lO 
SOUTH-AFEICAN BUTTEKFLIES. 
belt of the continent, but this is no doubt partly due to its having been 
better searched for the smaller butterflies. It has representatives of 
17 genera, the species numbering at present 120.-^ Three genera, 
viz., Capys, Hewitson, Bdonmra^ Trim., and Arriigia^ Wallengr., are 
peculiar ; while Almm, Boisd., and LacJmocnema, n.g., do not appear to 
be known from north of the Equator. Zeritis is also a specially South- 
African genus, 2 3 of the 2 8 species known not being found elsewhere. 
The genus most numerously represented is the cosmopolitan Lyccena, 
of which 47 species are recorded; lolaus has 8, Aplcnccus 7, Lyccenes- 
thes 6, and Hypolycmna 5 South- African species. Of the remaining 
genera, there are oi Dmdorix and D'TIrhania each 4 species, of Arrugia 
3, Myrina, Chrysorychia^ and Lachnocnema 2, while the five others 
have each but a single representative. 
^The Lyccenidce exhibit no power of sustained flight, although many 
of them are very active, and some even swift in their motions. They 
keep very much about particular spots, and many of them (such as 
Thecla and Lyccena) are decidedly gregarious. Some of the finest 
species of Myrina^ lolaus^ &c., remain always about a special bush or 
tree, returning repeatedly to it when disturbed, and seldom taking 
wing when unmolested. These and many of the ground-loving species 
of Zeritis can, with caution, be captured by hand. The swiftest and 
most alert of the South- African species are Capys Alphceus and 
Deudorix Antalus^ which frequently succeed for some time in evading 
the collector. Feiitila^ D'Urhania, and Alcena are exceedingly slow on 
the wing. 
The curious larvse, shaped like wood-lice for the most part, are 
extremely sluggish, and look in many cases more like a coccus or some 
vegetable excrescence than caterpillars. Some of them are smooth, 
many clothed with a short down, some with fascicles of short bristles 
on regularly disposed tubercles, and a few hairy generally. Several 
are regularly corrugated dorsally, and others prominently humped in 
one or two places. Very few of the larvse of South- African Lyccenidce 
have been discovered ; that of Myrina ficedida, Trim. (PI. i. fig. 7), is 
humped as just mentioned, and coloured protectively in imitation of 
its food-plant ; that of lolaus Silas, Westw. (PL i. fig. 8), is very convex 
dorsally, and slightly forked at the tail ; that of Hypolycceua Lara 
(Linn.) (PI. ii. fig. i), of almost even width throughout ; and that of the 
aberrant D'Urhania Amakosa, Trim. (PI. ii. fig. 2), unusually slender 
and hairy.^ 
In the tabular statement given above (in the general remarks on Rhopalocera, under 
heading, " 7, South -African Butterflies") I have given the genera as 15 and the species as 
116. Since that table was drawn up I have withdrawn Liptena, as not possessing a true 
South-African representative, and added Chrysophanus (which I had intended not to keep 
separate from Lycana), Alcena (misplaced in Ac7^ceince), and Lachnocnema, n.g. The addi- 
tional species are a Deudorix, an Aphnceus, and two Lyccence. 
- The caterpillar of Spalgis Epius (Westw.) is figured in Moore's Lepidoptera of Ceylon 
as possessing several dorsal erect and lateral horizontally projecting long curved spines (op. 
cit., pi. 34, fig. ih.) 
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