« 



THE DIUIINAL LEPIDOPTE LtA. 4,'J5 



two species of Ilypanartia, a Tropical- American genus, occur in 

 Africa and Madagascar. South Africa is remarkably poor in 

 species, and can hardly number more than 250. Most of the cha- 

 racteristic genera of Tropical Africa are entirely absent, or very 

 poorly represented, though the number of species peculiar to 

 Southern Africa is very considerable in proportion to the total. 

 A summary of their geographical distribution is given by Mr. 

 Triinen at the end of his ' Rhopalocera Africa? Australis.' 



Dr. Sclater estimates the birds of the ^Ethiopian region at 1250 

 species, or one species to 9600 square miles : but here the defici- 

 ency of known butterflies is still more remarkable than in the 

 Pahearctic region ; for they do not number more than 733, or one 

 species to 16,400 miles nearly. It must be remembered, how- 

 ever, that a very small proportion of Africa has yet been explored 

 entomologically ; but the small number of species known from 

 the best-explored portion (South Africa) proves beyond a doubt 

 that its Lepidopterous fauna is extremely poor, although the 

 greater portion of the species belong to genera almost peculiar to 

 Africa. The insects of Africa are also extremely uniform in cha- 

 racter, the same genera and often the same species occurring in 

 localities so widely removed as Sierra Leone, Mozambique, and 

 Natal. 



III. Indian or Middle JPalceotropical Region. 



"Extent. — India aod Asia generally, south of Himalayas ; 

 Ceylon ; Burinah ; Malacca and Southern China ; Philippines ; 

 Borneo ; Java ; Sumatra and adjacent islands : an area of perhaps 

 4,000,000 square miles." 



Characteristic forms. — Zophoessa, Lethe, Neope, Ccelites, Zethera, 

 Itagadia, Yphthima, Melanitis, Amathusia, Zeuxidia, Discophora, 

 JEnispe, Clerome, JEmona, Thaumantis, Cethosia, Cirrochroa, Cyn- 

 thia, Junonia, JRhinopalpa, Kallvma, Amnosia, Hestina, Euripus, 

 ~Penthema, Lehadea, Limenitis, Neptis, Athyma, JEuthalia, Tanaecia, 

 Symphcedra, Apatura, Char axes, Dodona, Taxila, Miletus, Allo- 

 tinus, Ilerda, Sithon, Deudorix, Lipliyra, Amhlypodia, Tachyris, 

 Prioneris, Dercas, Calinaga,Teinopalpus, Leptocireus, Taractrocera, 

 Tagiades. 



By far the richest district in the world, except South America. 

 The principal characteristic forms are enumerated above ; and 

 these are almost, if not entirely, confined to the Indian region, 

 though several have outlying representatives in Celebes alone — 



