354 



MORPHO. By H. Feuhstoeeee. 



The tufts of bristles predominantly black, at the anterior margin white. — In Rio de Janeiro, on the other 

 ietiuilim- hand, occurs a form mth the distal margin quite considerablj^ reduced, tenuilimbata Fruhst., and the ?? from 

 bata. ^jjjg state are somewhat smaller than those from Blumenau, they are lighter blue, hke the i^^, the white median 

 band of the forewing traversing the -sraig to the middle median vein and not so sharply defiiied. The under 

 surface is altogether less highly coloured, wanting both the copious white dusting and the purple or vinous 

 tinge which adorns nestira. tenuilimbata is one of the ornaments of the landscape in the neighbourhood of Rio 

 de Janeii'o, where it is common in April and May, splendid fresh exemples being met mth especially after heavy 

 rains in the gardens of the villas and in the streets at Corcovado. ]\Iichaelis found tenuilimbata a great rarity 

 in Espiritu Santo, and I have recently seen c?o from ^latto Grosso. Tegumen ^^ith somewhat shorter thumb- 

 shaped lateral protuberances than in menelaus occidentalis Fldr., valve distally more compressed, the dorsal 

 mineiro. pad not dentate, tenuilimbata leads over to mineiro Fruhst. (69 bo, 70 a $), from ]\Iinas Geraes. Length of 

 foreAving in ^ 75 mm., in $ 83 mm., against t^ 90 mm., 2 98 mm. in nestira. A small local form, perhaps 

 only the product of a tract of countrj- in A^hich the dry season is of long diu'ation. q deep blue \\dth the black 

 distal^border of both wings very broad, particularly in comparison with its small size. White costal and apical 

 spots reduced. Under surface : forewing : basal part uniform dark bro'mi, distal area -with, greenish grey scaling. 

 The postdiscal silver spots, ' mostlj^ prominent in nestira, obsolete except for a few atoms. All the oceUi 

 reduced, very small, forewing only \^Tth one eye-spot betA\'een the mediazis. $: black distal border of both wings 

 broader, more uniform, containing more prominent, rounded (not strigiform) white submarginal dots. The 

 white band on the fore-iAing beyond the cell so obscured by the more intensive and distaUy extended blue 

 reflection as to be only observable ia certain hghts. The blue basal tinge on both Avings Lighter. Under surface : 

 oceUi as in the o niuch reduced, the crescents on the forewing more open. The silver ornamentation prosimally 

 to the^ocelli darker, more bronze-colour. ]\linas Geraes. mineiro is analogous to perseus richardi Fruhst. (69 a) 

 from the same district and is similarly dwarfed in habitus and in the form of the oceUi. nestira apparently 

 does not reach Rio Grande do Sul and also seems maable to subsist iu the cby northern provinces, such as Ba- 

 hia and Pernambuco. Although the species is bred in Blumenau nothing has jet been published concerning the 

 ornaia. early stages. — • ornata subsp. nov., named from examples in coll. Staxidixgee, has a broader black distal 

 border, in ^the ?, on the other hand, the white submarginal band of the forewing is reduced. From Casa 

 Braca in the province of Sao Paido, South Brazil. 



M. amathonte, whose specific right has repeatedly and justifiablj' been called in question, can never- 

 theless be easily separated from the forms of the menelaus series bj' having the oceUi on the underside ringed 

 with yellow instead of red. The oS ^'^e about intermediate in the shape of the wings between menelaus and 

 didius, the black apical border as in menelaus, the distal margin very narrow, as in godarti didius. Distributed 

 amatfion^e. from Colombia to Nicaragua. Sphts up into three weU differentiated local forms : amathonte i)e2/r. is one of the 

 characteristic butterflies of consignments from IMuzo, Colombia, and the (J (J are never wanting in the so-called 

 "Bogota lots", which are sold in Germany and England. The $, however, is always rare and differs conside- 

 rablj^ from the cj. o above lighter blue than metielaus with a slight admixture of whitish, recalling M. ado- 

 nis. Under surface somewhat lighter than that of menelaus with, more copious whitish grey powdering on the 

 submarginal part of both vings. The Mhite pupils of the ocelli on the fore-«ing occupy the distal part of 

 the yellow bordering. The white median band, which characterizes centralis, is much shortened, the white dis- 

 centralis, cal patches considerably narrower and even more pointed than in the Central American race. — centralis 

 Stgr. (71 a) is an albinotic geographical form A\ith the qq even lighter blue and more intensively glossj'. The 

 upper surface of the $$ as a rule has the white median bands even broader than our figure shows and traver- 

 sing the entire forewing. The under surface in both sexes, as also in amathonte, of fairly uniform colomnng, but 

 in centralis strikingly pale yeUow-grey with whitish submarginal area on both -nings. Occurs from Panama to 

 Nicaragua, mostly represented in collections by the form from Chiriqui, where it is rather common,^ while at 

 julanthiscus.o\h.ev places it is only met with very sparingly. — julanthiscus Fruhst. comes from Ecuador and A^as originally 

 united with M. didius Hpffr. ; even larger than didius, but more approaching menelaus and godarti in the colouring 

 of the upper surface, having the blue of deeper and duUer tone and not opalescent. The under surface is note- 

 worthj' for the considerably smaller ocelh, which are placed on a darker ground, the metallic decoration is 

 reduced, rather golden than silvery. AH the ocelli with golden bordering. Red antemarginal bands of both 

 wings more intensive and pronounced, as also their black bordering, which is proximally accompanied by a 

 bronze-coloured ornamental band, wanting in didius. The transverse bands in the ceU of the forcA^ing and the 

 proximal gold crests of the ocelU on the hind\i"ing less conspicuous than in didius, more distinct than in 

 assarpai. 2 stiU unknown. Santa luez, Ecuador. 

 godarti. M. godarti Guer., -with the name-type from BoUvia, extends northwards to Peru, where it breaks up into 



one or two local forms, concerning which, in the rarity of specimens, some doubt still exists as to whether they 

 should be joined to one or other of the two species didius and menelaus. Those forms are here regarded and 

 ■treated as godarti in Avhieh the $? have the cell of the forcAving much narrower than those of didius and 

 which at the same time approximate more nearly to menelaus in the darker blue, slighth' violet-tinged upper 

 surface. ,$^ beneath either predominantly pale milk-white or broadly shaded with red-brown. Of the ? there 

 occurs also at Coroico, at elevations of 1200 m., a form with red submarginal spots on the upperside of the 

 forewing. The following two or three branch-races I have had to work out in part from the diagnoses of 

 alexandra. their aiithors and without having seen the originals: — alexandra Heic, described without any indication of 

 locality from an example in coU. LiBEEr of Bowdon near Manchester, decidedly belongs here and not to anaxibia, 



