Habitat: Brazil.
Upper Side. Antennæ white. Thorax and abdomen whiteish. Wings blueish white; anterior tipped with dark brown, with half the front edges next the body verged with dark brown, which, at the extremity, joins to a streak about three-fourths of an inch long, running from these edges towards the centre of the wing, near to which is placed two darkish round spots. Posterior wings having a row of dark crescents placed along the external edges, which becomes double near the abdominal corners; and a row of faint whiteish streaks crossing them from the anterior to the abdominal edges, meeting about an inch below the body.
Under Side. Palpi, legs, breast, and abdomen white. Wings coloured as on the upper side. The two round spots on the anterior ones are black; and the row of faint-coloured streaks crossing the posterior ones are here very strong; each streak being white, and placed on a brown ground, edged with yellow. Margins of the wings slightly dentated.
Fabricius, in the Entomologia Systematica, described two butterflies under the name of Papilio (N.) Laertes, No. 226. from Surinam figured by Cramer, and No. 262, from South America, figured by Drury. As the former species had the priority in point of date, Fabricius, in the alphabetical index to that work, altered the name of Drury's insect to Epistrophus. By the establishment, however, of the genus Morpho, comprising the insect figured by Drury, the difficulty is obviated, and as the species is universally known under the name of Laertes, it does not appear requisite to adopt the name of Epistrophus.
NYMPHALIS (CATAGRAMMA) HYDASPES.
Plate [XV]. fig. 2, 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: Nymphalidæ, Swains.
Genus. Nymphalis, Latr. God. Papilio (Nymphalis), Fabr. Subgenus: Catagramma, Boisduval.
Nymphalis (Catagramma) Hydaspes. Alis subdentatis, nigris, basi suprà nitidè cyaneis, anticis utrinque fasciâ chermesinâ abbreviatâ; posticis subtùs annulis duobus flavis punctisque quatuor ocellaribus. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 10 lin.)
Syn. Papilio (Pleb. rur.) Hydaspes, Fabr. MSS. cited by Drury, App. vol. 3. (1783.) nec Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 54. No. 167. (1793.)