OGYRINAE 
115 
OGYRIS 
Genus OGYRIS Westwood. 
Genera Diurnal Lepidoptera, ii, p. 472, 1852: Betliune-Baker, Transactions Entomological Society London 1905 , 
p. 269-292. 
rr, consists of ca single genus only, so it is unnecessary to repeat the structural characters, 
the butterflies are all robust strong-flying insects, and many of them are brilliantly coloured. They 
have the appearance of large Lycaeninae, and the venation is not far removed from typical Lycaeninae, 
rig. X. Wing venation 
of Ogyris ahrota, male 
(enlarged). 
but is often variable. In the one species we have found vein 6 of the forewing usually arising from 
cell, occasionally from the same point as vein 7, and in a single aberrant example from vein 7 iust 
beyond ceU. 
Type. Ogyris abrota Hewitson. 
Foodplant. Loranthus. 
It is significant of the strong general resemblance of the butterflies of this genus, that since it was 
first established by Westwood no confusion in regard to it has arisen: no species described as -an Ogyris 
has been removed from the genus, and no species of Ogyris has been described under another generic 
name. Interesting particulai-s and illustrations of the life histories of 0. abrota, 0. olane, and 0. 
amaryllis meridionalis, are given by Anderson and Spry in “Victorian Butterflies,” p. 101-110. 
The markings of the undersurface of the butterflies appear at first sight very complicated and con¬ 
fused, but careful examination reveals a certain well defined pattern common to all the species. The 
spots and bars are sometimes blurred and confused, and sometimes confluent: but they always occupy 
certain defined positions in relation to each other and to the wing areas. The following tabulation of 
these markings gives a general pattern scheme applicable to all the known species: this is for use in con¬ 
junction with the figures, in order that a great deal of unnecessary repetition of detail may be avoided 
in the later specific descriptions. 
cfi 2. Bexeath. Porewing some shade of brown, with spots and bars usually a darker shade of brown, 
but sometimes quite merged in the ground colour: a spot in base of cell, often outwardly edged 
whitish: a bar across cell at onethird and another at twothirds, edged whitish or metallic: a broad 
bar at end of cell and often extending to the bases of areas 3 and 2: an irregular, variable, often 
incomplete, discal band. Hindwing some shade of brown, with siiots of irregular shape of the 
same or another shade, each narrowly outlined darker: a small spot in base of cell: a bar across cell 
at onethird and another at twothirds: a broad bar at end of cell: a curved series of spots in areas 
lb to 7,^ forming an irregular interrupted diseal band: two additional spots in area la, two more 
in area 7, and a fifth on costa at base: sometimes patches of a darker shade at the bases of areas 2, 
3 and 6, these often eoalescent with bar at end of cell. 
