Publ. 5. VI. 1913. HELICONIUS. By Dr. A. Szrrz. 385 
they are frequently caught, but never leave the chrysalis like that; even while alive, this butterfly rapidly 
fades under the influence of sunshine and rain, a fact which is not often observed among tropical ins=cts 
the colours of which generally resist for a long time to the weather. At the same time of the year and in the 
same localities we find together with melpomene a large number of butterflics belonging to the most heteroge- 
neous families, as Papilio, Pierids, Adelpha, Eresia etc., all of which display on the forewing in the same 
place a carmine band on black ground. Whether all the Heliconius that have been described as local, seaso- 
nal or aberrative forms of melpomene, really belong to one and the same species, is neither proved nor likely. 
RirrarTtH, in his Monography on “‘Heliconius”, after an exact study of this group, refers to it about 
40 forms, some of which deviate considerably, and not in colouring alone. Other systems outside that of 
RIFFARTHS not being recognised, we follow here his most painstaking Work. — In melpomene L. (75 a) the melpomene. 
oblique spot is moderately large and blood-red (in the collections generally scarlet or minium-red), starting di- 
rectly under the costa and descending below the first median nervule, where it is cut off almost parallel with 
this and projects outwardly to near the termen. — ab. atrosecta Riff. (75 a) is an aberrative form mentioned atrosecta. 
by RirrartH from Obidos, by OBERTHUR from French Guayana, but which surely occurs within the entire 
range of the species; the red band is divided into segments by the black veins. — ab. melpomenides Riff. melpome- 
(75 b) has the spot much narrower, outwardly convex and likewise frequently interrupted; mentioned from nades. 
Guayana. — lucinda Riff (75 b) from Guayana and the Amazon, has the band irregularly defined inwardly and lucinda. 
its upper portion proximally laved with lemon-yellow. — In karschi R7/f., likewise from Guayana and the Lo- karschi. 
wer Amazon, the band is yellow above and red beneath. — lucia Cr. (75 b) has the band outwardly and below lucia. 
red, inwardly and above yellow, preceded by a lemon-yellow spot traversing the cell. Guayana, Amazonas. 
— melanippe Riff. (75 b) has both the oblique cell-spot and the generally narrow band yellow, often with tra- melanippe. 
ces of red; therein it approaches the form timareta from western South America, but may be easily distinguished 
by the shape and position of the yellow spot. Surinam. — diana Riff. (75 c) from Guayana has both cell-spot diana. 
and band lovely red, with additional red rays from the base of the wings, greatly varying in extent. — deiiiia deinia. 
Méschl. (muiabilis Bélr.) (75 c) is quite similar, but the cell-spot is very large and lemon-yellow; Guayane.. 
In funebris Wéschl. from Surinam only the fiery-red basal rays are remaining, cell-spot and band having disappea- funebris. 
red. — faustina Sigr. resembles the following cybele, but has the cell spot margined with red distally. — faustina. 
cybele Cr. (75 c) from Guayana and Amazonas has nearly the entire basal half of the forewings brillant red, cybele. 
the cellspot and the oblique macular band yellow; hindwing with a red subcostal streak. — tyche Bat., tyche. 
from Amazonas and Guayana; almost exactly like diana (75 c¢), but the hindwing with red rays radiating 
from the base below the red subcostal streak towards the termen. — hippolyte Bat. (75 c) from the same lo- hippolyte. 
cality is similar, but lacks the cell-spot and has the oblique band as well as the other markings of the forewing 
red. — angusta Riff. (75d) is very similar to tyche, but has on the forewing the band inwardly yellow, angusta. 
outwardly red; from Guayana. — ab. aglaopeia Sigr. (75 d) from Guayana has the entire distal half of the aglaopeia. 
forewing black, at the most with only a few traces of red, whereas the basal half of both wings and the rays 
on the hindwing are beautifully red and well developed. — thelxiope Hbn. (75d) from the Amazon has the thelwiope. 
basal half of the forewing and the entire hindwing red, in some localities vermilion (Para), in others rather mi- 
nium-red (Manaos); but the system of spots in the outer half of the forewings is lemon-yellow. — thelxiopeia thelwiopeia. 
Sigr. from Guayana has the red markings arranged as in thelxiope, but very deep and dark, even brown-red or 
violet. — In aglaope Fidr. (75 d) the red markings resemble those of aglaopeia, but are more brownish, and the aglaope. 
black distal half of the forewing encloses a pale yellow, hook-shaped semi-band; occurs on the Amazon ail the 
way up to Peru. — In niepelti Riff. the colouring is brillant crimson, with a fine black dot in the cell of the niepelli. 
forewing. — isolda Niep. has this spot, particularly in the g, larger, the apical spot white, slightly edged ésolda. 
proximally. Ecuador. — In rubripicta Niep., likewise from Ecuador, the apical macular band as weil as that Tubripicia. 
part of the discal spot which is not red, is heavily dusted with red scales. — adonides Niep., from Ecuador adonides. 
approaches plesseni fa. adonis; on the forewing the discal spot within the cell yellowish, densely sprinkled 
with black scales; “‘the apical macular band distally edged with red, broadly shaded with yellow proximally; 
the aglaope-pattern red, the red basal colouring of niepelti very extensive as in aglaope, likewise the fiery rays; 
underneath it resembles isolda, but, like aglaope, with a transverse streak of rufous over the red rays, which 
is not found either in isolda or niepelti’”’. — gisela Niep. is quite similar, “representing a transition from aglaope gisela. 
Fldr. to plesseni pura Niep.; the spots on the upper surface of the forewings white, the discal one proximaily 
sprinkled with black scales and defined by a heavy, black spot. Hindwings as in adonides”; Ecuador. — 
elevatus Néldn. from the Upper Amazon looks almost precisely like a typical aglaope, but the red basal colouring elevatus. 
extends somewhat farther on the forewing and the lemon-yellow semi-band is rather broader. — anna Newst. anna. 
is the form from Ecuador, distinguished by having the white band of the forewing slightly margined with red 
distally. — equadoriensis Newst. from Sarayacu has this white macular band reduced. — ab. dione Neust., equadorien- 
likewise from Ecuador, has the outer macular band of the forewing yellow edged with brown; cell 3 and the ee 
middle cell tinged with brown. — Another form from Ecuador described by Nipper as “fraterna’” I am 
unzble to identify; the forewing is said to have 2 white apical spot, edged with red proximally, and a discal 
spot “which, being strongly encroached upon by the black ground-colour, has its entire inner portion red”. — 
Vv 49 
