other species of the genus, _B. butleri_, Edwards, from Grinnell Land,
and _B. improba_, Butler, from near the arctic circle. It is not likely
that many of the readers of this book will encounter these insects in
their rambles, and if they should, they will be able to ascertain their
names quickly, by conferring with the author.
SUSPICIOUS CONDUCT
The entomologist must not expect to be always thoroughly understood. The
ways of scientific men sometimes appear strange, mysterious, bordering
even upon the insane, to those who are uninitiated. A celebrated
American naturalist relates that on one occasion, when chasing
butterflies through a meadow belonging to a farmer, the latter came out
and viewed him with manifest anxiety. But when the nature of the efforts
of the man of science had been finally explained, the farmer heaved a
sigh of relief, remarking, in Pennsylvania Dutch, that "he had surely
thought, when he first saw him, that he had just escaped from a lunatic
asylum." The writer, a number of years ago, after having despatched a
very comfortable lunch, sallied forth one afternoon, in quest of
insects, and in the course of his wanderings came upon a refuse-heap by
the roadside, opposite a substantial house, and on this heap discovered
an ancient ham, which was surrounded by a multitude of beetles of
various species known to be partial to decomposed, or semi-decomposed,
animal matter. He proceeded immediately to bottle a number of the
specimens. While engaged in so doing, the window of the house across
the way was thrown up, and an elderly female thrust her head out, and in
strident voice exclaimed: "Hey, there! What are you doin' with that ham?
I say, don't you know that that ham is spiled?" As he paid no attention
to her, she presently appeared at the door, came across the street, and
remarked: "See here, mister; that ham's spiled; Lucy and me throwed it
out, knowin' it was no good. If you want a good meal of wittles, come
into the house, and we will feed you, but for mercy's sake leave that
spiled ham alone." It took considerable effort to assure her that no
designs upon the ham were cherished, and she went away, evidently
completely mystified at the wild conduct of the well-dressed man who was
grubbing in the rubbish-pile.
Genus MELITÆA, Fabricius
(The Checker-spots)
"The fresh young Flie,...
... joy'd to range abroad in fresh attire,
Through the wide compass of the ayrie coast;
And, with unwearied wings, each part t'inquire
Of the wide rule of his renowned sire."
SPENSER.
_Butterfly._--Small. The tibiæ and the tarsi of the mesothoracic and
metathoracic legs are more lightly armed with spines than in the genera
_Argynnis_ and _Brenthis_. The palpi are not swollen. They are clothed
with long hairs and have the third joint finely pointed. The antennæ are
about half as long as the costa of the fore wings, and are provided with
a short, heavy, excavated, or spoon-shaped club. The subcostal of the
fore wings is five-branched, the first nervule always arising before the
end of the cell, the second at the end or just beyond it. The cell of
the primaries is closed, of the secondaries open. The markings upon the
wings are altogether different from those in the two preceding genera,
and the spots on the under side of the wings are not silvered, as in the
genus _Brenthis_.
_Egg._--The egg is rounded at the base, subconical, truncated, and
depressed at the upper end and fluted by light raised ridges (see p. 4,
Fig. 8).
_Caterpillar._--The larvæ are cylindrical, armed in the mature form on
each segment with comparatively short spines thickly covered with
diverging hairs, or needle-shaped spines. They are known in some species
to be gregarious in their early stages, and then to separate before
maturity. They feed upon the _Scrophulariaceæ_, upon _Castileja_,
_Diplopappus_, and other plants.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, rounded at the head, provided
with more or less sharply pointed tubercles on the dorsal surface, and
generally white or some shade of light gray, blotched with brown or
black, and marked with reddish or orange spots on the dorsal side.
[Illustration FIG. 91.--Neuration of the genus _Melitæa_.]
