620 ERYCINIDAE. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



up from the huddled heap of leaves covering the soil of the woods. Sometimes, however, a ray of the sun piercing 

 the dense foliage of the woods seems to rouse them and all at once several specimens appear at a clearing in 

 the woods where they, not unlike our Pararge egerides, bustle about together for a short time in order to hide 

 themselves again immediatelj^ hereafter. Only some species seem to fly about like other day-butterflies, such 

 as Lasaia and Stalachtis the latter of which are even seen at all hours of the day flying unwieldily straight onward 

 along the skirts of the woods and roads. They also seem little imperiled thereby, for they obviously imitate 

 other butterflies, such as certain Ithomiinae or Heliconiinae, and they complete their mimicry by not distinguish- 

 ing themselves from their originals by deviating habits and modes of flying. 



The mimicry itself cannot be regarded as very widely distributed among the Erycininae. Nevertheless 

 there are very striking cases known. As for instance Mesenopsis melanochlora has exactly the most uncommon 

 exterior of Josia julva, and Fassl states that both fly at the same places. The Chamaelimnas are likewise easily 

 mistaken for certain night-butterflies from the Ai-ctiid- and Cyllopodid-group ; both sexes imitate here the 

 same species of butterflies which have partially served the $$ as models in the genus Aricoris. To discern the 

 red Mesene from the quite similar Endule, even the experienced collectors must first learn, and others again, 

 such as Uraneis, exhibit, though not exactly th-e same exterior as certain patented species of other families, 

 still the approximate habitus of shunned genera. The preference for certain models depends rather exactly 

 on the degree of their being patented. The Danaids, being shunned by almost all enemies for their repulsiveness, 

 are most generally imitated, such as the hyaline-winged genera of the Ithomiinae, the Heliconius-like 

 Mechanitis; furthermore, some Arctiids secreting oil. We must neither overlook that remarkable repetitions 

 occur among the Erycinidae themselves, as for instance in the Symmacliia. We find a double of Syinm. tricolor 

 in Nymphidium regulus; Symm. xypete resembles certain red Mesene; Symm. triangularis greatly resembles 

 a Mes. sagaris-'^; Symm. probetor-(^ the Eus. gelon-^ (= Eus. sabina) flying at the same place, and so on. — 

 The genus Barhicornis likewise entirely conforms to similarly coloured and marked Erycinidae of the genus 

 Lymnas, and we find the following conformities of: ■ ■ 



Barhicornis aterrima with Lymnas cephise 



„ acroleuca ,, ,,' acroleuca 



,, cuneifera ,, „ ' phereclus 



,, fusus ,, ,, epijarhas 



,, basilis ,, ,, barca 



,, mona ,, ,, andania 



,, marginata ,, ,, alena. 



But we do not mean to say by this that one of the said species must have served as the model for the other ; 

 that is even very improbable, since we have no hint as to the Erycinidae being patented by repulsiveness or 

 poisonousness of the foodplant *), and since these species resembling each other have different patriae. It 

 appears much more probable that both species are imitators of a third, patented species (such as an Arctiid 

 or the like), so that their resemblance among each other is secondary. 



In contrast with these conformities having not yet been fully cleared up and which seem to be mostly 

 confined to quite certain genera, we meet in hardly any other familj' of butterflies such an abundance of most 

 uncommon, entirely original schemes of colouring as just in the Erycinidae. The glaringly, though uniformly 

 coloured specimens mentioned at the beginning of this introduction are already an example of it, bemg joined 

 by numerous others of very manifold nature. The Mcjieris with white dots and scarlet bands, the Zeonia with 

 glaring anal spots on its hyaline wing, the Baeotis with a yellow and black zebra-design, the Lyropteryx with 

 blue radiary rays, the Siseme Avith antemarginal radiate bands, many Nymphidium, such as manthus, acherois, 

 lamis, the CalUona, and many others are quite isolated and make the family to which thej^ belong appear entirely 

 independent and uncommonly varied, exhibiting in but few genera relations to their surroundings. 



The Erycinidae are still less adapted to animals than to plants or to the subsoil on which they rest. 

 Mostly one surface is just as conspicuous as the other, even if both do in no way resemble each other. In Ancy- 

 lurus the upper surface is black with scarlet, the under surface metal-blue; Anteros is above black Avith small 

 whitish spots, beneath sulphm'ous with golden di'ops; many Euselasia are above golden red or velvety brown, 

 beneath silvery A^hite; the Jletacharis is above mostly brown-red, beneath steel-blue etc. We know leaf-green 

 Erycinidae just as little as rocky or sandy-coloured ones; and it is also quite comprehensible that neither of 

 the surfaces is conformed to the sm-roundings, for then." habit of hiding also in daj^-time brings about that neither 

 of the surfaces becomes visible, so that the butterfly is not imperilled even by the most glaring colouring. 



Consequently, neither the seasons have a great influence upon the Erycinidae; seasonal dimorphism 

 is to be noticed at most by uncommon aridity producing somewhat smaller specimens ; but the weather seems 



*) Surely some larvae of Erycinidae live on poisonous plants, such as those of the bright red Mesene -pliareus. 



