430 
PHASIS. By Dr. C. Aurivillitjs. 
peringueyi. 
phosphor. 
pahnus. 
fh ysbe. 
nigricans. 
osbecki. 
pyroeis. 
about 3 mm width, being somewhat broader at the apex and anal angle, a black costal-marginal stripe 
from the centre of the costal margin to the marginal band, a black discal band composed by the discal spots, 
usually extending from the costal margin as far as into area 1 b and separating a submarginal band of the 
ground-colour, and with a larger black spot at the end of the discal cell and a similar dot in the cell; hindwing 
with an undulate black marginal line expanding at the apex of the wing into a large dark costal-marginal spot, 
this spot being either rounded and only reaching to vein 4 or being continued as a discal band as far as vein 
2; anal region somewhat darkened. Fringes white, at the ends of the veins spotted black. On the under 
surface the hindwing as well as the marginal part and costal margin of the forewing exhibit a dull brownish-red 
or dark rusty yellow ground-colour; forewing in the centre light reddish-yellow with silvery dots surrounded 
by black; two in the discal cell, one at the cell-end and six discal dots in 2 to 6 and 9; the spots on the hindwing 
beneath are replaced by white streaks, two of which are in area 7 and one each in the areas 1 a to 6, together 
forming a discal transverse band. It flies in the centre of Cape Colony in dry districts. — ab. peringueyi ab. 
nov. only deviates by the hindwing beneath being uni-coloured rusty brown without white or silvery markings. 
Cape Colony. 
Ph. phosphor Trim. This small rare species deviates from all the others by the extremely fine small 
tail at the anal angle of the hind wing and is evidently most closely allied to Ph. sardonyx (74 i). Forewing 
above lustrous golden orange with a very broad black marginal band tapering off towards the anal angle, and 
a black spot at the cell-end; the marginal band reaches to the centre of the costal margin and is connected 
there with the transverse spot; no other spots; the base is slightly darkened; hindwing above orange-yellow, 
at the base, costal and proximal margins broad blackish, with an antemarginal row of often contiguous black 
submarginal dots or spots. Wings beneath with a greyish-yellowish ground-colour and metallic spots surrounded 
by black, which are just as numerous as in the other species but differently arranged, the basal spot in 1 b 
of the forewing being situate right behind the second spot of the discal cell and the discal spots 1 b and 2 forming 
a transverse streak almost touching the posterior angle of the cell, and the discal spots 2 and 4 consequently 
are not much nearer at the margin than the others. Hitherto only found in Caffraria Proper on the Tsomo 
and Bashee Rivers. 
Ph. palmus Cr. only differs from thysbe (70 h) by the reddish-yellow ground-colour on both wings 
above almost touching the base; the marginal band and the discal spots are almost like in thysbe. Cape Colony. 
Ph. thysbe L. (70 h). Wings above orange, at the base as far as or almost as far as the centre blackish 
with a bright silvery blue reflection; forewing at the costal margin narrowly black and with a narrow black 
marginal band enclosing small reddish-yellow marginal spots; a black transverse spot at the end of the cell 
and 5 or 6 angular black discal spots in (lb) 2 to 6, of which those in 2 and 4 are situate nearer at the margin 
than the others, hindwing above with separate black discal spots in 1 c to 6 of which those in 2 and 4 are 
situate nearer at the margin, and with a narrow black marginal band which, however, only extends from the 
costal margin to vein 0 or 4 and which is rearwards replaced by black marginal dots; fringes of the wings orange- 
yellow with interspersed white scales and with black dots at the ends of the veins. Forewing beneath orange 
with the usual black, partly white-pupilled spots, at the costal-and distal margins brownish or brownish-grey 
with dark veins and light longitudinal streaks between the veins; hindwing beneath with alternately rusty 
brown and yellowish-brown ground-colour and distinctly prominent angular silvery spots, of which a streak 
and a triangular spot bordered with rusty brown are in area 7, two often Y-shaped contiguous streaks in the 
cell, an H-shaped one in area 3, and other irregularly angled ones in 1 c, 5 and 6. From Cape Colony to the 
Zululand. The species varies considerably; one race which appears to predominate in certain mountainous 
districts of Cape Colony, merits special mentioning. — nigricans var. nov. (70 h) differs by the ^ above showing 
the orange-yellow colour entirely or almost entirely removed by the extension of the black markings; the apical 
half of the forewing is either uni-coloured black or it only encloses 2 to 5 separate yellow spots, and on the hind¬ 
wing the orange colour is confined to a marginal band of only 2 mm width being parted by the black veins, 
between the proximal margin and. vein 6; the $ differs but little from the $ of the principal form. Cape 
Colony, particularly on the Muizen Mountain. 
Ph. osbecki Auriv. only differs from thysbe by the monotonously brownish-yellow, entirely unspotted 
under surface of the hindwing and may be merely a race or aberration of this species. Also the fore wing is 
beneath at the costal and distal margins monotonously brownish-j^ellow without markings; hindwing beneath 
with a fine reddish-yellow marginal line. This form was discovered in Cape Colony in 1750 by Linnes disciple 
P. Osbeck on his excursion to China, but it has become little known since and only few specimens have been 
captured. 
Ph. pyroeis Trim, . Both wings above at the base broad black and densely scaled blue; the black basal 
area on the forewing reaches to the centre of the cell and of the posterior margin and is consequently distallv 
slantingly cut off; on the hindwing it reaches at the proximal margin at least to the apex of vein 1 a and at 
the costal margin almost to the apex of the wing, but in the centre only to the apex of the discal cell; outside 
of the basal area both wings are above orange-yellow with a black marginal band of hardly 2 mm width and 
