42 



AFRICAN MIMETIC BUTTERFLIES 



EUPHAEDRA RUSPINA. 



Hewitson, Exot. Butt. {Romalaeosoma) , pi. ii, ff. 6, 7 (1865). 

 Staudinger, Exot. Schmet., i, p. 148, pi. 51 (1885). 

 Aurivillius, Rhop. Aeth., p. 185 (1898). 



Plate III, Fig. 12. 



The genus Euphaedra comprises a number of large-bodied butterflies essentially natives 

 of Tropical Africa, about forty species being described. They are for the most part dark 

 coloured with a greenish or bluish gloss, and with a pale sub-apical bar on the fore-wings. 

 Some species have more or less red on the wings and the body conspicuously spotted with 

 white. Amongst the latter we find ruspina, which presents in both sexes and on both surfaces 

 a remarkably close resemblance to the moth Aletis helcita. The species was described and 

 figured by Hewitson in 1865. The mimetic tendency of the genus appears to have reached 

 its maximum development in the present species. In the closely allied E. eleus, Drury, the 

 female is very similar to ruspina, but the male still retains the typical greenish suffusion 

 on the apical area of the fore- wings. In both the male and female eleus the sub-apical white 

 bar is less conspicuous, and the mimicry of Aletis does not extend to the under surface as 

 in ruspina. In a third species, E. zampa, Westw., the transition is still more beautifully 

 illustrated. In this species the female has the red ground-colour with a narrow white sub- 

 apical bar on the fore-wings. In the male the typical dark-green colour prevails, the red 

 being only present as a basal suffusion on the hind-wings and an exceedingly faint but 

 similar suffusion on the fore-wings. The sub-apical bar is formed by four smaU separate spots 

 of a creamy white colour. In these three species there is, therefore, a perfect gradation from 

 the typical green of the genus to the brick-red which in ruspina produces in both sexes 

 such a striking resemblance to the moth A. helcita, whilst in each case, as we should expect, 

 the female shows the most advanced mimetic development. As is usual in genera exhibiting 

 mimetic tendencies, the species of Euphaedra are exceedingly liable to variation, showing 

 thereby the comparative instability of pattern which enables the selective forces to produce 

 such striking counterfeits of other and better protected species. Ruspina is a West African 

 insect, the example figured was received from the Gaboon district. 



TELIPNA SANGUINEA. 



Plotz, Stet. Ent. Zeit., xli, p. 198 (1880). 

 Smith and Kirby, Rhop. Exot., i, p. 2, pi. i, ff. 3, 4 (1887). 

 Dewitz (anneckei), D. E. Z., xxx, p. 427, pi. 11, ff. 2, 2 a (1886). 

 Staudinger (acraea), Exot. Schmet., i, pi. 94 (1887). 

 Aurivillius, Rhop. Aeth., p. 257 (1898). 



Plate III, Fig. 13. 



The African region is remarkable for the prevalence of Lycaenid mimics, a fact which 

 has been discussed at some length by Professor Poulton (Trans. Ent. Soc, 1902). Having 

 shown that the fact is not due to unusual richness of species, he arrives at the conclusion 

 that it is caused in all probabihty by the ' number of feasible models of moderate and small 

 size furnished by the abundant Acraeinae of Africa '. He also points out that the habits of 

 the latter assist the growth of mimetic forms. ' The numerous low-flying and low-setthng 

 Acraeas, resting at night on grass stems, have precisely the mode of life which is well known 

 to be characteristic of such a large number of Lycaenidae.' 



T. sanguinea would appear to be a rather variable species, or there may be several 

 closely allied forms. Haase depicts it as having a bright red ground-colour whilst the figure in 

 Kirby and Smith's ' Rhopalocera Exotica' shows the species of a dark brick-red. Those authors 



