MARIUS Cinna
Cramer describes this elegant Butterfly as a native of Surinam, and our own specimens were received from the same country. All the species of this group that have yet fallen under our inspection, are natives of South America. Their flight is high, powerful and rapid: the predominating colour on the upper surface of their wings is brown, and on the under white.
MARIUS Cinna.
Family Nymphalidæ. (Stirps. 3? Horsf.)
Generic Character.
Larva and pupa unknown.
Perfect insect. Wings Papilioniform, caudal appendages long, acute. Palpi porrect, approximating, and meeting at their tips so as to form an acute cone: the whole covered with compact scales. Anterior feet small, slender, imperfect, the tarsal joints? concealed by long hairs: club of the antennæ terminal, sub-fuciform and cylindric. Body short, thick, robust.
Type, Papilio Marius. Auct.
Specific Character.
Wings above brown, with two unequal white bands; beneath white, with narrow fulvous bands; basal angle of the posterior wings with an orange spot, ocellated with black.
Papilio Cinna. Cramer Vol. I. pl. 100. f. 8.
It is the misfortune of not understanding the typical structure, and the principles which regulate its variation, in higher groups, that in defining the characters of a lesser, we can form no just idea of its relative value: whether, in short, we should consider it a genus or a sub genus, or whether it is typical, aberrant, or osculent. This, however, is but a temporary evil; and will only continue until an insight is gained into higher combinations, by first placing together kindred species under one common name. If this be done heedfully, such a group must be natural, whatever opinions may be entertained in the first instance, as to its proper denomination.