This genus is very large and is distributed widely over all the colder
portions of the north temperate zone. There are many species found in
Europe, in Siberia, in China, and in the northern islands of Japan. On
the upper slopes of the Himalayas it is also represented by a few
species. In North America the genus is well represented, the most of the
species being found upon the mountain-slopes and in the valleys of the
Pacific coast region. Only two species occur in the Eastern States.
(1) =Melitæa phaëton=, Drury, Plate XVI, Fig. 1, ♂; Plate V, Figs. 15,
16, _chrysalis_ (The Baltimore).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side is black, with a marginal row of red
spots, followed by three rows of pale-yellow spots on the fore wings and
two on the hind wings. Besides these there are some large red spots on
the cells of both wings, a large red spot about the middle of the costa
of the hind wing, and a few scattering yellow spots, forming an
incomplete fourth row on the fore wing and an incomplete third row on
the hind wing. On the under side all the spots of the upper side
reappear, but heavier and more distinct, and on the hind wings there are
two additional rows of yellow spots, and a number of irregular patches
of red and yellow at the base of both wings.
♀.--The female is much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.75-2.00 inches;
♀, 2.00-2.60 inches.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVI |
| |
| 1. _Melitæa phaëton_, Drury, ♂. |
| 2. _Melitæa chalcedon_, Doubleday and |
| Hewitson, ♂. |
| 3. _Melitæa macglashani_, Rivers, ♂. |
| 4. _Melitæa augusta_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 5. _Melitæa colon_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 6. _Melitæa nubigena_, Behr, ♂. |
| 7. _Melitæa baroni_, Henry Edwards, ♂. |
| 8. _Melitæa editha,_, Boisduval, ♂. |
| 9. _Melitæa nubigena_, var, _wheeleri_, |
| Henry Edwards, ♂. |
| 10. _Melitæa rubicunda_, Henry Edwards, |
| ♂. |
| 11. _Melitæa acastus_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 12. _Melitæa acastus_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 13. _Melitæa palla_, Boisduval, ♂. |
| 14. _Melitæa palla_, Boisduval, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 15. _Melitæa gabbi_, Behr, ♂. |
| 16. _Melitæa taylori_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 17. _Melitæa fulvia_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 18. _Melitæa dymas_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 19. _Melitæa perse_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 20. _Melitæa leanira_, Boisduval, ♂. |
| 21. _Melitæa nympha_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 22. _Melitæa arachne_, Edwards, ♀. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XVI.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
_Egg._--The egg which is outlined upon p. 4, Fig. 8, is brownish-yellow
when first laid, then changes to crimson and becomes black just
before hatching. The eggs are laid by the female in large clusters on
the under side of the leaf of the food-plant.
_Caterpillar._--The life-history in all the stages will be found
minutely described by Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America,"
vol. ii, and by Scudder in "The Butterflies of New England," vol. i. The
mature larva is black, banded with orange-red, and beset with short,
bristly, black spines. Before and during hibernation, which takes place
after the third moult, the caterpillars are gregarious, and construct
for themselves a web in which they pass the winter. After the rigors of
winter are past, and the food-plant, which is commonly _Chelone glabra_,
begins to send up fresh shoots, they recover animation, scatter, and
fall to feeding again, and after the fifth moult reach maturity.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, formed generally at a
considerable distance from the spot where the caterpillar feeds, for the
larvæ wander off widely just before pupation. It is pearly-gray,
blotched with dark brown in stripes and spots, with some orange
markings.
This very beautiful butterfly is quite local, found in colonies in
swampy places where the food-plant grows, but in these spots sometimes
appearing in swarms. It occurs in the northern portions of the United
States and in Canada, extending as far north as the Lake of the Woods,
and as far south as West Virginia. It does not occur west of the Rocky
Mountains.
(2) =Melitæa chalcedon=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XVI, Fig. 2, ♂
(Chalcedon).
