coresia. 
norica. 
themistocles. 
chiron. 
chironides. 
insularis. 
merops. 
alcibiades. 
egina. 
harmonia. 
tulelina. 
berania. 
fruhstorferi. 
livius. 
468 MEGALURA. By Dr. A. Serrz. 
M. coresia Godt. (= cerynthia Hbn., sylla Per.) (96a). Dark chocolate-brown above, with the distal 
margin lighter, beneath the basal half of the forewing is satiny white, the distal half brown. In Texas, but there 
mostly still rather rare, through Central and northern South America southwards to Peru and southern Brazil. 
The popular name ,,Waiter® alludes to the upper surface (dark, long-pointed frock-coat) and the under surface 
(white waistcoat). 
M. norica Hew. (96 a). Mostly smaller than coresia. The forewing black-brown, with single light stripes 
running off from the inner margin towards the median. The hindwing lighter brownish with dark longitudinal 
stripes. The under surface quite different from that of coresia, brown with dark dentate lines and a small 
transverse band, mostly somewhat lighter, from the inner margin of the hindwing to the upper median vein; 
the distal margin of the forewing mostly frosted with whitish. Ecuador and Peru. 
M. themistocles /. (96a). Wings pretty uniformly striped with yellow-brown and black-brown, 
under surface similar to that of the preceding species. The difference is that in themistocles the light stripes 
traverse the entire forewing, in norica they are only distinctly visible at the inner margin. Brazil. 
M. chiron /. (chironias Hbn., cinna Swains. nec Cr.) (96a). The commonest and best known Mega- 
lura. As in the preceding, the wings are striped with yellow-brown and black-brown above, but the stripes are 
quite straight, not curved as in themistocles. The under surface entirely different, with slight mother-of-pearl 
gloss, mostly dark grey-brown in the distal part, light dusty grey in the proximal part; the two parts divided 
by a straight, white, dark-edged band traversing both wings. In typical chiron there are 5 or 6 distinct white 
punctiform spots before the apex of the forewing above. The species has an extraordinary range, occurring 
from the Antilles and Mexico through the whole of Central and South America far towards the south. On Cuba, 
together with typical specimens, others occur in which the apical dots of the forewing above are absent, and 
which also mostly differ in the ground-colour from typical chiron and often have the under surface more unico- 
lorous tan-yellow, little opalescent. These have been distinguished as ab. chironides Stgr. I have before 
me quite a number of transitional forms from Cuba, so that I cannot agree with StaupINGEHR’s opinion, 
also shared by FRuuHSTORFER, that chironides is a distinct species. insularis Fruhst. (= marius Stoll nec Cr.), 
described from Jamaica, presents such a transition. — The larva of chiron, like most Megalura species, probably 
lives on Ficus and Morus; according to M6scHLER it has been found in Porto Rico on Maclura tinctoria. 
M. merops Bdv. (96 b). Dirty grey-brown above, apical half of the forewing black, copiously dotted 
with white; beneath dull silver-white with brownish parallel transverse lines. From Costa Rica through the 
whole of northern South America to Bolivia. In the south of its range the species alternates with egina Bates. 
Common. 
M. alcibiades Stgr. The upper surface of this butterfly exactly resembles chiron, the under surface 
berania. It differs from both in the absence of the anal lobe on the hindwing. The butterfly must be very rare 
or be seldom taken on account of its similarity to the very common chiron. Central America: Chiriqui and 
Veraguas. 
M. egina Bates. This species, which is very common on the Upper Amazon, though very like chiron or 
themistocles above, is at once distinguished by the light, glossy under surface, in which it approaches M. merops. 
M. harmonia Dbl. & Hew. (96 e). This species also has the light, satin-glossy under surface, traversed 
by parallel lines. Above it is bright orange-yellow, almost exactly like berania 3, but the apex of the forewing 
is much more pointed and the distal-marginal line bright black. The 2 is also on the upperside dull white, 
with a yellowish tone. Mexico. 
M. tutelina Hew. is marked almost like harmonia on the upper surface, but the apex of the forewing 
is even more pointed, the ground-colour more fiery red-yellow; it chiefly differs on the under surface, the red- 
brown having a violet gloss, traversed by 3 small, linear brown bands, so that the underside resembles themistocles. 
Amazons; apparently very rare. 
M. berania Hew. (96c¢). 3 above fiery red-yellow, but with rounded apex, beneath dull yellow, with 
white satimy gloss and 6—8 yolk-yellow transverse bands. The Q is dull grey-brown above, whitish beneath, 
but marked quite like the 3 except that the bands on the upperside are broader and more distinct. The typical 
33 have a black distal margin to the forewing, dark border at the apex and dark, on the hindwing almost 
black lines (= crassilineata Fruhst.). FRUHSTORFER is quite right in calling attention to the difference of this 
form from the Honduras specimens, which have a dark yellow transverse line; but these latter are the non- 
typical and must be renamed (= fruhstorferi nom. nov.) (96 c). ; 
M. livius Kirby (= berania 2 Hew.) (96b). Upper surface black-brown with dark transverse bands 
not unlike norica (96 a), but the under surface is like white satin, with fine brown lines. Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. 
