OCR Text |
Show 60 MR. R. TRIMEN ON BUTTERFLIES [Jan. 20, approaching it within 200 miles, while its most eastern point (on the Okavango) is distant from it more than 600 miles. Hitherto, except to some extent as regards Southern Damara-land, the Rhopalocera of this territory have been very little known, and it is thus of interest to place on record a complete list of the species met with by Mr. Eriksson, with notes of any variation observed in the case of species already described, and descriptions of those forms which appear to be new to science. The collection, consisting entirely of pinned specimens, arrived in excellent condition. I have found it, on careful examination, to contain 125 species, thus distributed among the several families and subfamilies, viz. :-Nymphalidae (Danainee 1, Satyrinee 2, Acrae-inae 12, Nymphalinee 23), 38 ; Lyceenidae, 40 ; Papilionidee (Pierinae 22, Papilioninae 4), 26 ; Hesperidae, 21. As was to be expected from its geographical position, and from the absence of any intervening barrier of importance, this country exhibits in its butterflies very intimate alliance with extra-tropical Southern Africa, 97 (or nearly four-fifths) of the species being common to both territories. Although the northernmost part of the country collected in is adjacent to the most southern province of Angola (Mossamedes), there seems to be community of species to but a small extent, only 26 of Mr. Eriksson's species appearing in Mr. Druce's list (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1875, p. 406) of Angolan butterflies collected by the late Mr. J. J. Monteiro, and Dewitz (Nov. Act. Leop.-Carol. Deutsch. Akad. 1879) giving but 32 of them among those brought by Pogge from Central Angola. It is further very noticeable that the characteristic tropical West-African genera Elymnias, Ergolis, Godartia, Euryphene, Euphcedra, Aterica, Harma, Abisara, and Epitola, all of which have Angolan representatives, are entirely absent from Mr. Eriksson's collection. At the same time it must be remembered that the series brought together by Mr. Eriksson contains the captures of only a single half-year, and so cannot be looked upon as completely illustrating what the country produces. In remarkable contrast to the Lyceenidae, which are the best represented group, the Satyrina and Papilionince seem to be singularly few. Of the 28 species not known to occur in extra-tropical areas, 11 appear to be undescribed, viz. :- (Nymphalidae.) (Acreince.) Acrcea felina. „ onerata. „ ambigua. (Lyeeenidae.) Deudorix obscuratus. Aphnceus erikssoni. ,, modestus. Zeritis damarensis. Erikssonia (n. g.) acrceina. |