wing. 

 Sind wing : above, with the margins blackish, the portion between the second median 

 branch and the abdominal edge very much broader ; a narrow dusky belt from the costa 

 across the disco-cellulars to the hind margin, most frequently interrupted in the middle, 

 also blackish ; the nervures across the basal part clear light yellow. Beneath, the same, 

 except that the base of the costa has a stripe of orange- colour, and that the tip has two, 

 and the hind margin near the anal angle four, white specks. 



The hind wing is short and subquadrate, the apex being sharply truncated ; the lower 

 disco-ceUular is angulated (with a recurrent nervule) close to the junction of the lower 

 radial. The species varies in the broad black border, near the anal angle of the hind 

 wing, having a reddish streak in the middle, through which shine the white marginal 

 specks of the under surface. 



? . Very variable in colours. The following are the chief variations : — 



1. Same as the <i , except that the broad anal black border of the hind wing is of a 

 clear orange-red colour in the middle. 



2. The wing much suff'used with blackish, leaving two broad belts across the fore wing, 

 the basal part and a subapical spot of the hind wing alone hyaline ; the apical belt of the 

 fore wing has a patch of light yellow, and the nervures traversing the basal part of the 

 hind wing are reddish. 



Generally distributed throughout the Amazon region, in thinned parts of the forest, 



4 a2 . 



