RHOPALOCERA. 
Family II.— ERYOINIDiE. 
Urychiidce, Swains., "Phil. Mag., Ser. II. vol. i. p. 187 (1827)." 
Eri/cvu'des and Libythides, Boisd., Sp. Gen. Lep., i. pp. 164 and 167 (1836). 
Erycinidce (excl. Thedinc^, &c.). Swains., Hist, and Nat. Arrangem. Ins., 
p. 94 (1840). 
Enjcinidm, Westw., Intr, Mod. Class. Ins., ii. p. 357 (1840). 
Erycinidce SiTid Lib ytheidce, Westw., Gen. D. Lep., ii. pp. 412, 415 (185 i), 
Erycinidce, Bates, Journ. Ent., 1861, p. 220; 1864, p. 176. 
Lemoniidce, Kirby, Syn. Cat. Diurn. Lep., p. 282 {187 1). 
Imago. — First pair of legs small and slender; in tlie $ much 
aborted, the tarsus being without articulations or terminal claws j in 
the $ longer, the tarsus fully developed and with terminal claws. 
Larva. — Of ordinary elongate form, or rather short and subonisci- 
form, usually more or less pubescent ; second segment sometimes bear- 
ing dorsally two erect spines. 
Pupa. — Suspended vertically or obliquely by the tail only, or 
horizontally by the tail and a silken girdle. 
The only constant characters apparently prevailing throughout this 
extensive Family (containing 69 genera and about 900 species) are 
those afforded by the fore-legs, which differ so remarkably in the sexes. 
These organs are in the female, besides the complete development of 
the tarsi, sometimes twice as large as in the male. Other features 
characteristic of these butterflies are the usually very small and slender 
palpi — often scarcely noticeable from above ; the three-branched sub- 
costal nervure of the fore-wings ; the slenderness of the body ; the 
smoothness of the middle and hind legs, and the small size of their 
terminal claws ; and the thin and fragile structure of the wings ; — but 
all these characters, as Mr. H. W. Bates remarks in his Ccttalogue of 
the Erycinidce {Journ. Linn. Soc. Lond., IX. Zool., p. 367, 1868), are 
liable to many exceptions. Though amazingly varied in form, colouring, 
and pattern, the insects of this group are all of small size, — the largest 
of them (Stcdaclitis and Sospitci) being less than 2^ inches in expanse of 
wings, the great majority of much smaller stature, and many (such as 
Mesene, Calychia, Parnes, Anteros) among the smallest known butterflies. 
Mr. Bates, who paid special attention to them in the Amazons 
Valley, describes {loc. cit) the habits of the Erycinidce as very varied. 
VOL. II. A 
