Page:Jardine Naturalist's Library Foreign Butterflies.djvu/241

187 ERYCINA MELIBÆUS.

PLATE XXV. Figs. 1 and 2.

Pap. E. A. Melibæus, Fabr.—Herbst Pap. Pl. 59, fig. 4, 5—Pap. Pyretus, Cramer, Pl. 144, fig. A, B.

beautiful insect belongs to that division of Erycina which has opaque wings, and a short obtuse tail to the hinder pair. It is about two inches in extent of wing. The surface is uniform dark brown, with a bright red oblique band running across the middle of both wings, and a large crescent of the same colour near the origin of the tail. On the inner side of the upper wings there is the appearance of another oblique red band, but it is obsolete except at the hinder margin. The under side forms a striking contrast with the surface, the ground colour being black, with two brilliant blue bands, the outer one very broad, the interior somewhat macular, and terminating behind in a red point. Body brown above and black beneath.

Like most of the species constituting the genus Erycina, it is a native of the new world, occurring in greatest plenty in Surinam and Brazil.