78 



AFRICAN MIMETIC BUTTERFLIES 



PSEUDACRAEA KUNOWI. 



Dewitz, Nov. Act. Ac. Nat. Cur. (42), ii, p. 198, pi. 2, f. 6 (1879). 

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



Plate VIII, Figs. 5, 7. 



This rare species was orginally described by Dewitz from a single male specimen 

 taken in the western upper reaches of the Congo. It is a very perfect mimic in both 

 sexes of Planema poggei, and like Ps. hohleyi it apparently occurs more commonly 

 near Entebbe, where P. poggei is especially abundant, in fact all the specimens I have 

 seen are from that region. It still remains extremely rare. As a species it is very distinct, 

 there being no nearly allied form at present known. ^ It is remarkable that whereas P. hohleyi is 

 sexually dimorphic and mimics the two sexes of P .macarista,P .kunowi is similar in both sexes. 



PSEUDACRAEA HOBLEYI. 



Neave, Novit. Zool., xi, p. 331 (1904). 



— (tirikensis) , I.e., p. 332 (1904). 



Plate VII, Fig. 6, ?. Plate VIII, Fig. 8, 

 This Pseudacraea, the male of which bears so close a resemblance to Planema poggei 

 and P. macarista, also bears in that sex a great similarity to the preceding species of its own 

 genus. It may be recognized, however, at once, without examination of minute details, 

 by the fact that there are two black internervular rays between the submedian and the first 

 median in the hind-wing instead of one as in P. kunowi. It may also be distinguished by the 

 prominent black spots in the basal area of the hind-wing, and in the cell of the fore-wing, and 

 by its generally rather less expanse of wing. As in P. kunowi the mimicry extends to the under- 

 side. P. hohleyi is a rather variable species, some examples of the male having the orange bar 

 extending to the hind- wings, and the richness of this colour also varies considerably in different 

 specimens. It may be noted that the extension of the orange to the hind-wings also occurs 

 occasionally in the model, and frequently in Acraea alciope ? aurivillii. P. hohleyi presents 

 a very interesting case of sexual dimorphism. The female was first described from three 

 examples, two of which were at first thought to be males, and the species was named tirikensis. 

 A further examination, however, assisted by the acquisition of more material^ showed that 

 the form tirikensis was always female, and further that hohleyi was always male. As the two 

 forms always occur together, there can be little doubt that they are the sexes of one species for 

 which the name hohleyi, originally given to the male form, must stand. A careful examination 

 of the extensive material at the Tring Museum has further convinced me that hohleyi and 

 tirikensis are the sexes of the same species, and also that they are the eastern representatives 

 of the western Pseudacraea simulator, Butler, the male of which is very like that of P. hohleyi, 

 but has the hind-wings tawny, the black spots more prominent, and the fore-wing band less 

 distinct. The female P. simulator is not unlike the female P. hohleyi {tirikensis), but has 

 a brownish-white basal area in the hind-wings, upon which the usual black spots are more 

 prominent than upon the dark basal area of hohleyi. The sexes of P. simulator mimic those 

 of Planema excisa, Butler, or an allied form. The female P. hohleyi is, as will be seen from 

 the figure, a very perfect mimic of the female of a large black and white female of Planema 

 macarista (Plate VII, Fig. 3). The sexes of many butterflies have quite different habits, 

 and thus we may account in the first place for the resemblance between the dimorphic 

 sexes of P. simulator and those of Planema excisa. As we proceed eastwards to Uganda, 

 P. simulator is represented by P. hohleyi, the sexes of which find suitable models in the 

 dimorphic Planema macarista. Pseudacraea hohleyi has so far only been received from the 

 neighbourhood of Entebbe, where it occurs not uncommonly in company with its two models. 



^ Since the above was written I incline to the belief that Ps. goithergi is closely allied to this species. 



