338 
CISSURA; MELESE. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
crassa. A. crassa Wkr. (43 d) greatly resembles the preceding species, but the costal margin of the forewing 
is straighter, less convex, all the wings much more pointed, assuming more the shape of Automolis. Thorax 
at the sides and posteriorly of a bright orange-yellow, only in the middle brown; the costal spot at the apex 
of the wing forms a regular ellipse, the forewing shows a slight yellowish-red tint, the hindwing is not black, 
but hyaline. From Colombia to Peru. 
mincosa. A. mincosa Drc. (= mineosa Bothsch.) (43 d). Size of crassa, lighter, the whole costal margin broadly, 
the median and submedian narrowly light yellow, the space between the latter somewhat hyaline. Hindwing 
hyaline, except the yellow margins; abdominal base rosy-red. Colombia to Peru. 
suffusa. A. sutfusa Jones (45 i) lias the size and shape of mincosa, but the yellow costal stripe is absent, 
and before the border there are in the spaces between the veins blackish-brown sagittiform spots. Parana in 
Brazil. 
iassli. A. fassli Dgn. (45 h) is similar, pale ochreous-yellow, tinted orange, through the cell a dark longi¬ 
tudinal ray emanating at the border into an apical spot. Discovered by Fassl on the Quindiu. 
amMgua. A. ambigua Stretch (= bolteri H. Edw., spracosiae Drc.) (43 e). Margins and all the veins of the 
forewing scaled purple-brown, the spaces between diaphanous; abdomen purple-pink. From Colorado through 
Mexico as far as Central America, mostly rare. 
stuarti. A. stuarti Bothsch. (45 h). Forewings doe-coloured, along the costa and median a blackish, longitudinal 
diffuse spot. Hindwing yellowish, with a hyaline disc; abdomen yolk-coloured. From the Lower Amazon. 
castanea. A. castanea Joicey. Thorax and forewing chocolate-brown, the forewing with bone-coloured dots and 
small spots, hindwing blackish-brown with semi-diaphanous lighter parts in, behind and below the cell. Abdomen 
blackish-brown, at the dorsal base red-brown, on the sides rosy with dark lateral dots. Smaller than stuarti. 
Ecuador. 
23. Genus: Cissiira Wkr. 
The genus in the distribution of colours somewhat recalls the Lithosiinae-genus H y poprepici (33 i). The 
short palpi have an entirely stunted terminal joint; the antennae are also in the A almost plain, i. e. with very 
short combs, whereby the genus can be easily distinguished from the preceding. On the wings the discocellular 
is neither angled nor bent in, but it obliquely closes the very short cell. Only 3 species are known. 
decora. C. decora Wkr. (= parallela Fldr.) (43 e). Forewings leaden-grey, with red margins and crossed 
by 2 red longitudinal streaks from the base towards the apex. Abdomen purple-red, hindwings brown. South 
Brazil, rare. 
plumbed. C. plumbea Hmps. (= decora Drc. nec Wkr.) (43 e) resembles decora, the proximal margin and costa 
of the forewing is not red, but the two longitudinal stripes of the forewing are united in the apex. Besides the 
thorax is above marked brown. Peru. 
unitineata. C. unilineata Dogn. (43 e). Forewings quite vermilion, only the narrow borders and a narrow longi¬ 
tudinal stripe not reaching the apex are greyish-black. Venter and abdominal end blackish. Bolivia and 
Ecuador. 
24. Genus: Melese Wkr. 
This genus, which consisted of but 10 species known at the beginning of this century, comprises 4 times 
as many to-day. In spite of the distinct difference in the course of the veins, I take the genus to be closely 
allied to the following, since certain differences in the venation can be traced back to secondary alterations in 
the shape of the wings. Beside a <$ spot in most of the ibeZese-species the distal-marginal area of the forewing 
is bent round downward in such a way as we have not seen in any other genus of butterflies. This inverted 
border is above often harmoniously coloured with the under surface on which it lies. Antennae like in Bertholdia 
in the $ extremely short-combed, almost brush-shaped; palpi like there; the upper median vein of the forewing 
comes with the two lower radials from the lower cell-angle. Little is known of the larvae, but they seem to 
exhibit the usual Arctiid shape, uniform, tuft-like hairing on regularly arranged tubercles, in contrast with 
the torous, brush-like and pencil-like formations of the Automolis, Eupseudosoma, Halisidota etc. The butterflies 
are preponderantly coloured red, seem to prefer hiding in day-time, but are fond of coming to the lantern; 
many species are common in Tropical America, but in the north none reaches the United States, nor is the 
south of the Argentine Republic and Chile inhabited by any Melese. — The inverted forewing producing an 
entire alteration of the shape of the butterfly by being spread out, we reproduce of some species two male figures, 
the first with an inverted distal-marginal part, while on the second it is smoothly spread out. 
