286 BRASSOLIS. By H. Feuhstoefee. 



region of the source of the Amazon and also Colombia, from whence alone 30 species are known, thus 

 onlj' four less than from the whole of Brazil. Ecuador again has 28, Guiana 16, Central America 17 species. 



The egg of the Brassolids is spherical, more or less sharply ribbed, occasionally somewhat flattened 

 above and beneath {Eryphanis). Round the greatest circumference runs sometimes a narrow red-brown stripe. 



Larva so far as known gregarious when young, afterwards often solitary, sometimes in common nests 

 on bananas, palms and other higher Monocotyledonae. Some occur m a brown and a green form (Gollmae), 

 others differ in colour according to their age. In repose they mostly rest at full length between or under the 

 gigantic leaves of the food-plant, concealed by day. The head is rather flat, broadest beneath, and is kept closely 

 appressed to the support, the mouth being directed forward. The head bears at the upper margin of the 

 face some spmes which when at rest are inclined posteriorly and a dense covering of hairs ("poodle-head"). Along 

 the dorsum run longitudmal Imes recalling those of the Satjrrids; sometimes there are very fme, quite short 

 hairs, often small tubercles and in Caligo simple, spinous points and isolated setae. The pupa thick, stout, 

 short, angular, anteriorly convex, cremaster very thick, fastened firmly and broadly to the food-plant, so that 

 the pupa can only be detached with difficultj^. Only one moveable segment. In Narope the abdominal part of 

 the pupa is compressed on the ventral surface and the dorsum bears some protuberances. The colour of the 

 pupa is at first green, afterwards earth-grey or brownish. The pupa of Brassolis, which remains in the nests, 

 is Bombycid m form and differs considerably from the other genera. 



The scent-organs of the cj^* consist of pads or mealy spots on the underside of the forewing, hair-pencils 

 in the folded hmdmargm, bristles or hair-tufts at various places on the upperside of the hmdwing, often 

 larger pencils in the cell ; the latter are sometimes imbedded in pockets formed of the wmg-membrane and are 

 eversible and expansible in a stellate form. Head and body robust, the latter as in the Hestias and Morphids 

 small in comparison to the wmgs. Eye large, convex, naked or hairy; the three-jointed palpus in most cases 

 extends beyond the head, is densely scaled and varies in the degree of hairiness. Beneath the palpus frequently 

 bears dense, shaggy hair, the 2nd jomt sometimes with hair-tufts. The "Basalfleck" of Reutee covering % — 73 

 of the basal joint on the inner side, oval, at the distal end rounded, the swelling in OpsipJmnes recalling that of 

 Discophora, occupying almost the entire basal spot, sometimes with larger, sometimes with smaller rounder 

 scales; these are densely placed, parallel and erect. At the distal end of the Basalfleck there are often 

 grooves which are covered by the cones and scales. 



Like the Indian Amathusiids and the Neotropical Morphids the Brassolids are also very susceptible 

 to climatic and local influences; they show a series of gradations on the Amazon from its lower to its upper 

 course and nearly every Brazilian province has its own Opsiphanes race, a circumstance to which the author of 

 these lines first called attention. Seasonal forms, however, have not yet been detected with certainty; this is 

 connected with the time of appearance of the butterflies, which in general have a short period, beginning with 

 the spring of the southern hemispliere and ending in the middle of the summer. We have only certain know- 

 ledge as regards southern Brazil, but it is probable that in the true tropics some species produce a succession of 

 generations. If von Bonninghatjsen is correct the' Brassolids split up into two unequal groups: namely 

 those without a forked tail in the larva (only two genera, Brassolis and Penetes) and those with tailed larva 

 (all the rest). 



The originals of the figures, like those of the followmg family (the Morpliids), are from the Feuhstoe- 

 fee collection at Geneva (Florissant). Some descriptions have been taken from the well-known work ,,Das 

 Tierreich" of the Academy of Sciences (Director, Prof. Seitz) by kind permission of Herr Stichel, who was 

 the first to work out fully the family of the Brassolids. 



I. Subfamily: Brassolitiinae. 



L a r V a w i t h o u t t a i 1 - f o r k a n d w i t h o u t horns on t h e h e a d. 



1. Genus: Brassolis F. 



This genus, from which the family is named, differs the most widely of any from the normal Brassolid 

 habitus. This is seen cliiefly in the compact, robust build, the thick body almost recalling the Heterocera, 

 strong, broad head with quite short palpus, elongate, anteriorly truncate antennal club, such as otherwise 

 occurs only in Dynastor, broad and hard thorax and very thick abdomen. 



The few species which belong here are medium-sized, powerful butterflies with dark-coloured wings 

 traversed by an orange band, the distal margui slightly concave in the S, convex in the ?. The uncus accord- 

 ing to GoBjLix a simple hook, without lateral appendages ; valve short, compact, at the distal, dorsal end slightly 

 dentate. Egg spherical, with shallow, sometimes anastomosing longitudinal ribs of somewhat irregular course. 

 Larva cyluadiical, thickest in the middle, head without processes, beneath broad, strongly hairy. Anal points 

 wanting, instead of them there are posteriorly 2 wart-like processes. They live gregariously, often m hundreds 

 m large, bag-like nests on palms; the pupa is short and stout, \vithout strong angles or protuberances, suspended 

 hj the cremaster. 