_Butterfly._--The male and female are much alike. The wings are black,
spotted with red and ochreous-yellow. On the under side they are
brick-red, with the spots of the upper side repeated, and in addition at
the base a number of large and distinct yellow spots. Expanse, ♂,
1.75-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.50 inches.
_Early Stages._--For a knowledge of these the reader may consult
Edwards, "The Butterflies of North America," vol. i, and "Papilio," vol.
iv, p. 63; Wright, "Papilio," vol. iii, p. 123, and other authorities.
The egg is pale yellowish when first laid, pitted at the base, and
ribbed vertically above. The caterpillar is black, with the bristling
processes on the segments longer than in the preceding species. The
chrysalis is pale gray, blotched with brown. The food-plants are
_Mimulus_ and _Castileja_.
This very pretty species is apparently quite common in northern
California about Mount Shasta. It is subject to variation, and I possess
a dozen remarkable aberrations, in one of which the fore wings are solid
black without spots, and the hind wings marked by only one central band
of large yellow spots; another representing the opposite color extreme,
in which yellow has almost wholly replaced the black and red. The
majority of these aberrant forms are females. They are very striking.
(3) =Melitæa macglashani=, Rivers, Plate XVI, Fig. 3, ♂ (Macglashan's
Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--Larger than the preceding species, with the red spots on
the outer margin bigger, the yellow spots generally larger and paler.
Expanse, ♂, 1.85-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.25-3.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This insect is represented in the Edwards collection by a considerable
series. They come from Truckee, California.
(4) =Melitæa colon=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 5, ♂ (Colon).
_Butterfly._--Of the same size and general appearance as _M. chalcedon_,
with which I believe it to be identical, the only possible satisfactory
mark of distinction which I am able to discover on comparing the types
with a long series of _chalcedon_ being the reduced size of the marginal
row of yellow spots on the upper side of the primaries, which in one of
the types figured in the plate are almost obsolete. They appear,
however, in other specimens labeled "Type." The learned author of the
species lays stress, in his original description, upon the shape of the
spots composing the band of spots second from the margin on the under
side of the hind wings; but I find that the same points he dwells upon
as diacritic of this species are apparent in many specimens of what
undoubtedly are _chalcedon_. Expanse, 1.75-2.50 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have not been recorded.
The types came from the region of the Columbia River, in Washington and
Oregon.
(5) =Melitæa anicia=, Doubleday and Hewitson, var. =beani=, Skinner, Plate
XVIII, Fig. 13, ♂ (Bean's Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--_M. anicia_ is a well-known Californian species, smaller
than _M. chalcedon_, and with a great deal of red on the basal and
discal areas of both wings upon the upper side. An extremely small and
dark form of this species, found on the bleak, inhospitable
mountain-tops about Laggan, in Alberta, has been named by Dr. Skinner in
honor of Mr. Bean, its discoverer. The figure in our plate, which is
taken from Dr. Skinner's original type, sufficiently defines the
characteristics of the upper surface. Expanse, 1.50 inch.
_Early Stages._--The early stages of _M. anicia_ and its varietal forms
are quite unknown.
_M. anicia_ is found in Colorado, Montana, Washington, and British
America.
(6) =Melitæa nubigena=, Behr, Plate XVI, Fig. 6, ♂; var. =wheeleri=,
Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 9, ♂ (The Clouded Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--Smaller than any of the foregoing species, and
characterized by the much redder ground-color of the upper side of the
wings, an extreme form being the variety _M. wheeleri_, in which the
black ground-color is greatly reduced and almost wholly obliterated on
parts of the primaries. There are other marks of distinction given in
the figures in the plate which will enable the student easily to
recognize this species, which is subject to much variation, especially
in the female sex. Expanse, 1.20-1.50 inch.
_Early Stages._--Mead, in the "Report upon the Lepidoptera of the
Wheeler Survey," has described the caterpillar and chrysalis.
The species is common in Nevada.
(7) =Melitæa augusta=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 4, ♂ (Augusta).
