1900.] prom british east africa. 931 



68. Mylothris neumanni. 



Mylothris neumanni, E. M. Sharpe, Ann. N. H. (6) xvii. p. 125 

 (1896) ; id. Neumann's Elephant Hunting, p. 444, plate (facing 

 p. 66), figs. 1, 1 a, 2, 2 a (1898). 



6 6.2 $, Eoromo, 7800 feet, Jan. 27 & 29 ; Eeb. 6, 7, 10, 

 15, 17, 18 ; March 24, 1900. 



Of the first females captured Mr. Crawshay writes : — " I think, 

 on opening the abdomen, I have found and taken out a quantity 

 of what appear to be partially developed ova of a young leaf -green 

 colour." 



A pair in coitu was taken on Eeb. 6th. A female was captured 

 by Bvalarnkombi, Mr. Crawshay's "faithful follower,'"' on Eeb. 10. 

 Of the last example captured Mr. Crawshay writes : — " After 

 several months' incessant rain this insect is fairly plentiful, though 

 difficult to get within reach of owing to its absolutely arboreal habits, 

 and perfect specimens are now practically impossible to obtain ; the 

 enclosed is the only decent specimen of four netted." (R. G.) 



Among the examples previously secured were several magnificent 

 specimens. 



Although this species shows a fair amount of variation as regards 

 the size of the white markings of the primaries, not one of the 

 specimens could, by any possibility, be confounded with any of 

 the other quite distinct species which Prof. Aurivillius has 

 associated together as variations of M. narcissus : it comes nearest 

 to M. dentatus (of which the insect referred to M. narcissus is 

 perhaps the true female, the male M. narcissus being distinct and 

 more nearly related to M.jaclcsoni and swaynei; but of this I 

 cannot be sure until females have been received from Nyasaland) ; 

 the costal margin of the primaries, however, is constantly and 

 very perceptibly shorter in M. neumanni S than in M. dentatus $ , 

 and the white on the primaries, when most developed in this sex, 

 consists only of four subcoofluent internervular fusiform dashes, 

 the veins encircling the discoidal cell being also white ; in some 

 males these dashes are small and slender, leaving the primaries 

 almost entirely black. 



The secondaries of the female vary on the under surface to 

 ochreous, and in some examples a tint of buff shows on the upper 

 surface ; this tends to indicate that M. knutsoni, Aurivillius, may 

 be only a slight colour-variation of M . jacksoni (from which its 

 describer says that it can scarcely be distinguished excepting in 

 its ochraceous yellow posterior wings). We have a female of 

 M. trimenia in which the secondaries are ochreous above, but 

 whether this is constant or not I cannot say; the under surface of 

 these wings in the males is certainly variable in this respect. 



With regard to M. cravjshayi, which Prof. Aurivillius thinks 

 may be an aberration, it is the best defined species of this group, 

 having more nearly the outline and general aspect of the species 

 for which I founded the genus Phritsura, though with the neuration 

 of Mylothris; we have five males and one female, and they do not 

 vary in the least. 

 Pboc. Zool. Soc— 1900, No. LXI. 61 



