352 MORPHO. By H. Frxjhstoeber. 



composed of only one (Parana) or of three divisions. In the extreme south of its range, in Rio Grande do Sul, 

 pelias. occurs a small form, pelias subsp. nov. (69 c), the S of ^^'hich is decidedly lighter above, more whitish blue; 

 the $ has somewhat more distmct whiti^ median dots on the forewing and more strongly marked yellow spots 

 in the submargmal area of the hind-ning also. The $ is coloured more like the $ beneath, -ndthout the con- 

 trasting grey areas of the Blumenau form and -n-ithout the uniform bro^ni-yeUow of the $$ from Espiritu 

 Santo. The latter locahty is new for anaxibia; in Staudi^'Ger's time Rio de Janeiro was regarded as the most 

 northern point of its occurrence. According to ]\L\bilde it flies for 15 — 30 days at the end of January and 

 beginning of February and the time of fhght only occasionally extends to the end of 3Iarch. I myself observed 

 anaxibia in large numbers in Santa Cathariiaa, in February, particrdarly m a side vaUey of the Capivary River. 

 Here a crystal waterfall sprinkled the roots of the forest giants and thiis provided a centre of attraction for 

 butterfUes of all sorts. As a -n-ild beast seeks out certaiii set tracks in order to reach the water, so anaxibia 

 also haunts this spot daily, follo'wing up accidental clearings in order to gain the cascade, as if they also sought 

 there for cooling refreshment among the softly rustling arches of the tall bamboos shaken and bedewed by the 

 foaming water. They did not arrive in companies but singly, saihng quietly along, but nevertheless after 

 heavy rain the sand-banks before the rocks of the river were strewed with the glittering blue mngs of dead 

 anaxibia and aega which the water washed up. The 2 is extraordinarily rare and on hot days rests in the 

 morning hours with the wings closed in wet places in the forest-paths where it can imbibe the moisture." It is 

 then so well concealed by the red under surface, which differs but little from the surrounding ground, that 

 it is usually only noticed by the collector when it is too late. According to VOK B6xNrNrGHATJSE:tc anaxibia is 

 common in March on the Corcovado. — Larva on Canella and one of the Myrtaceae "Grumexama", elonga,te, 

 appreciably thickened in the middle, head with two lateral, not very distinctly projecting tubercles with long 

 bristles. Head shining yellowish horn-colom', covered with small rounded pitting and dots, with fine white hairs 

 and Math strong red-brown bristles. Body yellow, sides densely clothed with fine woolly hairs, back gaily colour- 

 ed, the first two segments fmely haired, on the third to the sixth segment long lateral tufts of bristles, then 

 a varied mixture of black, bordeaux-red and white. The 5th and 6th segments naked, the 7th and 8th 

 with a St. Andrew's cross-shaped figm-e, the four ends of which are adorned -nrith gay tufts of bristles. Anus 

 with t-n^o lateral bunches of bristles and the begiiuiing of the last segment, hke the anterior ones, armed with 

 brightly coloured hairs. Over the back runs a rather broad band Avith the inner edge distinct, the outer 

 broken up into marbling. All the segments fm'ther with a double red lateral line. Underside mth red-brown 

 patches between the legs. Pupa posteriorly strongly swollen, short, light green with yellowish wing-cases and 

 sharpty clef ined 3'ellow-white ring shortly behind the thickest part of the body. Head with two fine, pointed 

 black horns; in general smaller, weaker, slighter than those of Jlorpho hercules Dalm. In the yeUo«dsh ring the 

 pupa of anaxibia also differs from that of M. mtenarius Perty. In Sta. Catharina pupation takes place approxi- 

 mately from the 15th of Januarj' to the 1st of March. 



M. menelaus, one of the historic species, received its illustrious name from LrtsisE and weU deserves it on 

 account of its imposing size, which gives it a preeminence comparable to that of that hero of ancient mytho- 

 logy, menelaus has at the same time a very wide area of distribution, for its numerous branches have spread 

 over the enthe tropical region and we meet with them from Guiana to Santa Catharina and on the Pacific side 

 from Colombia to the lowlands of Bolivia, so that its range about agrees with that of M. achilles and achillaena. 

 In Colombia a new brancn ^as developed from the old stirps, producing in amatlionte Deyr. a representative 

 form which almost claims ranji as a species. In contrast to acJiilles, however, which towards the south decreases 

 in size and loses in beauty, it is in its subtropical representatives nestira and godarti that metielaiis attams the 

 maximum of its development and of its brilliance. Its extremes of variation are illustrated by oiu' figm-es 69 c 

 and b for the qq ^^^ ''1 1^ ^nd 70b for the $2. On the under surface aU the menelaus forms agree in 

 havmg the ocelli ringed vAth. red, while in amatlionte they are bordered with yellow. According to the locality 

 the intensity of the proximal bordermg of the ocelh varies, from a dull bronze-green tinge nearly to glossy 

 silver-white. Ec^uaUy variable is the colour of the submarginal area of both wings, which may be dull grey, 

 greenish piirple and even vinous. 2 always considerably larger than the $, mth more or less copious white 

 dots and mecUan bands on the forewing. 22 not so extremely rare as those of the adonis-rlietenor group. Con- 

 cerning the early stages nothing fmther is known than that the egg is about 2 mm. in diameter, hemispherical, 

 not shining but diill grey-white and somewhat transparent. The 2 probably lays about 2 dozen of these dis- 

 proportionately large eggs, and oviposition seems to proceed slowly. Tegumen mth relatively shortened uncus, 

 Avhich is strikingh' thickened basally and has an abruptlj" marked-off , chitinized, sharp point and two finger- 

 shaped, luiiformly thick lateral processes. Valve rounded, broad vdth distally chitinized pad, which sho'n s a few lar- 

 ger and many smaU teeth. Valve distally with long bristles. Penis long, membranous, ^^ithout the pronounced teeth 

 of the M. achilles group, menelaus leaves its nightlj- hiding-place as early as 8 o'clock in the morning, when the. 

 smi is only begmrung to send its rays obliquely through the leaf thing of the forest giants, and commences 

 to sail along in great undulating sweeps. Against the dark gree- _• huge butterfly appears even larger when 



