PM. 25. x. 1921. PRUMALA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 345 
some have been described as Automolis, Idalus, Eucyrta, Ely sins etc. The fact that the Prumala resembling 
butterflies of other genera are no models, but imitations, is proved by the different Prumala- forms showing 
no transitions to one another, whereas their double images fit well to the casual genera in the marking and 
habitus, often only representing links of whole chains of similarly marked species. On the whole, the genus 
makes the impression of a very artificial one, out of which, however, some natural groups such as those of P. 
optima, P. tessellata etc. may be taken out, which, however, are not united with each other by connecting 
links. From the closely allied Idalus (with which some Prumala are more closely allied than with each other) 
they differ by the short bifurcation of the subcostal on the hindwing, which ends unforked into the margin 
in the Idalus, so that one of the radials is absent (being fused with the subcostal). The body is mostly cylindrical, 
sometimes clumsy, the wings without any particular deviations in the shape, sometimes more pointed, sometimes 
broader, the hindwings never so rudimentary as in some Idalus. The larvae are entirely unknown, presumably, 
however, not homogeneous; some are probably normal, uniformly haired bear-caterpillars, whereas others 
may perhaps exhibit the peculiar hair-dresses of the Automolis, Halisidota or Eupseudosoma. The imagines 
like to come to the light, but are otherwise rarely met with. 
P. fogra Schs. (44 f) differs so little from the species described last of the preceding genus that it 
lias been described as Robinsonia. Wings white, the margins of the forewing emitting from outside sooty brown, 
irregular spots or shades. Hindwing diaphanous white with a dark grey proximal margin. Abdomen orange, 
the basal part with a blackish-brown dorsum showing small white dorsal dots. Venezuela. 
P. saturata Wkr. (= praetexta Fldr.) (44 g). The species shows the colouring of Automolis- species 
from the metallica- and packardi- group (50 c). Body yolk-coloured, head, mesothorax, 2nd ring and anal half 
of the abdomen black, in some parts with small sparkling blue spots. Forewing with a yellow band below the 
cell and a striated marginal part, hindwings costally yellow, anally black. In the northern parts of South America, 
on the Amazon and in Colombia ; apparently widely distributed, but not common. 
P. ameoides Btlr. (44 g) resembles certain Automolis so much that it was described as such. Body 
similarly coloured as in saturata, wings bright yellow, forewing with a brown border, proximal margin and oblique 
transverse band, hindwing with a brown distal margin. From Venezuela to Ecuador in some parts not rare, 
for instance near Merida in Venezuela and on Mount Tolima in Colombia. 
P. flavoplagiata Rothsch. (44 g) copies the image of Idalus flavoplaga (45 c) or Automolis persimilis 
(51 h). Body yellow with a black, sparkling blue apex; forewing brown with a large, yolk-coloured costal triangle, 
hindwing brown, with yellow at the proximal margin. Colombia. 
P. griseipennis Rothsch. (44 g) resembles numerous Phaegopterini from the genus Automolis, parti¬ 
cularly the more one-coloured specimens of A. docis Hbn. (51 f). Greyish-brown; a stripe-like, light patch 
separates the darker basal part of the forewing from the lighter, narrower marginal part. Abdomen above in 
the basal half red, in the anal half blackish-brown with sparkling blue scales. Beneath the middle of the venter 
and the cell of the hindwing of the £ are red. Colombian dd show besides above a bright patch in the cell 
of the forewing, which is apparently absent in specimens from the Amazon *). 
P. tessellata Schs. (44 g). Fresh specimens are of a beautiful green, with large brown spots, the largest 
of which are on the costa; an antemarginal chain of small streak-spots. Hindwing dark brownish-grey, round 
the cell a light patch tinged yellowish-pink, in which there is a square particularly distinct beneath. From 
Costa Rica to Colombia; the figured specimen from Muzo. — subtessellata Rothsch. (44 g) is the form from 
Venezuela, with very bright sap-green forewings and unicolorous, black hindwings; instead of the chain of 
streaks before the margin of the forewing a row of dots. 
P. muscosa Schs. (44 h) which is before me only in a damaged specimen from the Volcano Irazu 
(Costa Rica. 1200 m, Coll. Fassl), has likewise green forewings, but instead of the large brown spots of the 
forewing in tessellata. there are here rows of black transverse streaks and sagittiform spots. Smaller than the 
preceding. 
P. herbosa Schs. (44 h). light green, on the forerving violettish-brown markings, i. e. some stripes 
in the disc standing rectangularly on each other, an oblique line thickened behind the cell-end and at the proxi¬ 
mal margin, before the marginal part, a dot in the cell-end and an antemarginal row of dots. Hindwing quite 
pale and diaphanous whitish-green with a dark cloud near the anal angle; dorsum of abdomen red. Costa Rica. 
— underwoodi Rothsch. (44 hi), likewise from Costa Rica, of which a great number of rather variable specimens 
are before me from Orosi, shows the brown markings thickened and partly filled up with green. — foliosa form, 
nov. (44 h) from the Rio Songo in Bolivia has, on the contrary, the brown streaks thinner, and the antemarginal 
row of dots on the forewing has almost disappeared; above all, however, it differs by the dorsum of the abdomen 
being blackish-brown, not red. — The $2 are of a much deeper green than the <$$ and exhibit only incoherent 
dots of the brown markings. The species seems to be rather common. 
* Judging from the figure (Xovif. Zoolog. Vol. XVI., t. 0, fig. 7), since there are no specimens from the Amazon 
before me. 
fogra. 
saturata. 
ameoides. 
flavoplagia- 
' ta. 
griseipen¬ 
nis. 
tessellata. 
subtessel¬ 
lata. 
muscosa 
lierbosa. 
underwoodi. 
foliosa. 
VI 
44 
