MESOSEMIA. By Dr. A. Seitz, 639 



the species of messeis. In junta-(^ the hindwing is not traversed by a stripe, but there is only the beginning 

 of a transverse stripe at the apex of the hindwing; the $ has a blue basal part of the wings and a broad white 

 band. — lapilla Stick, exhibits also in the ^ a faint white band on the upper .surface of the forewings. — battis lapiUa. 

 Stick, has the transverse stripe of the hindwing like tosca and ntroculis, but on the forewing the exterior one ^"''«'- 

 of the two black transverse stripes is indistinct between the central eye-spot and the distal margin. The $$ 

 of all these forms are broad-banded. The whole range of these very closely allied forms extends from the Ama- 

 zon to Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, and the butterflies are not rare, wherever they occur. 



M. loruhama Hew. (124 g) greatly approximates the former species, but it differs in the rj by a white loruMma. 

 oblique band on the under surface of the forewing, occurring also above, though much narrower; the $ has 

 only on the forewing a white band overlapping in typical specimens on the apex of the hindwing at most 

 with a very small tip; only in the more strongly banded form candara Drc. it winds gradually disappearing, candara. 

 through the greater part of the hindwing {aesthetica Stick.), while in the forewing it exhibits double the width, 

 as in om* figm-e of loruhama-'^. If the ^ lacks the white oblique band of the upper surface (= syntrepka Stick.), 

 candara is nevertheless distinguishable from the white- banded (J(J of junta and their allies by the absence 

 of a transverse shade between the central eye-spot ring and the marginal band ,so that its appearance approxi- 

 mates adelphina Stick. (124 g) in which the (J has an entirely bluish-green upper surface without white or black adelpJiina. 

 transverse stripes; only the central eye-spot, an arcuate line around this, and the borders of the wings are black; 

 Ecuador and Peru. Moreover, all the denominations of these sideforms are of no account, because there occur 

 all the transitions from one form to another. From the same district (from the Pozuzo) there are quite blue 

 (J(J before me, fiurthermore such where only few, hardly perceptible, white small scales indicate the oblique 

 band in the forewing, and such possessing the latter in different widths (only as a streak or as a real band). 

 Of a similar variability are the $ $ ; but even those with little or without any blue in the disc are always distin- 

 guishable from the white-banded species of the thymetus-, ama- or marsidia-gvo\\]i by the absence of a number 

 of dark parallel lines before the white band of the hindwing. The habitat of the species is Peru, particularly 

 the river-basins of the Ucayali and of the Huallaga, and Ecuador; the butterfly is locally common. 



M. mevania Heiv. (= meletia Fldr.) (124 h) is, to a certain degree, an enlarged edition of hrukama, mevania. 

 in which, however, the apex of the forewing and the distal margin are broader black. Like there, the white 

 oblique band may be only a light shading (typical ^i^, from Colombia), or a white streak (forma munda Stick., munda. 

 124 h), a curved band blackened towards the proxiinal margin (fa. mimallonis Stick. [124 h] from Ecuador), mbnallonis. 

 or a broad white band (fa. magnesia Stick. [124 h], from South Peru). — In mamilia Heiv. (124 h) it has turned magnesia. 

 an oblique oval spot in the $, in the place of which the ^ exhibits a narrow, curved, blue stripe (Stichel); """""'"• 

 this form replaces mevayiia in some places of Ecuador and it is hardly to be considered a separate species, but 

 only a subspecies, as there occur transitions to all the differences in the marking. — Probably also mancia mancia. 

 Hew. (125 a) is nothing but a strongly deviating form of mevania from the Chimborasso. Here the band has 

 turned a large white spot reaching even the eye-spot which it even sometimes distorts or flattens out. The 

 width of the band increases also in the other mevania-foTxns with the altitude of the habitat, and the original 

 of om- mancia-iiguie was captured at an altitude of more than 3000 m at the bank of the Chimbo River, mevania 

 are generally common in their range; they fly in the dark forest where the sun passes through open spaces 

 (Fassl). 



IV. Group. {Teratopktkahna Stick.). 



Central eye-spot large, encircledby a red ring, often cornered; shape of 

 wings similar to the preceding group, (J not blue. 



M. axilla Drc. (125 a, as albifhia). Blackish-brown with a broad white band and a large, somewhat a.rnia. 

 cornered eye-spot of the forewing with a yellowish-red ring around it. Beneath there is always an interrupted 

 row of small white spots before the border, which may also appear above (= vegeta Stick.). Beneath there are 

 also in the cell reddish-yellow markings, which may likewise as often show through above, as not. The band 

 varies considerably in width, but it always traverses the middle in a bow. Bolivia and Peru; common. 



M. marsidia Hew. replaces axilla in Ecuador and is easily distinguishable by the band of the fore\\ing marsidia. 

 being narrow and stretched (as an oblique macular band) and the band of the hindwing traversing the wing 

 as a narrow or entirely indistinct band (as a small blind band). — In lactifusa Stick, the band of the hind\^"ing laclijusa. 

 is absent beneath, while it is present above. — In marigemina Stick, it is only yet preserved above in the costal jnarigemi- 

 part, whUe it is extinct at the back. Ecuador. — Of all the marstrfm-specimens before me there are not two ""• 



that are quite alike, and none resembles exactly one of the two (likewise differing) figures of Heavitsos. 



M. maenades Heiv. (125 a) is also very nearly allied to the preceding; here the band of the forev(-ing is maenades. 

 placed more obliquely and more distinctly divided into oviform spots by the veins, mostly also more hyalme; 

 from Colombia. — bacche subsp. nov. I call a gigantic form of this species, with broader ^lings, a verj- bright bacche. 



