644 MESOSEMIA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 



calypso. M. calypso Bat. from the western district of the Amazon is the southern representative of hesperina 



hesperina. Btlr. (142 a) from Central America. The wings of the (J are above azure, the forewing with 6, the hindwing 

 with 7 transverse stripes, if one takes the marginal stripe into account, calypso is said to have 3, hesperina 1 

 pupil ill the central ej^e-spot. Near Saiitarem, calypso exhibits some minute deviations (as every new finding- 

 place offers them), such as a lighter under surface producing a more distinct marking thereby (= avicula Stick.), 

 theiys. — thetys G. and S. from Colombia is reported to resemble calypso, the submarginal line of the hindwing, however, 

 cyanira. to be beneath thickened to a knot before the middle of the border, and cyanira Stich. from Ecuador has a lighter 

 tenuivittata. azure upper surface. ■ — tenuivittata Stich. is of a duller blue and the middle transverse stripes are but delicate 

 lines; from Rio de Janeiro. The $2 of these forms, being partly transitional, resemble somewhat small cippus-^^, 

 but the central eye-spot in the hindwing is better developed, while in typical cippus-'^^ it is above mostly 

 only shadow-like or even not indicated at all, and the two parabola encircling the eye-spot of the forewing 

 are closer together in the costal region. The. species is much rarer than cippus. 

 maeoiis. M. macotis Heiv. (= cippus-$ Bat.) (125 i). (J of a more intensely metallic blue than hesperina; 



besides easily discernible from the forms of the preceding species by the basal two thirds of the hindwings being 

 without stripes and metallic blue. The $ is like cippus, but between the stripes more light than dark brown, 

 though in fresh specimens not so light as in the older original to our figure. Guiana; more common than calypso. 

 A (J from Cuyaba (Coll. Bakg-Haas) is above very light blue and beneath of a duller colour, with more yellow- 

 ish-brown than dark-bro^Ml lines. 

 mna. M. nina Hbst. y= formosa Wtc.) (125 i). Very much like the preceding species; but the $ has only 



in the basal half of the forewing blue which, hoAvever, is of a very intense lustre, the «'hole distal half of the 

 foreA^ing is blackish brown, with, dull brighter markings; on the hindwing the antemarginal black stripe is 

 placed nearer to the marginal stripe. The 2 resembles that of maeotis, but the marginal area of the hindwings 

 is whitish. From Guiana to Peru; rare. 

 ephyne. M. cphync Cr. is another small species with the ^ being blue above. From very little differences 



quite a number of forms have been denominated and described as proper species, although some seem to deviate 

 only bj^ the well-known differences of the habitats. Ckamee's ephyne seems not to have come anjaiiore at 

 all; it undoubtedly originated from Surinam from where we also know nina, maeotis etc. A very closely allied 

 vietura. form is metura Hew., and both have been combined with misipsa Hew. (142 a), the ^ of which is azure above, 

 misipsa. .j.jjg ^ being of a dirty greyish-blue. As regards the zebra-striation, the $ gTeatly approximates idotea (125 e), 

 the (J, however, is less striped in the basal part of all the wings. From Guiana across the Amazon as far as 

 Peru. From the latter country Stichel described another subspecies of the $ with a broader stripe in the 

 distal part of the hindwing and beneath a J'ello^^•-encircled eye-spot of the forewing, on the whole larger and 

 polytjlauca. more brightly colom-ed; he denominated this form polyglauca. — mesoba Hew. (142 a) from Ecuador is very 

 mesoba. similarly marked, but coloured almost white, except a faint gi-ejash-blue tinge at the base of the forewing and 

 dulcis. in the disc of the hindwing. — dulcis Stich. is said to originate from Matto-Grosso and perhaps from Peru; 

 $ greyish-blue, on the hindwing 2 median eye-spots below each other; o somewhat smaller _thaii the $, above 

 blandina. light blue. — blandina Stich. very siniOarly marked, central eye-spot entirely black (in dulcis with a white 

 eugenea. pupil), from Surinam. • — eugenea Stick, greatly approximates nina (125 i), but the blue of the upper surface 

 in the <J not so glossy, in the inner marginal part of the forewing reaching as far as to the border, and the 

 apical part of the forewing is less deep black, so that the dark marking of it is more prominent; from 

 espcranza. Surinam. — esperanza Schs. from Costa-Rica resembles dulcis, but above it is of a bright blue, in the hind- 

 A\'ing there are only 2 black lines complete close at the distal margin, of the subtermmal line there exists only 

 the beginning at the apical part. Of the $ we know only one mutilated specimen. 

 cocleslis. M. coelestis G. and S. is a rare species from Costa-Rica and Colombia; it has the shape and size of 



macrina (125 g), but it is above m the disc of the -ndngs sky-blue -without any markings at all; only the usual 

 eye-spot stands at the cell-end of the forewing, and before the border there run 2 black lines parallel to it. — 

 cachiana. cachiana Schs., likewise from Costa Rica, is above just as bright sky-blue, but the apical part of the forewings 

 is broad black, as well as the distal margin. The $ was taken to be the typical coelestis-^. 



VIII. Group. {Semomesia Ww.) 



Upper surface of the h i n d a^- i n g in the (J with a costal part of s i 1 k y g 1 o s s. 



macari.9. M. inacaris Hezc. (125 h). q very light blue, the median eye-spot is small, and the guttiform spot 



being conspicuous in croesus is absent. The $ is bro-wm with whitish transverse stripes, similar to the $ of 



■maeotis (125 i), but more uniform, not darker in the marginal half than in the basal half. Amazon District 



ictieUa. as far as Pera. — Of tenella Stick, the (J is said to be somewhat larger than typical macaris, with a more pointed 



aethcrea. apex. — aetherea Stick, is just the same, but the friction area at the costa of the hind-ndng is smaller and 



optima, the velvety scent-spot is absent; Peru.- — optima Stich. from the Amazon has a larger scent-spot of the (J. These 



butterflies are not common. 

 geminus. M. geminus F. (125 g, h). (J above glossy sky-blue Aiith black margins of the wings and a black 



oblique band of the forewing. $ blackish-brown with transverse stripes of a dull blue gloss edged in black. 

 Known only from Central Brazil, as for instance from Rliiias-Geraes (San Jacintho River) ; very local and rare. 



