6ig ERYCiNiDAE. By Dr. A. Seit2. 



t. 78 a, b) in which the eye-spot of the forewing projects beyond the surface of the wing in order to be of a 

 more deceptive effect in the snake's head as represented by the resting Zelotypia. 



On regarding the colours we are at first struck by the number of extremely one-coloured species. Uni- 

 colorously hemochrome butterflies, like Mesene simplex are otherwise very rare among all butterflies known, 

 just like the Mesosemia croesiis being on both surfaces sky-blue, are scarcely equalled by any other butterflies. 

 The chief type of colouring in the butterflies of Tropical America — ■ glaringly coloured oblique bands on a 

 jet-black ground — •, however, is also predominant in the Erycinidae and particularly strongly developed in 

 the genera with the most numerous species, such as Euselasia, Lymnas, Siseme, Themone, Ifesosemia, further- 

 more, in Panara, Barhicornis etc. 



Apart from the Libytheinae, the neoarctic Erycinidae are composed of 2 large groups, the Eurygoninae 

 or Euselasiinae, and the real Erycininae, the latter group of which, however, contains so heterogeneous genera 

 that a second subdivision might be possible which, however, we may leave out here. The number of forms 

 of the single subfamilie? is proportionately about so that the palaearctic Erycinidae which we will briefly call 

 Nemeohiinae contain, just like the Eurygoninae, ten times as many as the Libytheinae, but only the tenth part ■ 

 of the Erycininae. The latter are divided into a very great number of genera which has recently increased 

 beyond 100; of these, however, there are so many genera with but one species that many of them might prove 

 dispensable, if one considers that heterogeneity even of nearly allied forms isa specialty of the family of Erycinidae. 

 Among the markings by which this family is particularly distinguished, there is beside the mentioned 

 oblique bands often a central eye-spot of the forewing, as in more than one hundred Mesosemia and Eurybia. 

 A characteristic mark very rarely found among the day-butterflies are glaringly coloured radiary rays deno- 

 ting from the wing-base any kind of a sector in the fore- or hindwing, or running along the proximal or costal 

 margui. Euselasia sabina Cr., which is probably nothing else but the hitherto unknown ^ of Eus. gelon, exhibits 

 this glaringly coloured ray of the costal margin on the hindwing, just like some Symmachia, Xenandra, Calliona 

 etc.; in Calliona latona, Charis ignipictus and so on it runs along the inner margin, in certain Euselasia, such 

 as E. hieronymi, euphaes, sergia, violetta, right across the hindwing, sometimes in red, sometimes in blue. A 

 very strange under surface is to be noticed in the A?iteros: small framed, metallic splashes on a sulphurous 

 ground, and as another peculiarity a beard at the anal angle of the hindwings. The reason why the under surface 

 is mostly not adapted to the surroundings, is that it is not visible when the animal is at rest. I shall revert 

 yet to this peculiarity. 



The geographical distribution of the American Erycinidae is almost exclusively tropical, so that but 

 quite isolated species advance some degrees beyond the tropics. Very few Lemonias reach the south of the 

 Union, and near Buenos Ayres I found but one Erycinidae occurring oftener: Riodina lysippoides. The prin- 

 cipal range is the valley of the Amazon River and the neighbouring countries. 



It is, however, entirely wrong to think that the habitats of Tropical America are crammed with Ery- 

 cinidae, as we know it to be the case with the Ithomiinae being about analogously distributed. A great part 

 of the Erycinidae belongs to the really rare butterflies, and although one sometimes succeeds, after the disco- 

 very of the mostly localized trysting-places, in capturing a large number of one or the other species, very many 

 are, on the other hand, of such a rare occurrence that one may collect a district for many years without getting 

 sight of all the species occurriiag there. In one of the best districts of Erycinidae — Rio de Janeiro — ■ v. BoK- 

 NiNGHAXJSEN Collected only about 70 species within 33 years, and he got quite a number of them in only one 

 specimen in spite of his innumerable excursions. I myseM collected there for a whole year with the greatest 

 diligence (mostly on the Corcovado) and still I found not even 20 of these 70 Rio-species, among them, however, 

 there were two which v. Bonninghatjsen had not discovered in more than 30 years, a proof how rarely and 

 accidentally certain species are met. I remember having collected persistently for several days in the finest 

 weather, visiting woods, meadows, the slopes of mountains, and gardens full of blossoms, without seeing even 

 but one Erycinidae — ■ maybe except Libytfiea carinenta — , and even on my last excursion in Brazil I found 

 on the spot where I collected most frequently, a specimen of Echenais bolena resting on the trunk of a tree, a 

 species I had never come across before there. 



Thus it is easily explained that even successful tropical collectors often brought home only few Erycinidae, 

 and many descriptions have been given according to but one specimen or even according to a figure of it. Thus 

 individual differences, or such based upon subordinate races, were often considered as the marks of a species 

 or subspecies. In order to clear this lip, very many specimens of each species had to be examined, and more 

 than 100 000 American butterflies of this family were compared by me, most of them in the collections at Tring, 

 in Hewitson's, Godman's, Adam's Collections in London,, as well as in a number of private collections. Of 

 great value were large series from certain districts, being also exactly dated, such as many specimens of the 

 Paris Museum, the Coll. Le-Moflt, Fassl etc., or being provided with the exact finding-places, as in the Coll. 

 EssiGER (Gotha). 



The most remarkable result of these examinations was the fact that all the specimens of one species 

 of Erycinidae originating from a certain habitat showed the minutest likeness to each other. In Europe one 

 may easily capture on a meadow of only some fathoms in extent the most various specimens of for instance 

 Melitaea aihalia; lighter and darker brown ones, even reddish-yellow ones, then again such being begrimed 

 in black, with thick or fine markings, large and small ones; specimens resembling one another exactlv and 



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