524 
PLATYLESCHES. By Dr. C. Atjkiyillitjs. 
zephora. 
pi can ini. 
gocizci. 
subnoiatus. 
Jamba. 
amadhu. 
batangac. 
chamaeleon. 
ayresii. 
robustus. 
crtli. 
affinissi- 
mus. 
as far as the discal cell and distally to vein 8, and by the fringes of the hindwing beneath being yellowish 
at the tips between the veins 2 and 7. Congo District. 
P. zephora Plotz (78 b, 79c; after Plotz) is unknown to me. It is described as follows: ,,Hindwing 
beneath pale reddisli-grev, dusted or watered with brown, mostly with a broad dark margin and white fringes. 
Shape strong. Antennae half the length of the forewing; the latter exhibits in cell la a yellow longitudinal 
stripe, in cell 1 b a yellow spot, in cell 2 a white hyaline spot, above it in the discal cell two, in 3 and 4 two 
above each other, and three dots in 6 to 8. Hindwing above with a rather narrow, bent, light yellow 
transverse band crossed by the black veins, in 1 c to 6, beneath the cell 1 b and the margin are unequally 
broad brown. 13 mm. Angola.“ It is certainly a species of Platylesches. 
P. picanirsi Holl. (79b,c) differs from the other species by the shape of the fcrewing. Holland 
states as the patria at first Liberia, then only Ogowe, and it also occurs in the southern Congo District. 
P. goetzei Griinb. (= junodi Oberth.) (79 li). According to the description and figure, the species 
is particularly distinguished by the broad light yellow, sharply defined, but in 1 c interrupted transverse band 
on the hindwing beneath. Portuguese and German East Africa to Lake Tanganyika. 
P. (?) subiiotafus Holl. (79c) was described as Parnara (?), and later on placed to Platylesches 
by Mabille. The species is only known to me from the figure. It is particularly distinguished by the forewing 
showing but one spot in the discal cell (at the anal angle) and only 4 discal spots (in lb, 2, 3 and 61. Hindwing 
above as in most of the species of Platylesches with a yellowish transverse band in the centre behind the cell, 
hindwing beneath ochreous-yellow with a yellow discal band between the costal margin and vein 2, with 4 or 
5 blackish, yellow-pupilled dots in the basal part, and a submarginal row of black clots. Fringes dark brown. 
Ogowe Valley. 
P. lamba Heave is the only species known in which the transverse band of the hindwing beneath is 
quite coherent. Southern Congo District. 
P. amadhu Mob. (— heterophyla Mab.) (79 b) is so closely allied with the two following species that 
it is difficult to state some solid differences. Hindwing beneath grey, in 1 b blackish, and the light discal 
spots are distinct and numerous (in 1 c to 6); forewing beneath at the margin lighter violettish-grey. Natal, 
Transvaal, and British Central Africa. —• batangae Holl. (79 c), as the figures show, differs so little from amadhu 
that for the present I consider it to be merely a race of it. Cameroon. 
P. chamaeleon Mab. (79 b) differs from the preceding species by the under surface of the hindwing 
being blackish with a white discal spot in 1 c and instead of the other discal spots only with grey nebulous 
spots. Sierra Leone. 
P. ayresii Trim, is easily recognized by the hindwing beneath being everywhere (except in 1 b and 
a part of 1 c.) speckled with small, separate, violettish-grey scales. South Africa to Rhodesia, only in the highlands. 
P. robustus Neave is a strongly built species with short antennae with thick clubs, all the spots cn 
the wings being more or less yellowish. The hyaline spots 3 and 4 of the forewing are only separated by the 
vein 4 and situate almost straight above each other. The under surface is very characteristic. The ground¬ 
colour of both wings is a pure brown, and decorated with light violettish-grey markings; on the forewing 
only a marginal band from the costal margin to vein 2 (being the broadest in the areas 4 and 5) and a fine 
marginal line between the vein 2 and the anal angle are violettish-grey; on the hindwing, however, the base, 
the costal margin as far as vein 8, the proximal margin in 1 a and in the base of 1 b, as well as a very broad 
marginal band extending as far as the indistinct light discal spots of the areas 1 c to 6, from the costal margin 
to the centre of area 1 c, are densely covered with violettish-grey scales. Body beneath white. Rhodesia, 
Mashunaland, Nyassa. — ertli Gaede. The author describes this form as follows. „The under surface almost 
corresponds to that of robustus ; on the forewing there is no difference whatever, but on the hindwing the discal 
area in ertli is less light, so that the dark speckling is only noticed in the marginal part of the discal area and 
neither as coarse there as in robustus. Expanse of wings: 22 to 24 mm.“ German East Africa: Kigonsera. 
P. affinissimus Strand is compared by the author with P. depygatus and nigricans, but as the apex 
of the abdomen is dark, it does not belong to the same group as nigricans , but it is probably closely allied with 
P. amadhu and chamaeleon. The hindwing beneath is described as follows: ,,Hindwing beneath in the centre 
of area 1 c with a purely white, almost quadrangular spot, besides there are only some bluish diffuse patches 
which may be considered as fragments of the marking of the preceding species ( depygatus ), in the dorsal area 
there are only traces of a long longitudinal stripe in the basal area; the ground-colour of the hindwing beneath 
is as dark as that of the forewing and without a violet hue; the veins are dark.“ What is said here about 
the hindwing beneath, agrees well with Mabille’s figure of chamaeleon (79 b). NyassalancL 
