340 



MORPHO. By H. Fruhstorfer. 



ntgresceiis. 



and submarginal spots on the upper surface are also considerably enlarged. Together with $$ with the 

 under surface marbled with brown occurs also, though extremely rarely, a black-spotted form ($-f. nigrescens 

 form, nov.), which is before me from the provinces of Parana to Rio Grande do Sul. catenarius inhabits southern 

 Brazil from Sao Paulo to Santa Catharina. Larva according to Dr. Wilhelm MIiller on Inga semialata; 

 head bright red with hairs of the same colour, body black, red and yellow, with a broad black lateral stripe 

 and a yellow, black-edged mark in the median line. Larva in small companies (20 — ^30). The caterpillars 

 cover some leaves of the food-plant -with webs, look Hke red lumps and are extremely conspicuous. The pupa 

 on the whole resembles that of Morpho achillides Fldr. Like Heliconius besckei catenarius is one of the 

 characteristic butterflies of Santa Catharina. In contrast to Morpho anaxihia, which only occurs in the timber- 

 forests, it frequents rather the underwood, is fond of flying along broad bridle-paths, so far as they run 

 near the rivers, and does not even avoid the neighbourhood of human habitations. Anyone who rides through 

 the country in Santa Catharina from the middle of February to the beginning of April and travels any great 

 distance, will probably observe on calm sunny days as many as 500 — 800 of these sluggish Morphids floating along as 

 if lost in a dream. In the year 1889 I found it very easy to take 80 — 100 examples in one day near the orchards 

 and among the tall bamboos on the banks of the Capivary River. Examples which have been on the wing 

 longer also come to spread-out fruit-bait and it is only these which are occasionally observed settled on wet 

 places in the primeval forests on the Alto Uruguay. — ■ In northern Argentina and some districts of Rio 

 argentinus. Grande do Sul we meet "with a smaller geographical variety: argentinus Fnihst. (68 c). On the upper surface 

 of the foremng the distal patches are no longer confluent with the submarginal band, but separate ; the black 

 spotting is also appreciably reduced on the upperside of the hindwing and the marbling of the under surface 

 is likewise more delicate. The extreme of the reduction in the markings is found in (J(J from Rio Grande 

 efigurata. de Sul, which have no black or brown spots at all on the under surface except the median ocelli (= efigurata 

 form, nov.) According to ALiBiLDE the larva is extremely gay in colouring and occurs from March to November 

 on various forest trees. 20 — 30 always inhabit a nest of leaves and fine t\^ags, which one might take for a 

 wonderful flower, or they sit in a Hghtly spun web. In November and December they change to the pupae, 

 from which the imagines appear in 20 — ^30 days. The butterflies are then very common from January to 

 March, but become constantly more rare until April, which is already appreciably cool. According to Bxjr- 

 meister, who figured the larva of M. catenarms and laertes in 1878, catenarius (argentinus) is not rare in Uru- 

 guay, very common in the Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Entrerios, and was formerly observed also 

 to the south of the Rio de la Plata and several times even taken at Buenos Ayres. 



polyphe- M. polyphemus DM. cfe Hew. (68 c) differs from its Brazilian relatives in the chalky wliite upper surface 



inus. q£ both wings with delicate mother-of-pearl gloss, and also in the projecting apex of the forewing and the 

 sharp teeth of the hindwing. On the upper surface the black distal bordering is absent and the discocellular 

 shows only a C£uite narrow stripe. The ocelli of the forewing are larger than in catetiarius, those of the hind- 

 luna. wing more distinctly wliite-centred. As luna Butler has described an aberration from Mexico with the black 

 spots on both wings miusually well develojDed. The flight of polyphemus is extremely rapid and irregular, 

 and according to God>l\x and Salvin the species ascends in Guatemala to 4000 ft. and is often met with 

 near the ground in villages or also high up round the tops of trees in the timber-forest. Distributed from 

 Mexico to Guatemala and Nicaragua, occasionally also occurring in Panama. 



M. achilles designates a collective species which shows representatives in the whole tropical region 

 of South America. Almost every restricted locality has its o-\vn achilles form and the races inhabit both 

 the tropical Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the faunistic region. It is very interesting to observe its gra- 

 dations in colouring, wliich illustrate very beautifuUj- how the blue colour changes step by step. All the bran- 

 ches are ahke characterized by the romided forewing and a black distal border (variable according to the 

 locality), accompanied b}^ a more or less distinct darkening of the basal half of the wings. The copulatory 

 organs are of the simplest structure. Uncus short, shghtly chitinized, point feebly curved, at the ventral 

 side without the swelhngs so characteristic of 31. achillaena Hbn. Valve broad, ventrally somewhat flattened, 

 with the usual dorsal pad, near the dorsal end -svith two distinct teeth, distally with long bristles. Penis 

 characterized by a distinct horn-hke tooth, in this contrasting -with the 7nenelaus group and the species of the 

 subgenus Iphimedeia. Larva rather large, cj^lindrical, of yellowish grey ground-colour, with two irregular 

 brown dorsal stripes, at the sides with confused striation and spotting, on some segments two tufts of red- 

 brown hairs, with shorter hair-pencils at the side and on the fourth and fifth segment. Head densely clothed 

 Avith stiff hairs and with two short horns at its posterior end. Pupa elongate oval vnXh two short conical horns 

 on the head and of transparent green colour. Larva mostly singly on a Platymiscium (Schatz). The butter- 

 flies keep to damp places in the woods, rise but little above the ground and sometimes drink at wet spots. 

 In Santa Catharina I did not succeed in baiting this species -nath fruit as can be done, for instance, -with M. 

 'catenarius. The deUmitation of the separate races is stiU quite uncertain; in the first place there is a lack 



