GENERA OF AFRICAN LYCAENIDAE 



93 



Genus HEWITSONIA Kirby 



Hewitsonia Kirby, 1871, Cat. Diurn. Lep. : 426, nom. nov. pro Corydon Hewitson, 1869 (///. 

 Diurn. Lep. Suppl. : 1), praeocc. ; Aurivillius, 1898 : 294 ; 1920 : 359. Type-species : 

 Corydon boisduvali Hewitson, 1869, by monotypy. 



Eyes large, glabrous ; palpi long, ascending, distinctly protruding beyond the irons, second 

 segment robust, clothed below with adpressed scales, third segment slender, acuminate ; 

 antennae long, slender, with a poorly differentiated, gradually swollen club ; 3* f° re tibia long, 

 its unsegmented tarsus finely spinose below. 



Wing venation (Text-fig. 271). On the hind wing the lower discocellular is straight, not 

 concave as in Epitola so that the cell is not drawn out at its lower angle. 



Male genitalia (Text-fig. 88) : uncus crescentic, its posterior margin very slightly excised, 

 joined to the tegumen by a lightly sclerotized zone, which appears translucent under the 

 microscope ; subunci long, fairly robust, curved, tapering gradually to the apex ; tegumen 

 subtriangular ; vinculum moderately broad and prolonged to form a long saccus bearing at its 

 tip a tuft of long black scales ; valves oblong with rounded apices as in Epitola ; penis robust, 

 gently curved, ending in a sharp point, widely open dorsally ; uncus densely clothed with long, 

 fine hair, apex of the valves bearing short hairs. 



I have examined the male genitalia of Hewitsonia similis, H. kirbyi and H. 

 magdalenae. Those of H. bitjeana have been figured by Joicey and Talbot (1921, 

 Bull. Hill Mus. Withy 1, pi. 8, fig. 3). These four species are all very similar to 

 boisduvalii . In a recent work Jackson (1964: 3) has figured the genitalia of H. 

 mittoni. In this the dorsal structures and the valves are clearly of the Hewitsonia 

 type, but the penis shows the rounded dorsal expansions which are present in 

 Phytala and certain species of Epitola. 



The caterpillar and chrysalis of H. intermedia have been described by T. H. E. 

 Jackson (1937, Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond. 86 : 209). The caterpillar feeds on lichens. 

 It resembles that of some species of Lymantriidae ; fore part of body wider than 

 hind part, dorsum smooth, sides and extremity fringed with long, fine hairs, and on 

 each segment some shorter, thicker light brown silky hairs. 



The chrysalis of H. similis has been described and figured by Eltringham (1922, 

 Trans, ent. Soc. Lond. 1921: 478, pi. 12, fig. 2). 



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Fig. 88. Hewitsonia boisduvali boisduvali Hewitson, o* genitalia. 



