SOUTH-AFRICAN BUTTERFLIES. 
spicuous. Fore-iving : pale-red very faint, both in wide space and at 
apex. Hind-wing : basal black well marked, and enclosing two or 
three conspicuous creamy-white spots ; other black spots as above, but 
more distinct ; spots in hind-marginal border larger, creamy-white, six, 
with a seventh (between first median nervule and submedian nervule) 
incompletely enclosed interiorly ; vaguely-defined rufous clouding on 
costa at base, along inner edge of hind-marginal border, and along inner 
margin . 
$ Similar, usually rather paler and duller, and with the spots often 
smaller. 
An example ("? $ ), captured in Socotra by Professor J. B. Balfour, has been 
noted and figured by Mr. A. G. Butler in Proc. Zool. Soc. Loiid., 1881, p. 177, 
pi. xviii. f. 5. This specimen has the blackish spots unusually large throughout, 
and the rufous colouring on the under side of the hind-wings is represented as 
less diffused, and forming distinct inter-nervular rays. In these respects it is 
nearer to the Abyssinian example figured by Reiche {op. cit.) than to specimens 
from the more southern parts of Africa. 
Two ^ specimens captured on the Gold Coast by Lieut. Richards, R.K, 
and presented by him to the South-African Museum, are unusually large (ex- 
panding 2 in. 8-9 lin.), and less rufous than usual, with the spots of hind-wing 
very well marked. 
The species is closely allied to A. Horta, and may be said to occupy a posi- 
tion between that species and A, Mahela, Boisd., of Madagascar. From the 
former insect it constantly differs in its paler and duller ground-colour, in having 
spots on the fore-wings heijoud, as well as in and below the discoidal cell, and 
in the complete black border of the hind-wings, which encloses the spots of the 
ground colour ; its abdomen in both sexes being much paler than that of Horta, 
owing to the greater width (in most instances confluence) of the pale ochreous 
markings. The whitish spots on the head and on the back and pectus of the 
thorax are much more conspicuous, especially in the 9 > which possesses in 
addition a spot behind each eye, two spots on back of mesothorax, and two 
salmon-reddish spots on back of first abdominal segment. From A. Mahela 
{Faune Entom. de Madagascar, p. 31, pi. vi. fig. i) the well-marked border of 
the hind- wings readily distinguishes it, the Madagascarene Acrcea having only 
small fuscous spots at the extremities of the nervules ; but the other markings 
are almost identical in the two butterflies, except that Neohule, like Horta, 
possesses some short reddish rays at the apex of the fore-wungs, and has gene- 
rally smaller spots than those of Mahela, besides being much more rufous in 
general colouring. 
Localities of Acrcea NeobuU. 
1. South Africa. 
B. Cape Colony. 
a. Western Districts. — Victoria West (Kenhart : F. Chittenden). 
b. Eastern Districts. — Bathurst (Kowie River Mouth: Plant). Coles- 
berg (A. F. Ortlepp). 
d. Basutoland (Maseru : J. H. Boivlier). 
E. Natal. 
a. Coast Districts. — D'Urban. 
h. Upper Districts. — Estcourt (/. M. Hutchinson). 
K. Transvaal. — Potchefstroom {T. Ayres). Vaal and Hart Rivers [T. 
Ayres). Upper Limpopo River {F. G. Selous). 
