EMESIS. By Dr. A. Seitz. ' 696 



74. Genus: Kinesis F. 



Whereas the preceding genus was composed of almost unexceptionally rare butterflies, the Emesis consist 

 of almost universally common species. In the Erycinidae, rarity and commonness may very well be connected 

 with their habits, whether they fly in day-time or not. In single Emesis there prevails the habit of hiding 

 beneath leaves during day-time, and I have, for instance, often beaten out Emesis fastidiosa. E. mandane, 

 however, is always found on blossoms and swarms in the hot sun of the forenoon. E. jatima mostly rests be- 

 neath leaves, but it often comes forth to visit flowers. When, at one occasion, a fatima ventured to come 

 out of its hiding-place within sight of me, it was immediately pursued by a Colaenis julia-^ dashing upon 

 it and so unmercifully belaboured with its feet and wings, that its delicate wings were broken and the 

 poor animal at last lay in the dust incapable of flying. On the whole, we may say that the stout Emesis 

 (such as mandane) are good flyers, the slender ones (such as fastidiosa) are bad flyers. The colour of the 

 Emesis is mostly brown, with a dark undulate marking, the antennae are long and stretched straight 

 forward by the living animal. The moderately long palpi are so closely appressed to the forehead, that their 

 tips are not to be seen from above. The legs are strong, but not very hairy, the wings entire, with a frequently 

 produced or sickle-shaped apex, in the veins there is no difference from the general type of the Erycinidae. 

 About 50 forms have been distinguished. 



E. lucinda. The typical species is the largest of the genus and at the same time one of the largest 

 Erycinidae altogether. — The most common form in the European collections is the South Brazilian 

 fastidiosa Men. (136 d). Above dark-brown, undulated in black; the ^ has a rusty-yellow apex and a red- iaslidiona. 

 yellow under surface, the $ a white-spotted apex and a pale-yellow under surface; this under surface is in 

 both sexes richly decorated with brown transverse streaks and chains of bows. — aurimna Bsd. (136 d, e) aurimna. 

 from Central America to Colombia, is above more deeply black with a faint steel-blue lustre. — ab. albida alhida. 

 ab. nov. (136 e) has in the female a drab upper surface which is almost as vividly marked as the under sur- 

 face; from Central Brazil (Bahia). — opaca Stick. (136 d) exhibits in both sexes the wings very dark and opaca. 

 without a distinct brightening at the apex; from the Upper Amazon (Iquitos, Pebas). — lucinda Cr. (^ dyn- lucinda. 

 dima C7\, lassus F.) (136 b, c) exhibits above a blue reflection in the (^,^ being beneath rusty-red, while the 

 2 is brown with an oval white subapical spot; from Guiana and Venezuela. — spreta Bat. from Teffe on the spreta. 

 Amazon is in both sexes slate-grey, at the apex of the forewing is an indistinctly defined red-brown spot which 

 in the $ replaces the otherwise mostly white subapical spot. — saturata G. and 8., described according to 1 saturain. 

 specimen from South Mexico, is above bright and intensely brown, in the basal part are some indistinct trans- 

 verse lines, in front of the border a broad, lighter line; beneath rusty-red, ruled with black lines, with a si- 

 milar submarginal band. The palpi are rusty-red. They are recognizable by the colour of the upper surface. 

 — liodes G. find S. is smaller, the ,^ above quite unicolorously dark brown with a scarcely noticeable trans- Uodes. 

 verse marking, the 2 with a dull bone-yellow subapical spot of quite the same shape as in the 2 of lucinda 

 (136 c). — eurydice Godm. (136 c) is a form from Ecuador the (J of which is above preponderantly bluish-grey, eurydice. 

 beneath claret-coloured, on both surfaces with very dark markings; the $ is above dull brown, beneath yolk- 

 coloured. — castigata Stick, from Peru and Bolivia does not differ considerably in the female above from spe- castigaia. 

 cimens of lucinda, but it is darker and beneath more reddish; (J usually larger than the typical subspecies 

 (lucinda), with the apex of the forewing being produced somewhat more pointedly. — lucinda and its forms 

 are rather common, at open spaces in the woods, where they sit beneath leaves. 



E. tenedia Fldr. (136 g). (J of the shape of the preceding species, but the upper surface mostly brown; ienedia. 

 the $ may be quite ochreous brown, but it may also exhibit on the forewing a whitish or yellow, band-like 

 brightening which is differently shaped, mostly also differently coloured at every habitat (= $-form of fa-s- 

 ciata Strd.). Beneath both sexes exhibit, instead of the coherent transverse lines of the preceding species, more 

 scattered comma-streaks. From Mexico across Central America and the eastern parts of South America 

 as far as South Brazil and Paraguay. Mexicans as well as quite southern animals are often much smaller 

 than the figured ones. The species varies greatly. — melancholica Stick, is said to be larger than the tj'pical melancho- 

 form, above unicolorously intensely smoke-brown, the undulated transverse lines not very conspicuous, the '"""• 



median area scarcely darker, under surface lighter rusty brown, the ti'ansverse lines more distinct. South 

 Brazil. Unknown to me. — lupina G. and S., described from Central America, though not bound to a certam luphia. 

 district, shows a more grey upper surface, Mexicans from Misantla are of a bright red, the specimen figm-ed 

 by us forms the intermediary between the two. — ravidula Stick, is denoted by its autlior as a ,, faintly dif- rai-idula. 

 ferentiated subspecies", ,,on an average lighter, dull greyish-yellow to pale smoky -brown, with a somewhat 

 rounder contour of the hindwing". In the south of the range. — cilix Hew. described from Ecuador is smaller cili.r. 

 than tenedia, with more pointed, almost sickle-shaped forewings, a uniformly sooty-brown upper surface and 

 a reddish-yellow under surface; the dark transverse stripes on both surfaces scarcer than m tenedia. ■ — 

 sinuatus Hew. with still more curved borders of the wings, likewise from Ecuador, may belong hereto. sinuatus. 



E. angularis Hew. (136 g, as angulata). Recognizable by the wing-contour; the forewing somewhat aDgularis. 

 concavely indented below the pointed apex, and the middle of the border on both wings projects geniculatedly. 

 Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. 