_Butterfly,_.--This is another species in which red predominates as the
color of the upper side, but it may at once be distinguished by the
broad, clear red band on the secondaries, on either side of which are
the marginal and outer median rows of yellow spots, and by the bands of
yellow spots on the primaries, which are not so well marked in _M.
nubigena_. Expanse, ♂, 1.50-1.75 inch; ♀, 1.75-2.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
The habitat of this species is southern California.
(8) =Melitæa baroni=, Henry Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig 7, ♂ (Baron's
Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--This species closely resembles _chalcedon_ upon the upper
side, but is smaller and much more heavily spotted with deep red on the
upper side toward the base and on the median area of the wings. The
bands of light spots on the under side are paler than in _chalcedon_,
being white or very pale yellow, narrow, and more regular. Expanse, ♂,
1.50-1.80 inch; ♀, 1.60-1.90 inch.
_Early Stages._--These are in part given by Edwards, "The Butterflies of
North America," vol. iii. The food-plant is _Castileja_. The young larvæ
have the same habit as those of _M. phaëton_ in the matter of spinning a
common web in which to hibernate.
The species is found in northern California.
(9) =Melitæa rubicunda=, Henry Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 10, ♂ (The Ruddy
Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--Of the same size as _M. baroni_, from which it is most
easily distinguished, among other things, by the tendency of the outer
row of small yellow spots near the margin of the hind wings on the upper
side to become greatly reduced, and in a majority of specimens to be
altogether wanting, as in the specimen figured in our plate. Expanse, ♂,
1.50-1.60 inch; ♀, 1.80 inch.
_Early Stages._--For a knowledge of what is thus far known of these the
reader may consult the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xvii, p. 155. The
caterpillar feeds on _Scrophularia_.
The range of this species is in northern California.
(10) =Melitæa taylori=, Plate XVI, Fig. 16, ♂ (Taylor's Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--This insect resembles _M. baroni_, but is smaller, the red
spots on the wings are larger and more conspicuous, and the light bands
of pale spots more regular and paler in color, in many specimens being
quite white. It looks at first sight like a diminutive edition of
Baron's Checker-spot, and possibly is only a northern race of this
species. Expanse, ♂, 1.25-1.50 inch; ♀, 1.50-1.75 inch.
_Early Stages._--Mr. W.H. Danby of Victoria, B.C., informs us in the
"Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxi, p. 121, that the food-plant of this
species is the ribwort-plantain (_Plantago lanceolata_, Linn.).
It is found on Vancouver's Island.
(11) =Melitæa editha=, Boisduval, Plate XVI, Fig. 8, ♂ (Editha).
_Butterfly._--Characterized by the considerable enlargement and the
disposition in regular bands of the pale spots on the upper side of the
primaries, and by the tendency to a grayish cast in the darker markings
of the upper side, some specimens, especially females, being quite gray.
Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 2.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--The food-plants, according to Henry Edwards, who
described the caterpillar and chrysalis in the "Canadian Entomologist,"
vol. v, p. 167, are _Erodium cicutarium_, clover, and violets.
The habitat of this species is southern California.
(12) =Melitæa acastus=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♂,
_under side_ (Acastus).
_Butterfly._--With thinner and less robust wings than any of the species
of the genus hitherto mentioned. It is prevalently fulvous upon the
upper side, and on the under side of the hind wings heavily and somewhat
regularly banded with yellowish-white spots, possessing some pearly
luster. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.60 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
Common in Nevada, Utah, and Montana.
(13) =Melitæa palla=, Boisduval, Plate XVI, Fig. 13, ♂; Fig. 14, ♂,
_under side_ (The Northern Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--On the upper side resembling the preceding species, but
with the median band of spots on the hind wings paler. On the under side
the markings are different, as is shown in the plate. Expanse, ♂, 1.50
inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.
