370 
ELYMNIAS. By H. Fruhstorfer. 
spots. The habits of this species resemble those of Mel. ismene, they keep to the neighbourhood of water¬ 
courses in woods or dense undergrowth, and appear in the dusk, shortly before six o'clock, then, after a brief 
troubled flight, disappear ghostlike into the darkness of the night. Observed and taken by me at Patunuang 
near Maros in South Celebes in January. Kuhn found this species at Tombugo, East Celebes. 
Genus: Elymnias Hbn. 
This large and well defined genus has hitherto been subjected, systematically, to contradictory treat¬ 
ment, being considered by some as merely a genus of the Satyridae, by others, myself included, as an inde¬ 
pendent subfamily. Examination of the clasping organs has now shown its connection with the other Saty¬ 
ridae to be so close, that the genus lias again taken the more humble place, though certainly at the head of 
the family, in which its highly developed organs are scarcely surpassed, except by Mycalesis and Z ether a. That 
it belongs to the great host of the Satyridae is proved, in the first place, by the form of the larvae, which are 
like those of all other Satyridae in their elongate shajie, the two horns on the head and the two anal projections. 
The costal vein only of the forewing being swollen basally establishes a sort of connection with the Euryte- 
lidae, but the subcostal cell in the hind wing indicates an approach to the Brassolidae. Among the Satyridae 
the Elymnias stand nearest to Mycalesis in the morphological characters of the tertiary sexual organs, yet 
without being very closely allied to them. — In Elymnias the sexual organs remain absolutely constant 
throughout the whole series of species, whereas in Mycalesis these organs vary not only from subspecies to 
subspecies, but are even modified in the seasonal forms of some species. In the fine striation of the under¬ 
side of the wings the Elymniidae present both oriental and aethiopic forms as from one source. No other group 
of butterflies possesses such a thoroughly conservative design of markings, which strikingly proclaims their 
family relationship. Two species only form exceptions from this rule, the Papuan thryallis and agondas, in 
which the mimetic resemblance of the $$ to Danaidae resp. Taenaridae goes so far, that they have even put 
off their family livery in order to conform to that of their models. And what is true of these purely external 
characters, applies also to the structural peculiarities which are unusually constant, hence the attempts of Butler 
and Moore to split up the oriental Elymniidae into “genera” was foredoomed to failure. — Egg spherical, 
whitish. The larvae are green, centrally somewhat thickened, finely pubescent; the head narrow, yellow or 
brown; the body with dorsal and lateral longitudinal stripes. The central segments bear a few red, blue ringed 
spots. The pupa is fastened at the anal end only, in a horizontal position, with two pointed horns on the head. 
The ground-colour is green, with red or yellow streaks and spots. The Elymnias caterpillar is an undoubted 
Satyrid larva, whereas the form of the pupa shows some leaning towards the Indian Morphidae ( Amathusia 
and Discophora), the mode of life also, the flight in the shade, the frequent resting of the with folded wings, 
seem like a transition towards the Amathusiidae; yet the flight in the dusk, practised by many Amathusii- 
dae, also by the closely allied Melanitis (which was formerly generically united with them) is entirely wanting, 
for the Elymnias fly only when the sun is high. Elymnias is probably an archaic Satyrid type, possibly a sur¬ 
vival from the Tertiary Period, which far distant time, when the Palms -—- which even now furnish the sole 
food of the genus — had attained their maximum in number and variety, may also have possessed the greatest 
number of species. Just as other Satyridae live only on monocotyledonous Gramineae, so Elymnias, and 
also Amathusia, feed solely on monocotyledonous Palms., which are in many points allied to the Gramineae. 
In their native palmgroves the flying and resting Elymnias offer to the entomological eye a picture similar to 
that of Erebia and Epinephele in our own woods (Martin). The imagos love the shade, fly chiefly in the mor¬ 
ning hours along woodland tracks, and, according to my observations in Java, they disappear entirely towards 
midday, when they conceal themselves in the thickets. One meets with them in the afternoon only when 
accidentally disturbed. A few species, as Elymnias ceryx and maheswara are found only in the mountains, 
but the greater number prefer the woods of the plains, up to about 2000 feet. In the Malay Archipelago I 
never met with them above 4000 feet, whereas Moore records of tinctoria that it goes up to 6000 feet. Few 
species are common, most are local and some extremely rare. Thus of El. papua, Wallace, there are known 
at present only one <$ in the British Museum, and one in my own collection; of the famed Hestia- or Ideopsis- 
like E. Jciinstleri there are known only one $ from Perak and the $ taken by me in Java; of other species, 
as harterti, peali, dohrni but few specimens have been received in Europe. We meet with the Elymniidae from 
West Africa to the Solomon Islands, distributed through those tropical and subtropical regions where the 
rainfall is very heavy, or which at least lie within the range of the monsoons. The Macromalayan region and the 
neighbouring Tenasserim furnish the main contingent, the number of species diminishes rapidly in the Micro- 
malayan Archipelago, also in the Philippines. Formosa appears to be the most advanced post to the North 
and the Bismarck Archipelago to the East; while there are still 4 species in Celebes and 5 in New Guinea. Clas- 
pers of the simplest formation, uncus apically without medial thickening, with two very slender clasps. Valve 
broad, anteriorly slightly attenuate, lightly laterally raised, dentation sparse or wanting, feebly spinose. Two 
