56 
SOUTH-AFEICAN BUTTERFLIES. 
Genus AMAURIS. 
Amauris, Hiibner, Yerz. Bek. Schmett., p. 14 (1816). 
Danais, E. Doubl., Gen. Diurn. Lep., i. p. 89 (1847), [Part]. 
Amauris, Reakirt, " Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., 1866, p. 240." 
„ Butler, Lep. Exot., p. 54 (1870). 
Imago. — Characters of Danais, except the following, viz., Antennce 
rather longer, with the club more abruptly formed, thicker, and curved ; 
palpi with the third joint longer, more porrect. Fore-wings with the 
disco-cellular nervules forming a much more obtuse angle (or even a 
continuous curve only) at junction of lower radial nervule. Hind-ivings 
with discoidal cell longer, and wider near its extremity ; sexual badge 
of the 6 not a distinct sac, but a double, elongated, shining patch, near 
anal angle, divided by the submedian nervure. Abdomen rather longer, 
and more distinctly thickened posteriorly. 
Larva. — With five pairs of divergent subdorsal filaments, on the 
2nd, 4th, 6th, I ith, and 12th segments (A. Echeria). 
Pupa. — Gibbous, moderately angulated. 
The structural distinctions from Danais are so slight, that, without 
the additional characters presented by the larva and pupa, the peculiar 
fades of the group, and its absolute limitation to the Ethiopian Region, 
I should have hesitated to follow Reakirt and Butler in treating 
Amauris as a distinct genus. 
The ten or eleven species known are all black or brownish-black, 
with extremely conspicuous, semi-transparent, white (rarely ochrey- 
yellow) spots and patches. In A. OcMea, Nossima, and dominicanus, 
the white patches are so much enlarged as to occupy half the area of 
the wings, but in A. Niavius they are much reduced, and in the others 
still smaller and more broken into spots. The hind-wing patch, so 
conspicuous and largely developed in the majority of the species, 
becomes smaller in A. Damocles, very small in A. inferna, and altogether 
disappears in A. Vashti. Seven of the species (including the three 
South- African ones, A. Echeria, A. Ochlea, and A. dominicanus) are very 
accurately mimicked by butterflies of quite different groups (Nymplia- 
lince and Papilionince), and it is probable that the remaining species 
will also be found to have their faithful imitators in the countries 
where they occur. 
Of the three species inhabiting Southern Africa, only A. Echeria, 
Stoll, is at all widely distributed, being found in wooded spots very 
generally, but not, as far as I know, occurring farther westward than 
the Knysna District of the Cape Colony. The very striking and con- 
spicuous A. dominicanus^ mihi, and A. Ochlea, Boisd,, have not hitherto 
been recorded south of D'Urban in Natal. All the species of Amauris 
appear to be strictly sylvan in their haunts, but I have taken A. 
Phcedon, Fab., in Mauritius, on flowers in gardens at some little distance 
from the woods. 
