26 
SOUTH-AFEICAX BUTTERFLIES. 
which the species was founded are stated by Godart to have been taken by 
M. J ules Yerreaux about Table Mountain, and the description he gives accords 
very nearly with numerous examples collected by myself in the same locality. 
The true Asteris has not to my knowledge been found away from the Cape 
peninsula, but it has a very close ally inhabiting various parts of the Colony, 
— L. Ortygia, mihi, — of which I once took an example at Wynberg, near 
Cape Town, where true Asteris is particularly prevalent. 
This Lyccena appears in the later spring and early summer ; I have not 
noticed it until the later half of October or after the end of December. Both 
sexes are conspicuous on the wing, and the male has a sustained rather swift 
and irregular flight. They frequent both hills and low ground in spots well 
clothed with grass and shrubs ; they do not appear to visit flowers very often, 
but are fond of resting on the stems of grasses, — in which latter position I 
have sometimes succeeded in catching them with my fingers. They are 
rather local, but often numerous where they occur. 
Localities of Lyccena Asteris. 
I. South Africa. 
B. Cape Colony. 
a. Western Districts. — Cape Town. Noord Hoch] and Simon's 
Town, 
126. (8.) Lycaena Ortygia, sp. nor. 
^ 9 Lycoena Asteris^ Trim, [part], Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1870, p. 361. 
Ex;p. al, {$) I in. 4i-6J lin. ; ($) i in. 6i-7f lin. 
Closely allied to L. Asteris^ (Godt.) 
^ Violaceous-blue y considerably lighter than in Asteris; terminal 
disco-cellular Innules and hind-marginal markings similar but better 
defined; cilia white, regularly and broadly interrupted with fuscous 
at extremities of nervules, throughout. Hind-iuing : no yellow lunule 
adjoining inner-marginal black spot between first and second median 
nervules ; no tail. Under side. — Paler than in Asteris, the discal and 
submarginal markings very little darker than the ground-colour ; ter- 
minal disco-celhdar marks and discal rotus much narrower, the latter 
rather widely separated (except at its lower extremity in fore-vnng) from 
the inner submarginal roiv of white lunules. Fore-wing: discal row 
curving slightly inward as far as third median nervule, but its lowest 
spot (which has none of the inward prolongation so frequent in 
Asteris) more outwardly placed, so that its external white edge almost 
meets the lowest white lunule of the inner row ; space between two 
rows of lunules narrower and more broken than in Asteris ; outer row 
scarcely forming rings with white hind-marginal line, — no suffusion at 
posterior angle. Hind-wing : basal streak and sub-basal row of four 
spots as in Asteris, but the latter larger and much more conspicuous ; 
first (costal) spot of discal roiv, as well as last, round and black like the 
sub-basal ones, instead of brown; inner submarginal lunules much 
blunter and thicker, outer ones much blunter but thinner; hind- 
