Most interesting in this respect is, perhaps, the Asiatic-African
genus _Elymnias_, a Satyrid whose numerous (over thirty) species
all seem to be in need of protection, for many of them mimic immune
butterflies, while the rest are inconspicuous and are provided with
protective colouring on the under surface. On Plates II and III some
of the former are depicted beside their models. The single African
species (_Elymnias phegea_) (Pl. II, Fig. 20) mimics, as has been
already mentioned, the prevalent _Acræa gea_ (Pl. II, Fig. 21). Many
of the Asiatic Elymniidæ are mimics of the immune Euplœæ, especially
the dark-brown species with steel-blue shimmer, such as _E. patna_ in
India, _E. beza_ in Borneo, and _E. penanga_ in Borneo. In Amboina
there flies an _E. vitellia_, the female of which mimics accurately the
plain, light-brown, inconspicuous _Euplœa climena_ which occurs there.
The male of _Elymnias leucocyma_ (Pl. III, Fig. 26) resembles the brown
and blue shimmering _Euplœa binotata_ (Pl. III, Fig. 25), while the
female mimics the dusky, radially-striped female of _Euplœa midamus_
(Pl. III, Figs. 27 and 28): the male of _Elymnias cassiphone_ resembles
the blackish-brown and deep-blue iridescent _Euplœa claudia_, while the
female is like the female of _Euplœa midamus_. A number of species of
_Elymnias_ copy Danaids: thus both sexes of _E. lais_ are like _Danais
vulgaris_ (Pl. III, Figs. 29 and 30), and _E. ceryx_ and _E. timandra_
are like another similar Danaid, _D. tytia_. The female only of _E.
undularis_ of Ceylon mimics the brown-yellow _D. genutia_ (Pl. II, Fig.
22) in general appearance, though not minutely, while the male (Pl.
II, Fig. 24) seems to attempt an imitation of the blue EuplϾ. A rare
form, not often represented in collections, _Elymnias künstleri_, bears
a striking resemblance to the Danaid, _Ideopsis daos_ Boisd., with its
white wings spotted with black, while three species mimic the probably
immune Pierid genus _Delias_, especially on the under surface, which
is decorated with yellow and red. Perhaps the one which has diverged
farthest from the original type is _Elymnias agondas_ Boisd. (Pl. II,
Fig. 32) of the Papua region and the island of Waigeu, for it bears
two large blue eye-spots on the posterior wings, and thus, especially
in the case of the almost white female, closely resembles _Tenaris
bioculatus_ (Pl. III, Fig. 31). There are thus seven or eight types
of marking and colouring differing from one another, and belonging to
six different genera and a much greater number of species, which are
mimicked by this one genus _Elymnias_.
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