Publ. 2. TIT. 1921. VILA. By Dr. A. Serrz. 465 
horns crowned with a star at the end; on Tragia volubilis; when at rest it keeps the anterior and posterior 
parts raised. Pupa green or grey-brown, with a slight rosy admixture, compact, with the edges of the wings 
projecting as in Hrgolis, but otherwise not so smooth as the latter. The butterfly has an elegant but not rapid 
flight and very commonly rests on bushes; in Bahia I frequently found the insects enmeshed in the horizontally 
placed webs of a large spider, in which numbers perish. — As no district is known where more than one 
form of Didonis occurs, all are probably merely representatives of a single species. The most northerly is 
aganisa Bdv. (94f), with the forewing uniform dark brown; the scarlet band runs in a zigzag from the apex 
to the anal angle of the hindwing and cuts off the distal-marginal part of the hindwing; from Mexico to Central 
America. — pasira Dbl. & Hew. has the scarlet band placed nearer to the distal margin of the hindwing and 
broken up into separate red spots by the very thick veins. The distal part of the forewing is much lighter. 
Tt flies in Guiana and is only to be regarded as a transition to the typical biblis. — biblis F. (= hyperia 
Cr., thadama God#.) (94 f) likewise has the forewing lighter at the distal margin; in it the scarlet band follows 
throughout the curve of the distal margin of the hindwing, leaving only a narrow black border free. This is 
the usual form, is distributed from Colombia to beyond Central Brazil and is still very common in Rio Janeiro 
and Sao Paulo. — nectanabis Fruhst. has the scarlet band darker red above, beneath the band of the hindwing 
is much narrower than in North Brazilian specimens; Rio Grande do Sul. — sisygambis Fruhst. is said to be 
larger than Brazilian specimens, the red band of the hindwing beneath is more strongly narrowed and sprink- 
led with black scales than in the preceding form. — laticlavia Thieme, which R. HaENscu discovered on the upper 
Rio Negro, has the broadest scarlet band of the forms; this becomes quite especially broad in the middle of the 
distal margin, where it extends so far basal that its proximal edge becomes convexe towards the base, whilst 
otherwise it is concave. — The species belongs to the Ergolids. 
C. Group: Ergolidi. 
To this group, which is typically represented in Asia and Africa by Ergolis, Hurytela and Biblis, and which has been 
variously called Ergolidi, Burytelini or Biblini, belongs already the genus Didonis just dealt with, and only by mistake this 
paragraph stands after instead of before that genus. According as the habits, the neuration or the life-history is put in the 
foreground, the group is somewhat differently defined. The 3 American genera which certainly belong here (Didonis, 
Vila, Cystineura) have also been further separated as ,,Didonidi‘*. AURIVILLIUS gives first importance to the inflated base of 
the veins of the forewing (especially the subcostal), according to which a fu:ther series of American genera should be included 
e. g. Bolboneura sylphis, named from this peculiarity and formerly merged in the genus Temenis. Libythina and Antigonis, 
concerning whose life-history we still know almost nothing, would connect the group with Hunica and Lunicia with the Ppicali- 
idi. Until we know the larvae, which will no doubt here prove quite characteristic, it is useless to waste many words on 
the affinities of these groups. Whilst on the one hand the entire agreement in the habits of Hrgolis and Didonis and the 
striking similarity of Cystineura teleboas and Neplidopsis (which is not only superficial) argues in favour of a union of the Old 
World genera into one subfamily with the corresponding genera of the New World, on the other hand Rev TER separates the two 
and advocates a closei association of Hrgolis with the Vanessidi. It is, however, very striking that all the larvae which are known 
of Byblia (Afvrica), Ergolis (Asia) and Didonis (America) live on one and the same food-plant, the evil-smelling Tragia. When 
in conjunction with such unusual morphological conditions as the swelling at the base of the costal, the nature of the larval 
spines (spines on the head very long, a crest of spikes at the end of the spines, etc.) and the like, we find further agreement 
in an otherwise unusual food-plant, a close systematic connection between these geographically remote genera seems very 
probable. 
18. Genus: Wila Ky. 
As Vila is one of the comparatively few butterfly genera of which I have never observed an example 
in the open, I am not in a position to say anything as to its bionomics. According to its affinities (it is closely 
connected with the Hrgolis-Didonis group) one would expect a darting or sailing flight with the wings held 
horizontally; but on account of an unmistakable tendency to mimic certain Ithomiids it would appear that an 
alternately fluttering and jerky flight, so as to complete the illusion, would be more advantageous for the insect. 
— The genus consists of 6 rather nearly allied forms, which all (except one) have the upper surface of the wings 
predominantly dark with vitreous white patches and bear an orange-coloured arcuate line on the under surface. 
All the species seem to be rather rare and are only received in Europe in single specimens. Their proper habitat 
is the watershed of the Amazons, from which they extend northwards to Guiana and southwards to Peru. — 
The Vila species have a moderately broad head with thick, naked eyes, palpus about the length of the head, 
with the 2nd segment thickened and the 3rd somewhat hollowed; antenna half the length of the costa, gradually 
and slightly thickened at the end; the body is slender, on the thorax are whitish bands and spots, as in a 
Pantoporia; wings entire-margined, broad with rounded distal margin. The neuration similar to that of Cy- 
stineura, on the forewing the cell is closed, the subcostal in the $ swollen at its base into a thick cyst. Cell of 
the hindwing open. — Concerning the early stages nothing is known. 
V. azeca Dbl. & Hew. (95). Forewing with broad white cell-wedge, subapical oblique band and white 
streak between the median veins; hindwing with hyaline white costal area. Under surface with orange-yellow, 
dark-edged marginal stripe. Bolivia and Peru. 
Vv Ase 59 
aganisa. 
pasira. 
biblis. 
nectanabis. 
sisygambis. 
laticlavia. 
azeca. 
