Note 17 — Chapter III

Although the Euploeinae are not represented on the African continent, it is the headquarters of another distasteful family of butterflies—the Acraeinae—which is but sparingly represented in the Oriental region[17]. Of smaller size than the Danaines they are characterised, like this group, by their tenacity of life and by the presumably distasteful character of their body juices. They are said also to possess an offensive odour apparently exuded through the thorax. The majority of the members of the group fall into the two genera Acraea and Planema. Species of Acraea are on the whole characterised by their general bright red-brown colour and by the conspicuous black spots on both fore and hind wings. A typical Acraeine pattern is that of Acraea egina (Pl. VI, fig. 7) which is mimicked remarkably closely by the Nymphaline Pseudacraea boisduvali and by the Swallow-tail Papilio ridleyanus (Pl. VI, figs. 5 and 6).