Part 29

HABITAT: Sierra Leone (Drury). "Calabar, in Africa, Capt. Parker, 1771" (Drury's MSS.).

Upper Side. Antennæ black. Thorax black, with four white spots on each side. Abdomen dark orange, spotted on the sides with black, and a black streak running along the top. Anterior wings fine dark brown, almost black. A large patch of dark orange is placed at the middle of the posterior edges, and between that and the tips is a streak of the same colour, divided into three parts by the tendons of the wings. Near the body are six round black spots hardly discernible, on one of which, nearest the body, is a very small white one. Posterior wings near the body orange, but along the edges black, the space between being covered with rays, composed of those two colours. Next the body are ten round black spots, some larger than others, on one of which is a small white one, as on the upper wings.

Under Side. Palpi orange. Thorax black, spotted with white. Legs black above and white beneath. Abdomen orange. Anterior wings much lighter on this side than on the upper, the orange-coloured marks being, on this side, of a dark yellow. All the black spots on this side are more distinct than on the other, as is that with the small white one on it. Posterior wings next the body orange, from whence to the edges issue rays of a dusky yellow and black, there being no black border. The black spots next the body are also very strong. The edges of the posterior wings are a little dentated.

NYMPHALIS HOSTILIA.

Plate XXVIII. fig. 5, 6.

ORDER: Lepidoptera, Linn. SECTION: Diurna, Latr. FAMILY: Nymphalidæ, Swainson.

GENUS. NYMPHALIS, Latr. Papilio (Eq. achiv.), Linn. Drury. Papilio Nymphalis, Fabr.

NYMPHALIS HOSTILIA. Alis dentatis subconcoloribus, fulvis, basi nigro-maculatis; anticarum apice fusco punctis flavescentibus. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 6 lin.)

SYN. Papilio (Dan. Fest.) Hostilia, Drury, App. vol. 3. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 130. No. 399.

Nymphalis H., Latr. God. Enc. Méth. ix. p. 393.

HABITAT: "Sierra Leone, Mr. Smeathman, 1775" (Drury's MSS.).

{39}Upper Side. Antennæ black. Thorax and abdomen dark brown. Anterior wings next the body dark tawny orange, but next the tips dark brown, almost black, the darkest part of the wings having several dusky yellow spots, while the orange part has a number of black ones. Posterior wings dark orange, and next the body streaked with black, and a black zigzag border running along the external edges.

Under Side. Palpi, neck, legs, and breast pale yellow. Abdomen orange. Anterior wings much lighter than on the upper side, being, next the body, cream colour; the part next the tips dark russet. All the spots are very discernible on this side, the yellow ones being here much lighter. Posterior wings cream-coloured, having the black border and streaks equally as strong and discernible as on the upper side. Margins of the wings entire.

PLATE XXIX.

SATURNIA ARGUS.

Plate XXIX. fig. 1.

ORDER: Lepidoptera. SECTION: Diurna. FAMILY: Bombycidæ, Steph.

GENUS. SATURNIA, Schrank. Attacus, Germ. Phalæna (Attacus), Drury.

SATURNIA ARGUS. Alis pallidè testaceo-albidis punctis ocellaribus fenestratis numerosis, caudis longissimis. (Expans. Alar. 3 unc. 5 lin.)

SYN. Bombyx Argus, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 414. No. 24. Donovan Nat. Repos. 5. 173. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 29. 22.

Phalæna (Bombyx) brachyura, Cramer Ins. tab. 29. f. 1. Drury, App. vol. 3.

HABITAT: "Sierra Leone, Mr. Smeathman, 1775" (Drury's MSS.).

Upper Side. Antennæ almost black, and pectinated. The neck and head flesh-coloured. Thorax ash-coloured. Abdomen pale flesh-coloured. Wings dingy flesh-coloured, the anterior ones having five or six small transparent spots situated in the centre of them. The posterior ones furnished with two long tails about two inches and three-quarters long, the extremities being cream-coloured, the upper part red-brown; with five small yellowish round spots, edged with black, placed in the centre of the wings.

Under Side. Palpi brown. Tongue concealed. Legs red-brown. Breast, sides, and abdomen cream. Wings coloured as on the upper side.

I have adopted the Fabrician specific name, notwithstanding its subsequent date, that proposed by Cramer being exceedingly inapplicable. Drury states, on the authority of Mr. Smeathman, that this curious insect was found on the island of Banana. Its flight is exceedingly slow, and its tails seem rather to impede it. Mr. Donovan states that several specimens of this insect had been received from Sierra Leone (which habitat is given by Drury in the body of his work, but corrected as above in the observations communicated to him by Mr. Smeathman) and that he is not aware of the species having occurred in any other part of Africa, neither had he understood that any other collector since Mr. Smeathman had met with the species. Of the original specimens a pair belonged to Mr. Drury, which came into the hands of Mr. Donovan, who also mentions a fine specimen as existing in the Banksian Cabinet at the Linnæan Society; adding, that some few other specimens passed into different continental Cabinets, all of which, however, were those collected by Mr. {40}Smeathman. The late Mr. Haworth, however, (the sale of whose magnificent collection by public auction lasted for ten days,) possessed four specimens of this rare moth, a pair of which were purchased by W. Swainson, Esq., and the remaining pair by myself.

CALLIMORPHA EPIMENIS.

Plate XXIX. fig. 2.

ORDER: Lepidoptera. SECTION: Nocturna. FAMILY: Arctiidæ.