_Early Stages._--The larva and chrysalis were described by Henry
Edwards, the actor naturalist, in the "Proceedings of the California
Academy of Sciences," vol. v, p. 167. The food-plant is _Castileja_.
The species ranges from California to Colorado, and northward into
British Columbia.
(14) =Melitæa whitneyi=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♂,
_under side_ (Whitney's Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--The markings are much as in _M. palla_, the spots are
lighter fulvous and larger than in that species, the yellow bands on the
under side are more prominent, and the marginal spots have a silvery
luster which is lacking in _M. palla_. The female has the yellow of the
under side more prominent than is the case in the male sex. Expanse, ♂,
1.50 inch; ♀, 1.70 inch.
_Early Stages._--Altogether unknown.
Whitney's Checker-spot ranges from California into Nevada.
(15) =Melitæa hoffmanni=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 13, ♂; Fig. 14, ♀,
_aberration_ (Hoffmann's Checker-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--General style of marking much as in the two preceding
species, but with the basal area black, and the black markings toward
the outer margin not so heavy, giving it here a more fulvous appearance.
The median bands on both wings are broader and paler than in _M. palla._
The under side is much as in the last-mentioned species, but the yellow
markings are more prominent.
♀.--Much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.35 inch; ♀, 1.45 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This species, which is found in California and Nevada, is subject to
extreme variation, and I have placed upon the plate one out of many
beautiful and singular aberrations which I possess.
(16) =Melitæa gabbi=, Behr, Plate XVI, Fig. 15, ♂ (Gabb's Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--In the style of its markings on the upper side it almost
completely resembles _M. acastus_, but the dark markings are slighter,
giving the wings a more fulvous appearance. On the under side the bands
are narrower, defined more sharply with black, and pearly, almost
silvery white, whereas in _acastus_ they are pale yellowish-white, and
not so lustrous. Expanse, ♂, 1.20 inch; ♀, 1.50 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
The habitat of this species is southern California.
(17) =Melitæa harrisi=, Scudder, Plate XVII, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♀,
_under side_; Plate V, Figs. 17-18, _chrysalis_ (Harris' Checker-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--Wings fulvous, black at the base and on the outer
margin, with five fulvous spots in the cell of the fore wing, two below
the cell; and three in the cell of the hind wing. The black border is
widest at the apex of the fore wing, and below this runs inwardly on the
veins. There are two white spots near the apex. At the anal angle on the
hind wing the border is somewhat divided so as to present the appearance
of two indistinct lines. On the under side the wings are fulvous, marked
with black bands and spots, and crossed by bands and crescents of pale
yellow, as is shown in the figure on the plate.
♀.--The female is much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75
inch.
_Egg._--The eggs are lemon-yellow, in the form of a truncated cone,
with fifteen or sixteen vertical ribs, which are highest about the
middle.
_Caterpillar._--The matured caterpillar is reddish-fulvous, with a black
stripe on the back. Each segment is marked with one black ring before
and two black rings behind the sets of spiny tubercles with which the
segments are adorned. There are nine rows of spines, those above the
feet being quite small. The spines are black, tapering, and set with
diverging black hairs. The food-plants are aster and _Diplopappus
umbellatus_.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pearly-gray or white, blotched with dark
brown or black.
This choice little butterfly ranges from Nova Scotia to Wisconsin,
extending as far south as northern Illinois, and northward to Ottawa.
(18) =Melitæa elada=, Hewitson, Plate XVII, Fig. 2, ♂ (Hewitson's
Checker-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The wings on the upper side are black, crossed by
numerous bands of small fulvous spots, the one crossing the middle of
the median area being composed of the largest spots. The fore wings on
the under side are fulvous, shading outwardly into ferruginous. The
spots and bands of the upper side reappear upon the under side, but are
lighter, and the submarginal row of crescents is pale yellow and very
distinct, the spot between the second and third median nervules being
the largest, and the spot between the fourth and fifth subcostals being
only a little smaller. The under side of the hind wings is deep
ferruginous, crossed by bands of pearly pale-yellow spots, those of the
outer margin being the largest.
