NYMPH ALINiE. 
317 
inferiorly, and four others at its extremity round base of pedicel ; back 
of thorax globosely prominent, not ridged. 
Charaxes shares with the South- American genera Aganisthos^ Agrias, 
and Frepona the distinction of being the most massively-formed as well as 
the swiftest of known Nym2:)haliiice. There seems structurally to be little 
or no difference warranting the separation of either Agrias or Prepona 
from Charaxes^ but they respectively present characteristic pattern and 
coloration, and their males usually have a whorl or tuft of hairs on the 
submedian nervure of the hind-wings. AganistJios and also Megistanis 
(another South- American group, very like Cliaraxes in pattern and out- 
line) are separable at once by the very short fourth subcostal nervule of 
the fore- wings. The great length and downward subterminal flexure of 
this nervule are apparently peculiar to Charaxes^ Agrias^ and Preioona. 
The Ethiopian Region is the metropolis of this large and striking 
genus, but it is fairly represented both in the Oriental and Australian 
Regions, and single species are recorded from the Fijian and New Cale- 
donian Islands, in addition to the well-known Mediterranean G. Jasius^ 
Linn., which is, however, quite African in character. Out of about 
eighty recorded species, fifty are proper to the Ethiopian Region, eight 
of them being peculiar to Madagascar. South Africa has now yielded 
fifteen species, of which five — C. Pelias (Cram.), Ethalion (Boisd.), Phceus, 
Hewits., Xiphares (Cram.), and Cithcewn^ Feld., seem to be endemic. 
In addition to their exceptional strength of structure, the species of 
Charaxes are rendered conspicuous by their size, and by the great beauty 
of their colouring and markings. Except C. Jahlusa (Trim.), Zoolina 
(Westw.), and Neanthes (Hewits.), all the South- African species are 
large, C. XipJia^^es (Cram.) and Castor (Cram.) even attaining an expanse 
of wings of nearly 4^ inches, and several others expanding 3|- inches. 
In the majority, the upper side has the ground-colour blackish, with 
white, ochre-yellow, fulvous, or blue stripes and spots, while the under 
side is often most intricately streaked and marbled with pearly and 
olive-greys, or with many white-bordered shining-black spots on a 
ferruginous ground, and margined with violet or greenish and yellowish 
lunules. In C. Varanes (Cram.) and Neanthes (Hewits.), the under-side 
colouring is beautifully imitative of faded leaves ; and in Jahlusa 
(Trim.), its exquisite grey and silver resembles the shining white bark 
of a tree frequented by the butterfly. In some sections of the genus 
(including that of Xiphares and its allies) the sexes differ very con- 
siderably, not only in size, but in the pattern and colouring of the upper 
side, so that in several cases they have been described as distinct species. 
Nearly all the known species are strictly sylvan, but C. Pelias 
(Cram.) frequents more open mountainous country, settling, however, 
on the taller shrubs or small trees growing in such tracts.-^ I am not 
^ In these habits C. Pelias resembles its near congener C. Jasius, which haunts the 
Arbutus (the food-plant of its larva) on the hills and mountain- sides of the countries border- 
ing the Mediterranean. 
