6 
SOUTII-AFKICAN BUTTERFLIES. 
represented by two irregular wliitisli transverse rays, interiorly broadly 
bordered and in parts intruded on by dark-brown clouding, — a similar 
patcb of the clouding being present on bind-margin about extremity of 
radial nervule ; in a third example, only the whitish ray near base is 
indistinctly represented, while the whole discal region and lower half of 
discoidal cell (up to base and a straight line through the cell) is dull 
fuscous-brown ; and in the fourth example the whole surface is almost 
uniformly grey, the rays being faintly shown by a glossier paler cloud- 
ing, and the intermediate parts by some ochreous tinting, — at extremity 
of cell an ill-defined blackish spot. 
$ Similar to except that the markings generally are larger, 
especially the bar across hind-wing. Under side. — More uniform than 
in and nearly resembling that of the fourth J example above de- 
scribed, but ivith a decided glaucous-green tint both in hind- wing and 
in apical region of fore-wing ; any trace of paler bars in hind- wing 
being obsolete, or nearly so. 
In the $ the fore-wings are more prolonged apically than in the 
$ ; but the hind-wings are alike in both sexes, the costal prominence 
beyond middle being very slight, while the projection at the extremity 
of the first median nervule is very well developed, forming a broad tail 
or process I'uth inch in length. The palpi of the ^ are longer and more 
attenuated than those of the 
This Lihjthea is very nearly allied to L, Lcd)daca^ Westw., a native 
of Sierra Leone, Camaroons, Angola, and Congo (see Genera of Diurnal 
Lepidoptera^ vol. ii. p. 413 note, pi. Ixviii. f. 6). The South- African 
form may, however, be readily distinguished by the more produced and 
angulated fore-wings and by the greater prominence of the projection 
in the hind-wings. The markings of the upper side are all larger, paler, 
and more fulvous than in Labdaca ; in the fore-wings the conspicuous 
disco-cellular bar is a feature wanting or very indistinctly represented 
in the West- African species, which, moreover, possesses a dull-fulvous 
or greyish irregular marking (between large discal spot and submedian 
nervure) absent in Laius ; and in the hind-wings, the transverse bar is 
nearly straight instead of arched or concave interiorly, as in Labdaca^ 
and the separate spot between the subcostal nervures is peculiar to 
Laius. As regards the under side, the Labdaca (I have not 
examined the ^) is very much like the more strongly-marked ? s of 
the South- African insect ; but the fulvous-ochreous in fore-wing is 
limited to a short basi-disco-cellular bar. 
The genus Lihythea, so widely distributed over the earth, yet containing 
so very few species, was not apparently known to possess any African repre- 
sentative until Westwood {loc. cit.) in 1851 described and figured the species 
from Sierra Leone already mentioned. In 1866 I described {Trails. Ent. 
Sac. Lo7id., Ser. iii. vol. v. p. 337) as L. Ctnyras Si scarce Lib i/tJiea, mhsibiting 
Mauritius and Madagascar, and noted at the same time that Mr. Waller, of 
the Zambesi Mission, had shown me a Libythea taken near the Shir6 River, 
which I judged from recollection might be the same species. Since the dis- 