♀.--The female is much like the male, with the ground-color a little
paler. Expanse, ♂, .90 inch; ♀, 1.00-1.10 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This little species is found in western Texas, Arizona, and northern
Mexico.
(19) =Melitæa dymas=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 18, ♀ (Dymas).
_Butterfly._--This species is closely related in size and the style of
some of the markings to the foregoing species, but may be at once
distinguished by the lighter ground-color, which is pale fulvous, and
the totally different style of the marginal markings on the under side
of the wings. The female represented in the plate is a trifle paler
than the male. Expanse, ♂, .85 inch; ♀, 1.00 inch.
_Early Stages_--Unknown.
The habitat of this species is southwestern Texas.
(20) =Melitæa perse=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 19, ♂ (Perse).
_Butterfly._--This is nearly related to the two foregoing species, but
the ground-color is darker fulvous than in _dymas_, the markings are
slight as in that species, and the arrangement of the spots and bands on
the under side is similar. The marginal crescents on the under side of
the primaries are largest at the apex and rapidly diminish in size,
vanishing altogether about the middle of the wing. Expanse, ♂, 1.00
inch; ♀, 1.10 inch.
_Early Stages._--These remain to be discovered.
The only specimens so far found have come from Arizona.
(21) =Melitæa chara=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♂,
_under side_ (Chara).
_Butterfly._--No lengthy description of this pretty little species is
required, as the plate, which gives both sides of the wings, shows their
peculiarities with sufficient accuracy to enable an exact determination
to be made. The whitish spot on the costa before the apex on the upper
side, and the chalky-white markings and spots on the under side, serve
at once to distinguish this form from its near allies. Expanse, ♂, 1.00
inch; ♀, 1.25 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
I have a large series of this species, all from Arizona, where it
appears to be common.
(22) =Melitæa leanira=, Boisduval, Plate XVI, Fig. 20, ♀ (Leanira).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--Ground-color brownish-black, fulvous on the costa, with
submarginal, median, and basal rows of yellow spots. Both the primaries
and secondaries have a marginal row of red spots, and the former have in
addition a submarginal row of such spots. The under side of the
primaries is reddish-fulvous, with the markings of the upper side
reproduced. The secondaries have a marginal row of yellow crescents,
then a black band inclosing yellow spots, then a median band of long
yellow crescents. The remainder of the wing to its insertion is black,
spotted with yellow.
♀.--Much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This pretty insect ranges from southern California and Arizona to
Nevada, Montana, and British America.
(23) =Melitæa wrighti=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♀,
_under side,_ (Wright's Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--Much like _M. leanira_, but with more fulvous upon the
upper side of the wings, and the under side yellow. The black bands on
the secondaries are reduced, and the dividing-lines between the spots
are confined to the nervules, which are narrowly black. This is probably
only a varietal form of the preceding species. I figure the types.
Expanse, ♂, 1.30 inch; ♀, 1.80 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
Habitat, southern California.
(24) =Melitæa alma=, Strecker, Plate XVII, Fig. 1, ♂ (Strecker's
Checker-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side of the wings is bright fulvous, with the
margins and veins black. There are three rows of transverse spots paler
than the ground-color. The fore wings on the under side are pale
fulvous, with pale-yellow spots and a submarginal and marginal row of
yellow spots separated by a narrow black line. The hind wings on this
side are yellow, with the veins and margins black, and a transverse
double band of black on the outer margin of the median area.
♀.--Much like the male, but larger, and redder on the upper side.
Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.50 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
The specimens I have came from the Death Valley. The species occurs in
southern Utah and Arizona.
