_ A'- ■ /i, L A Lc^ ^ Warfield Library '"fi.dW 20 ^ O'^ t ‘i m M >■ / i t-c ContributioiiiS to a Knowledge of the L• Charaxes Talaguga:, n. sp. 'J, Subfamily NYMPHALIN^E, Bates. Genus L. 78, No. 348 (1781). Issoria Anticlia, Iliibn. Verz. Bek. Schmett. p. 31 (181(i). Argyimis Idle, Gorlt. Enc. Metb. ix, p. 260 (1819). Lachnoptera Idle, Doubl.-Hevv. Gen. D. L. p. Kil, t. xxii, fig. 2 "J, (1848). Liichndptera Laddice, Bntl. Cat. Fabr. Diurn. Lep. p. 116 (1869). Lachiwptera Idle, Staiulinger, Exot. Sclimett. p. 69. PI. 35, 'J, (1885). Fumalk. — Typienl form.^ Wings somewhat broader, and less acute at the apex, than in the male. A small caruncula or ridge upon upper surface of posteriors at the end of the cell. This is found in all females, never in males. The basal area of the upper surfdce of both primaries and secondaries is dark fulvous, the outer half of the wings light fulvous, the division between the darker and lighter areas being marked by an irregularly waved and toothed line of dark fuscous, heaviest upon the costal margin of the prima- ries. The end of the cell of the primaries is also indicated by a line of fuscous. The purplish iridescence discernible in certain lights u] )on the wings of the male is lacking in the female. A row of six sagittate black spots, one for each intra-neural space extends across the ju’imaries aliout one-fourth of the distance from the margin. This hand of sagittate rnai-ks is continued on the secondaries parallel * Mr. Dou))k‘(lay at the time of the ])ublieatioii of tlie “Genera of Diurnal Lepiiloptera” did not know the female, though acquainted with the male hy nu- merous examiiles. Mr. A. G. Butler tells us in his “Catalogue of the Fahrician Diurnal Lepidoptera’’ that the types of both the male and the female of this si)ecies “ agreeing in the fulvous ground-color of the wings” are contained in the British Museum as part of the Banksian Collection, and calls attention to a white form of the female from Gaboon “ wdiich mimics Ilarma Althea.” Mr. Trimen in the “ Transactions of the Ent. Soc. of London,” vol. xxvii, p. 328, incidentally alludes to “ the butterfly w’hicb the late Mr. Hewitson referred (I believe rightly) to the female sex of Idle, which I noted as ‘fuscous; all the outer area of the wings dull white, with the sjiotsand streaks strongly and blackly marked ; mark- ings of the under surface agreeing with those of Idle % These are the only references I find to the female of this interesting species after an exhaustive search of the entire literature of the subject, and I have heen, therefore, embold- ened to give a full description of the two forms of the female, of which several examples have come into my possession. AFRICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 327 to the outer margin, gradually passing toward the anal angle into a continuous zigzag line. This series of sagittate spots and lines are followed on both primaries and secondaries by a suhmarginal line of black, acutely angulated at the middle of each intra-neural space, and this is succeeded on both wings by a marginal line also of black. Between these two lines the ground color ap])ears as a series of ful- vous lunules. Near the apex of the secondaries, in the region cov- ered in the male by the oval patch of dark leaden-hued, hair-like scales, characteristic of the genus, are three heiivy, oval, black spots, of which the one in the middle is the largest, and the first is fused at the costal margin with the row of sagittate spots already described. Two similar, but smaller spots, are found, one near the anal angle and the other in the preceding intra-neural space. Fringe dark brown. The wider surface is much lighter than the up[)er, and alto- gether lacking the purplish iridescence of the males. The markings are as above, but very faint, except in the case of the last of the band of sagittate spots on the ])rimaries, which is heavy and black, and the oval spots of the secondaries, which reappear on the under sur- face as black ocelli, pupilled with white and surrounded by an ochra- ceous ring. On