OPSIPHANES. By H. Feuhstorfer. 295 



band at the apex of the cell of the forewmg broad instead of filiform. — praegrandis Fruhsf. (61 a) on the praegrandis. 

 whole approaches aspheriis, but is even larger. Above with the black distal border deeply incised proximally, 

 but scarcely extending nearer to the cell than in beata. Apical spots of the forewing very large, light yel- 

 low, praegrandis differs further from its Brazilian allies in the following points : distal border of both wings 

 proximally more deeply excised, much lighter towards the costa. Abdomen above lighter brown. Beneath: 

 distal pa,rt of the forewing broader and lighter yellow-grey with larger black ocelli. The triangular subapical 

 spot striated with white and more extended, the transverse bands of the cell light brown. Hindwing : the api- 

 cal ocelli more elongate, the anal ones with broader light brown bordering. The yellowish disoal band light 

 yellow, more extended, broader than even in beata beata and running as far as the anal ocellus. The broAVn 

 submarginal band of the fore-nong much narrowed towards the apex, anal ocelli of the hindwing with fuller light 

 blue iris, fillmg almost half the ocellus instead of the small "lunula" of batea. Locality: Paraguay. 

 praegrandis passed for a long time m collections under the name "didymaon Fldr." But Fblder adds to his 

 diagnosis: "Our examples are all smaller than batea Hbn., among which they seem to occur", which contradicts 

 this determuaation, and at the same time shoAvs that forms analogous to beata were already known to Fel- 

 DEE, which he was observant enough to separate from his didymaon. 



0. catharinae Stich. (= wilhelmiiiae Rob.) exclusively inhabits Santa Catharina and is undoubtedly caiharinae. ^ 

 far the rarest of the two or three species of the batea group. Its specific right is beyond all question; the prin- 

 cipal distinguishing characters consist in the absence of the hair-pencil in the cell of the hindwing, the more 

 rounded shape of the ^^-ings and m the basal area on the upperside of both wings being by far the lightest, nearly 

 yellow, only reddish at the edges, and the vems red or black to the middle of the wings. Distal border of the 

 hindwing very broadly grey-yellow. Transcellular spot and apical bordering of the forewing similar to that 

 of beata FruJist. (61 a). Apical patches of the forewing alike in both sexes, very light, almost pure white. 

 Ground-colour of the o ochre-yellow, both wmgs with broad black margins, bordered with lighter grey-black; 

 the yellow colour shaded with rust-red where it touches the black distal part. The proximal boundary of the 

 latter begins not far beyond the cell at the costa, runs parallel with the end of the cell to the upper median, 

 then projects basewards again between the upper and middle medians, and beyond the latter once more re- 

 cedes considerably towards the distal margin. The whole boundary-line is dentate but not sharply. Disco- 

 cellular proximally broA^aiish, distally blackish. In the black distal part a row of 5 whitish spots, running in 

 a curve from the costa, the last is a mere dot. The row of spots terminates between the lower radial and the upper 

 median, the spot being here replaced by the apical eye-spot, which shows through from beneath. Black 

 distal part of the hindwing of the same extent as in 0. didymaon Fldr. Proximal boundary uncertain, not far 

 from the end of the cell running parallel with the distal margin. At the inner margin a bare friction-patch 

 A^ith a small hair-pencil at the submedian. Under surface nearly as in 0. didymaon, on the whole with a some- 

 what lighter tone, a brownish, dark-edged band at the discocellular broader than in that species, the dark-sha- 

 ded stripe placed proximally to the two marginal Imes, corresponding to the black distal part of the upper 

 .surface, bent somewhat towards the distal margin behind the lower median. Type probably from Blumenau, 

 from whence also came the examples described by Rober, which I have before me for comparison. I my- 

 self took cathariyiae at Theresopolis in company with 0. batea beata Fruhst. and 0. didymaon Fldr. at the same 

 exudations of sweet or fermenting sap in the underwood of the river- valleys, but much more sparingly than 

 the other two forms. 



0. bassus commonly occurs in company with 0. batea Hbn. and didymaon Fldr., but in contrast to these 

 it ventures even in the greatest heat of the day on to sunny grass-lands with scattered bushes, and once when 

 chasing it I trod on a poisonous snake 2 ni. in length, crawling in the grass, which perhaps was also hunting 

 the butterflies. Two local forms: bassus Fldr., described by its author without more exact locality as from hassus. 

 "Brasilia meridionalis" ; type probably from Blumenau in Santa Catharina; differs above only in the narrower 

 tran-scellular band of the forewing and beneath in the considerably smaller ocelli from luteipennis Btlr. (61 a), hdeipennis. 

 which according to a ^ before me from Rio Grande do Sul is still more stongly tinged with red-brown above 

 than the bassus ^^ taken by me. The nomenclature is somewhat, arbitrary, as Butlee described his luteipen- 

 nis Avithout any locality. I have only applied the name to the Rio Grande form to prevent its sinkmg as 

 a synonym and to avoid creating a new one. -^.octilata Stich. designates a poorly coloured aberration oculaia. 

 which happens to have the anal ocellus of the hindwing marked above also. 



0. boisduvalii Westw. (62 d) is a species of restricted range, noteworthy for its light yellow colour- boisduvalU. 

 ing and known to appear in the twilight and to have a swift and powerful flight. Origmally described from 

 Mexico, it extends southwards only to Guatemala and Honduras. Under surface with the same tone of colour 

 as the figured upper surface, a costal stripe darkened, with whitish transverse striation, the rest of the wings 

 irrorated and watered with brownish or rust-red almost throughout. Hindwing with two ocelli ; the anterior 

 one oval, distally somewhat flattened, finely margined with black, interiorly tinged with rust-brown and orna- 

 mented with a white curved streak. Posterior eye-spot round, the pupil yellowish with a small white curved 

 streak, the border blackish-dusted, the whole margined with ochreous and finely surrounded with rust-brown. 

 Between the two, arranged in a crescent, three round light spots or patches are noticeable in the striated sur-. 

 face, the posterior two sometimes white-pupilled. In the distal marginal area two rather distinct rust-brown 



