NYMPHALIDAE. By Dr. 0. Aurivillius. 
121 
Publ. 25. X. 1911. 
5. Family : Nymphalidae. 
The Nymphalids present in many respects a centre, round which the rest of the Rhopalocera may 
be grouped, and by their variety of form and beauty of colouring, as well as their specialized larvae and pupae, 
are altogether a very noteworthy section of the butterflies. They have in common with the Danaids and 
Satyrids the abortion of the forelegs in both sexes; but they differ from both in having the cell of the hindwing 
open or only closed by a fine transverse vein and the palpi not compressed. The hindwing forms at the inner 
margin a groove, which surrounds the abdomen. In this the Nymphalids differ from the Acraeids, which are 
otherwise very nearly allied. The abdomen is always shorter than the inner margin of the hindwing and is 
posteriorly more or less conically pointed. 
The Nymphalids are in general very strongly built, with thick, muscular thorax, and have accordingly 
a very swift and sustained flight. In spite of this many species can be captured without difficulty, as they 
have a habit of returning again and again to the same place or the same flower. They are mostly fond 
of open, sunny places, but some are peculiar to the shady forest-clearings and these have a correspondingly 
darker colouring, but often with a beautiful blue or greenish reflection. 
Among the Ethiopian Nymphalids there are very pronounced examples of mimicry of other butter¬ 
flies ( Pseudacraea ) and also species which occur in quite differently coloured forms, but independently of the 
seasons ( H ypolirnnas , the females of Charnxes etheocles). Further details will be given in the separate genera 
and species. 
The sexes are usually similar; the surest distinction between them is in the different structure of the 
forelegs. In some genera, however, ( Cynandra, Eury phene, Diestogyna, Cymothoe and many species of Glut- 
raxes) the females differ so entirely from the males in colour and markings that their identity can only be ascer¬ 
tained by studying them in nature. r I i 
•] The larvae, so far as they are known, are distinguished by their stiff, often branched spines. The 
number and development of these spines vary in the different groups and genera and occasionally they occur 
only on the head. Our knowledge of the Ethiopian Nymphalid larvae is extremely defective and every student 
of Lepidoptera living in Africa can render great service to science by breeding the butterflies from the larvae 
and describing and figuring the latter. Only by rearing a species in large numbers from the larva will it be 
possible to establish with certainty the sexes of many species and their range of variation. Great and impor¬ 
tant discoveries (cf. under Hypolirnnas dubius) have already been made in this way and many other problems 
still await solution. The pupae are always suspended free by the anal end, often ventricose and provided 
with one or more protuberances. 
The Nymphalids are distributed over all parts of the world, but occur in the greatest abundance 
and the most numerous forms in the tropics of America. In the Ethiopian Region they are represented by 
41 genera and about 490 species. Of the genera 29 ( Lcichnoptera, Smerina, Antanarctia, Vanessula, Catacroptera, 
Apaturopsis, Neptidopsis, Mesoxantha , Crenis, Pseudacraea , Pseudoneptis, Gatuna, P seudargynnis, Cynandra, 
Aterica, Hamanumida, Euphaedra, Euryphene, Diestogyna, Grenidomimas, Harmilla, Euryphaedra, Euryphura, 
Cymothoe, Euptera, Pseudathyma, Euxanthe and Palla) are peculiar to this fauna, not occurring at all in the 
other regions. These genera are represented by more than 250 species and hence embrace at least 50% 
of the Ethiopian Nymphalids. The remaining, non-endemic genera almost all occur again in the southern 
parts of Asia. 
Of the Ethiopian Nymphalid species there are only eight ( Atella phalantha; Argynnis liyperbius ; Pyrameis 
cardui ; Precis orithya ; Precis oenone ; H ypolirnnas bolina; Byblia ilithya ; and Char axes jasius) which also occur 
in other regions. Four of these, however, have developed special local races in Africa. 
In Africa itself the Nymphalids are best developed in the West African subregion; here occur not only 
the majority of the species, but also representatives of all the genera peculiar to Africa with the exception of 
Smerina, which occurs only on Madagascar. Here, too, are found the largest and most beautiful of the 
African Nymphalids, which in this region have become true forest insects. 
As regards their morphological characters, including those of their early stages, the Nymphalids are not 
so uniform as the Satyrids or Pierids, but present great differences and hence are susceptible of subdivision 
into several well differentiated subfamilies. 
The Ethiopian Nymphalids belong to eight subfamilies, which can be distinguished without difficulty 
by means of the following synopsis. 
XIII 
16 