their inner margin these ocelli are bounded by silvery spots resembling those found in the genus Argynnis. One female ; expanse 22 inches. Ogove River, W. Africa. Dimorphic Female. — The dark fulvous of the basal area of the upper surface of the wings of the typical female is replaced in this form by dark fuscous, having an olivaceous tint, and shading into black near the middle of the wings. The light fulvous of the outer half of the wings of the typical female is replaced by white, having a lilacine lustre. The spots and lines are as in the ty])ical form, but broader and running together. The apices of both antei'ior and pos- terior wings are also more or less clouded with fuscous, somewhat obscuring the markings. The binder surface is lilacine gray and white, with the markings as in the typical form, but more distinct. Head, thorax and abdomen concolorous. Four females ; exj). 22 in. Ogove River, Gaboon, W. Africa. Genus ERCiOI^IS Boisduval. Ergolis Actlsanes Hew., pl. ix, fig. 3, 9 . ErgoUs Actisanes, 1 Hewitson, Ent. Mo. Mag. xi, p. 183, "J, (1874). Female. — Upper surface darh rufous brown at the base of both wings, becoming lighter toward the outer margin, especially of the 828 VV. J. HOLLAND. primaries. Both wings crossed near the base and at the middle by three bands of dark red margined by black. Of these bands the one near the middle is the widest. Both wings crossed beyond the middle liy a band of broad hinnies, compressed and fused at the nervules, of a light fawn color, with dark sagittate marks in the centre and sur- rounded by dark brown outer shades. These markings groo. Cram., reveals a most magnificent purple iridescence like that of Apatura Iris Linn. Expanse of wings 2| inches. Described from one male in coll. Holland, from Ogove River, AV. Africa. Cliara.'tes Talasiijssse n. sj). pl. viii, fig. 3, . AIale. — The outline of the wings is similar to that of C. Eplujra Godt., % . The 'upper surface of jn-imai’ies and secondaries is dark velvety black with a greenish reflection. A macular band of Avhite extends beyond the middle across both wings gradually widening from near the apex of the primaries, where the spots comj)osing it are mere narrow streaklets, to the inner margin of the anal groove of the secondaries, where it abrujdly terminates. This white band is margined on its exterior in the primaries, and on both sides in the secondai’ies by a bluish green shade. The ground coh)r of the under surface of both wings is a lavender gray. Both wings are traversed as on the upper surface by the white macular band. The other markings are as follows: a small oblong black spot at base of cell in the 2 )riinaries, two small round spots arranged vertically upon middle of cell, followed by a narrow and obtusely angled black line, and a curved line at end of cell. Two narrow vertical lines, one above, the other below the third median nervule near its origin ; three nar- row, vertical black lines bounding the inner margin of so much of the white macular band as lies between the median nervules, a broad geminate black shade near the inner angle of the primaries. Two narrow black lines ci'oss the cell of the secondaries, the outermost being produced upwards to the costal margin. A submarginal band of faint olive-green lunules bordered on both sides by narrow black lines crosses the secondaries, which are also adorned by a jnarginal series of small black ])oints edged inwardly with pale blue. The upper surface of the jmlpi, head, thorax and abdomen are black. Four minute white s])ots ornament the head, and two each of the patagia. The underside of the ])alpi and the breast are snowy white. The sides of the thorax beneath and the legs of the same gray C(dor as the adjacent ])arts of the wings, the underside of the abdomen is yellowish white. Described from one slightly damaged male in coll. Holland, from Ogove River, AV. Africa. PiTTSBUKGH, Pa., Nov. 10, 1886. TranSw'\iiien Ent-Soc.Voi.XlU- pi.vm T rans-Aiiier Eiit.Soc. VolXUi. PI. IX VV ^IHolIci■rLd del Maclieitiie Davis I Ud. LimilEri Litli "WlG^'racr lie. %