MIMETIC ASSOCIATIONS 



69 



PAPILIO RIDLEYANUS. 



White, An. N. H., xii, p. 262, f. p. 264 (1843). 



Doubleday, Hew. and Westw., Gen. Di. Lep., p. 8, pi. 3, f. 3 (1846). 

 Aurivillius, Synonymy, Rhop. Aeth., p. 479 (1898). 



Plate VI, Fig. 7, o^. 



This species is somewhat widely distributed in Africa, extending from the west coast 

 to Lake Victoria Nyanza, and I have received it in considerable numbers from Entebbe, 

 taken with Acraea egina at the same time and place. The female is rare in collections. 

 It differs from the male in having much more rounded fore-wings, the dark areas of which 

 are more translucent, and there is a tendency to an ochreous suffusion about the inner angle 

 of the hind-wings. The beautiful red colour of this butterfly is variable and fleeting, and 

 appears to fade even during the life of the insect. Very fresh specimens are usually of an 

 exceptionally rich and brilliant coloration. P. ridleyanus bears a close resemblance to the 

 red and black Acraeas, and especially to egina, with which it flies.^ In the Congo State it 

 has been taken with Acraea rogersi, the male of which somewhat resembles A. egina but 

 is larger and has a greater extent of red in the hind- wings. 



ACRAEA ORINA. 



Hewitson, Ent. Mo. Mag., xi, p. 130 (1874). 



— Exot. Butt., Acraea, pi. 7, ff. 43, 48 (1875). 



— (5 oreta), 1. c, p. 131 ; 1. c, f. 42. 



Aurivillius (ab. nigroapicalis), Ent. Tidskr., xiv, p. 275 (1893). 

 Oberthiir (ab. orinata), Etud. d'Ent., xvii, p. 22, pi. 2, f. 22 (1893). 

 Aurivillius, Rhop. Aeth., p. 113 {1898). 



Plate VI, Fig. 11. 



This common Acraea extends from Sierra Leone to Lake Victoria Nyanza, several 

 examples having been taken at Entebbe, whence I have also received it. It varies in different 

 examples in the extent of the red markings, and in some West African specimens the wings 

 are almost transparent, and the red colour has a pale and faded appearance. The sexes 

 are similar in appearance. 



.PSEUDACRAEA CLARKI. 



Butler, Trans. Ent. Soc, p, 201, pi. 10, ff. i, la (1892). 

 Aurivillius, Rhop. Aeth., p. 175 (1898). 



Plate VI, Fig. 14. 



At present this Pseudacraea is exceedingly rare. The single example in my own collec- 

 tion I received from Cameroon. It differs slightly from Butler's figure in the extent of the 

 red markings. So far as is at present known it occurs only in West Africa, though in view 

 of the wide range of the model, Acraea orina, we may not unreasonably expect it to have 

 a wider distribution than has so far been disclosed.^ 



without significance. Meanwhile some interesting 

 remarks by Mr. F. A. Heron on the subject of size in 

 this connexion are recorded in the ' Proceedings of the 

 Entomological Society ' of 1903, pp. Ixv, Ixvi. After 

 pointing out the probably defective sense of vision 

 in regard to size, possessed by laterally-eyed insecti- 

 vorous birds as compared with the frontal-eyed 

 predatory birds, it was suggested that the size of 

 a distasteful insect would impress an insectivorous 

 bird less than would its colour and pattern, just as 



a person might take immediate note of a poison label 

 without paying much attention to its size. 



^ It is worth noting (as Mr. Trimen has pointed 

 out to me) that Godart (1. c. p. 66) actually described 

 a 5 of this Papilio as a 5 of his Acraea zidora. The 

 type (the Papilio) is in the Edinburgh Museum. 



2 The Charaxes acraeoides of Druce (Ann. and Mag. 

 Nat. Hist., Ser. 8, vol. ii, Nov. 1908) is described as 

 somewhat resembling the above species. It is e.xceed- 

 ingly rare, only one example being at present known. 



