AGERONTIA. By H. FrRuusrorren. 039 
side of the trunk. According to my observations in Santa Catharina, the butterflies are fond of flying on sunny 
afternoons, and while playing in their flight, they create that peculiar crackling noise which has often been 
described and has given them the denomination of ,,Rasselchen“, according to Dr. Srrrz. The English call 
them ,,tric-tracs**, the Americans ,,Calicoes*‘, and according to an account of VAN VOLKEM communicated by 
CHAPRONNIER Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg. July 1873 p, 21, both the sexes produce a noise comparable to the: ,,crépi- 
tation de sarments en combustion.” 
Dr. Hannet thought the rattling noise of the Ageronies, being heard the most intensely and frequently 
in belladonna, to be created by clashing their wings together. But this presumption he once found disproved 
when holding together one pair of wings, while the sound was nevertheless created by the other pair of wings 
quite ad libitum. The sound of the rattling in belladonna reminds us of the rustling of thick paper. 
The Ageronies obstinately remain at their fixed place, from which, according to my experiences, they 
never fly far off; neither do they fear the neighbourhood of the settlements, and I met them on bridle-paths 
with great traffic. They also like so-called ,,Waldschinken* where they pilfer from the intoxicant juice emana- 
ting from the borings of Coleoptera. They are met there together with Opsiphanes and even gigantic Caligo. 
The Ageronia are the most vigilant, rising the first in order to secure themselves; but they most certainly return 
again after a longer interval. 
Near Sao Paulo Dr. HAHNEL observed A. velutina, arinome and belladonna at places for washing, the 
basins of which were constructed in the thicket of foliage-plants, and the spring-water conducted there enticed 
also the Ageronia, together with Adelpha, down from the high trees to the sunny ground. 
The Ageronia are lively animals to be found in the dense woods as well as at the borders of the woods 
and in open spaces. On the Lower Amazon the grey Ageronia-species, such as feronia and ferentina, are 
the most common butterflies, being found at every sunny wall of the huts and on every isolated tree. They 
most frequently use to gather there under the mango-trees during the season when the fruit is ripening, and 
then also amphinome arrives which otherwise prefers more to live in the forest. When resting on the light-grey 
mango-trees, these grey butterflies are hardly any more noticeable. All the Ageronia (also some of the 929) 
agree in being fond of resting especially with their wings spread out on smooth trunks of trees, but mostly 
with the head turned downwards. They seem not to intend making themselves invisible to eventual enemies 
by this behaviour (and most of all only the light-grey species would succeed in it, while the dark species are 
even visible already from afar), but they probably love amusing themselves in this way; for as soon as an ani- 
mal of the same species or genus comes near them, there commences an interesting sport in the air in which 
the rattling is distinctly to be heard. The rattling-apparatus seems to be uniformly developed in all the species 
with the exception of velutina, arethusa, chloé and alicia, which I never heard rattling, but up to this day one 
seems not yet to have been able to ascertain by what these puzzling sounds are produced. Contrary to the 
grey species living only in open spaces, on the banks of rivers, or at the borders of forests etc., the darker 
species, such as velutina, arethusa, arinome, amphinome and belladonna, abide mostly in the woods, though at 
sunny places, whereas alicia and chloé are even only found in the very midst of the dark woods. 
The Ageronia are distributed in the whole neotropical district, from the Peninsula of Yucatan and 
Mexico to the south as far as Paraguay and the northern part of Argentina. Single straying specimens are some- 
times eyen met in South Texas. The most frequently they occur in the Amazon Valley, where nearly all the 
species are found together and among them those forms that are ornamented with the richest colours. Most 
of them are extremely common, but on the other hand, there are only quite few specimens known of some 
species. 
Near Pebas on the Upper Amazon, Dr. Haunet has found 6 species of Ageronia together on excremen- 
titial bait spread on leaves: the more common belladonna, velutina and arinome, as well as the rare alicia, chloé 
and albicornis. Little is known about the vertical distribution of the Ageronia. I met them in Southern Brazil 
up to 800 m. 
A. Species of the Ageronia-Group. 
A. februa may be considered the most multiform species of the genus being the most widely spread. 
A. februa differs from A. feronia with which it always flies together, by the red crescent-spots in the proximal 
part of the two last ocelli of the hindwings. On the under surface the black window-grates are finer than in 
epinome and iphthime, the brown abdominal zone is absent or exists only in the shape of narrow bands; besides, 
all the larger ocelli are decorated with reddish-brown crescents. februa Hbn. (105 d), the nomenclatural form, 
might originate, according to the figure of its author, from the Amazon district or the northern part of Brazil. 
It is joined by specimens from Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and according to the material in the Coll. Srav- 
DINGER, februa goes to the south as far as Pernambuco. The largest specimens originate from Colima and Fortim 
in Colombia, the most richly coloured in blue are the Venezuelan specimens. A large series from Obidos, Para 
and Santarem of my collection are distinguished by a bright violet lustre on the upper surface. 2 94 from 
Tarapoto bear the purest white subapical maculae of the forewings. — By the name of gudula subsp. nov. (105 d) 
? 
februa. 
gudula. 