(25) =Melitæa thekla=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 15, ♂, _under side_;
Fig. 16, ♂ (Thekla).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The upper side of the wings is fulvous, black toward
the base and on the outer margin. The primaries are adorned with a large
oval pale-fulvous spot at the end of the cell, a small one on the middle
of the upper side of the cell, and another small one below the cell, at
the origin of the first median nervule. The discal area is defined
outwardly by a very irregular fine black transverse line, beyond which
is a transverse band of pale-fulvous oblong spots, an incomplete series
of spots of the ground-color sharply defined upon the black outer
shade, followed by a row of irregular white submarginal spots. The
transverse bands of spots on the primaries are repeated upon the
secondaries, where they are more regular and the spots more even in
size. On the under side both wings are pale red, with the light spots of
the upper side reappearing as pale-yellow sharply defined spots. The
fringes are checkered black and white.
♀.--Much like the male, but larger. Expanse, ♂, 1.35-1.50 inch; ♀,
1.50-1.75 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This species is common in Texas. It is identical, as an examination of
the type shows, with _M. bolli_, Edwards, and the latter name as a
synonym falls into disuse.
(26) =Melitæa minuta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 11, ♂, _under side_;
Fig. 12, ♂ (The Smaller Checker-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--This species is fulvous on the upper side, rather
regularly banded with black lines. The veins are also black. The result
is that the wings appear to be more regularly checkered than in any
other species which is closely allied to this. The markings of the under
side are white edged with black, and are shown very well in the plate,
so that a lengthy description is unnecessary. Expanse, ♂, 1.25-1.35
inch; ♀, 1.50-1.60 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
The specific name, _minuta_, is not altogether appropriate. There are
many smaller species of the genus. It is found rather commonly in
Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
(27) =Melitæa arachne=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 22, ♀ (Arachne).
_Butterfly._--I have given in the plate a figure of a female bearing
this name in the Edwards collection. It is remarkably pale on the upper
side. There is a large series of types and paratypes in the collection,
but all of them vary on the upper side of the wings in the intensity of
the fulvous ground-color and the width of the black markings. Underneath
they are absolutely like _M. minuta_. I think _M. arachne_ is without
much doubt a synonym for _M. minuta_. The species varies very greatly.
The types are from Colorado and western Texas. Expanse as in _M.
minuta_.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
(28) =Melitæa nympha=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 21, ♂ (Nympha).
_Butterfly._--This species differs from _M. minuta_ only in having the
black markings darker and the outer median bands of spots on the upper
side yellow. On the under side the pattern of the markings is exactly as
in _M. minuta_. It seems to me to be a dark, aberrant form of _M.
minuta_, but is very well marked, and constant in a large series of
specimens, so that we cannot be sure until some one breeds these
creatures from the egg. Expanse, the same as that of _M. minuta_.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
Habitat, Arizona.
In addition to the species of the genus _Melitæa_ illustrated in our
plates there are a few others which are credited to our fauna, some of
these correctly and some erroneously, and a number of so-called species
have been described which are not true species, but varieties or
aberrations.
COLLECTING IN JAPAN
I was tired of the Seiyo-ken, the only hotel at which foreigners could
be entertained without the discomfort of sleeping upon the floor. There
is a better hotel in Tokyo now. I had looked out for five days from my
window upon the stinking canal through which the tide ebbs and flows in
Tsukiji. I felt if I stayed longer in the lowlands that I would contract
malarial fever or some other uncomfortable ailment, and resolved to
betake myself to the mountains, the glorious mountains, which rise all
through the interior of the country, wrapped in verdure, their giant
summits capped with clouds, many of them the abode of volcanic thunder.
So I went by rail to the terminus of the road, got together the coolies
to pull and push my jinrikishas, and, accompanied by a troop of native
collectors, made my way up the Usui-toge, the pass over which travelers
going from western Japan into eastern Japan laboriously crept twelve
years ago.
What a sunset when we reached an elevation of three thousand feet above
the paddy-fields which stretch across the Kwanto to the Gulf of Yeddo!
