| OCR Text |
Show 114 DR. A. G. BUTLER ON BUTTERFLIES [Jan. 14, No two examples of this species are absolutely alike, and thus the unfortunate creature has received the following names since Mr. Godman first made it known : - M . Oberthiir calls it A. pro-teina, flavescens, semifulvescens, fidvescens, and semialbescens ; Rogenhofer calls it A. telekiana, confusa, and fallax ; and Tierr Karsch denominates it A. octobalia: the species thus has ten names; it divides itself very vaguely into four varieties, as follows:- ,.„, „ ,, , • i 1. A.johnstoni, in which the sexes differ greatly; the typical male is described by M . Oberthiir as A. semifulvescens, and the typical female as A. proteina. ' 2. A. fidvescens, Oberth. - A. telekiana, Rghfr. 3. A. semialbescens, Oberth. 4. A.fiavescens (if a male)=A kilima.ndjara, Oberth. = A. confusa and A. fallax, Rghfr., and A. octobalia, Karsch. In the last-mentioned form both sexes have adopted the iemale dress ; but the male sometimes has the spots on the primaries yellowish. c Acrcea is a very variable genus, and it has been the custom ot lepidopterists to regard all the different phases of each species as distinct; the genus, when properly studied, reduces itself to about a third of its supposed magnitude. The triangular black apical patch, which has been made to serve as a specific character in several instances, is of no value whatever, being a purely individual characteristic dependent on presence or absence of moisture. 28. ACR.EA CABIRA. Acrcea cabira, Hopffer, Ber. Verb. Akad. Berlin, 1855, p. 640; Peters' Reise n. Mossamb. p. 378, pi. 23. figs. 14, 15 (1862). 3 3 , Chifumya, Lower Nyika, 20th April; $ , Munchewi R., Lower Nyika, April 8th, 1895. " Yellow and black Fritillary. $ full of orange-coloured ova (R. ft). 29. ACR.HA. VLTSIDIA. Acrcpa vinidia, Hewitson, Ent. Month. Mag. xi. p. 130 (1874); Exot. Butt. v. ACT. pi. 7. figs. 45, 46 (1875). Var. Acrcea acerata, Hewitson, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, vol. xiii. p. 381 (1874) ; Exot. Butt. v. Acr. pi. 7. fig. 44 (1875). Albino: Acrcea tenella, Rogenhofer, Ann. Hof. Mus. Wien (1891). Acrcea abbotii, Holland, Entomologist, Suppl. xxv. (1892). 2 , Ngerenge, W . coast of Lake Nyasa, Feb. 27th, 1895. " Pale orange and black Fritillary " (R. ft). This species, like most of the Acra'ce, is very variable, and especially in the female sex ; the present example is straw-yellow, with the normal black border, subapical bar, and basal marking; it may therefore stand as the female of the albino form A. tenella, a male example of which we have from Kilima-njaro. |