What a furious thunder-storm came on just as night closed in! Then at
half-past nine the moon struggled out from behind the clouds, and we
pushed on up over the muddy roads, until at last a cold breath of night
air sweeping from the west began to fan our faces, and we realized that
we were at the top of the pass, and before us in the dim moonlight
loomed the huge form of Asama-yama, that furious volcano, which more
than once has laid the land waste for leagues around, and compared with
which Vesuvius is a pygmy. We slept on Japanese mats, and in the
morning, the drops glittering on every leaf, we started out to walk
through the fields to Oiwake, our baggage going forward, we intending to
loiter all day amid the charms of nature. Seven species of lilies
bloomed about us in the hedges and the fields; a hundred plants,
graceful and beautiful in blossom, scented the air with their aroma, and
everywhere were butterflies and bees. Above us hung in the sky a banner,
the great cloud which by day and by night issues from the crater of
Asama-yama. Five species of fritillaries flashed their silvery wings by
copse and stream; great black papilios soared across the meadows; blue
lycænas, bright chrysophani, and a dozen species of wood-nymphs gamboled
over the low herbage and among the grass. Torosan, my chief collector,
was in his element. "Dana-san" (_my lord_, or _my master_), "this kind
Yokohama no have got." "Dana-san, this kind me no catchee Tokyo side."
And so we wandered down the mountain-slope, taking species new alike to
American and Japanese, until the sun was sinking in the west. The
cloud-banner had grown crimson and purple in the sunset when we wandered
into the hospitable doorway of the wayside inn at Oiwake. There we made
our headquarters for the week, and thence we carried away a thousand
butterflies and moths and two thousand beetles as the guerdon of our
chase.
Genus PHYCIODES, Doubleday
(The Crescent-spots)
"Flusheth the rise with her purple favor,
Gloweth the cleft with her golden ring.
'Twixt the two brown butterflies waver
Lightly settle, and sleepily swing."
JEAN INGELOW.
_Butterfly._--The butterflies composing this genus are generally quite
small. Their wings on the upper side are fulvous, or brown with black
margins, spots, and lines upon the upper side of the wings, and with the
under side of the wings reproducing the spots of the upper side in
paler tints. Of the spots of the under side of the wings one of the most
characteristic is the pale crescent situated on the outer margin of the
hind wings, between the ends of the second and third median nervules.
This spot is frequently pearly-white or silvered. Structurally the
butterflies of this genus may be distinguished from the preceding genus
by the enlarged second joint of the palpi and the very fine, extremely
pointed third joint. In the neuration of the wings and in their habits
these butterflies closely approximate _Melitæa_.
[Illustration FIG. 92.--Neuration of the genus _Phyciodes_.]
_Eggs._--The eggs are always higher than broad, with the surface at the
base more or less pitted, giving them a thimble-like appearance. On the
upper end in some species they have a few short, vertical ridges,
radiating from the micropyle.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar is cylindrical, marked with pale
longitudinal stripes upon a darker ground, and adorned with tubercles
arranged in regular rows. These tubercles are generally much shorter
than in the genus _Melitæa_. The caterpillars do not, so far as is
known, weave webs at any time.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pendant, with the head slightly bifid.
The dorsal region of the abdomen is provided with slight tubercles. The
color is generally some shade of pale gray, blotched with black or dark
brown.
This genus finds its principal development in South and Central America,
which are very rich in species, some of them mimicking in a most
marvelous manner the butterflies of the protected genus _Heliconius_ and
its allies. The species found in the United States and Canada are for
the most part not very gaily colored insects, chaste shades of brown, or
yellow, and black predominating.
(1) =Phyciodes nycteis=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XVII, Fig. 28, ♂,
_under side_; Fig. 29, ♂; Fig. 30, ♀; Plate V, Fig. 19, _chrysalis_
(Nycteis).
_Butterfly._--On the upper side very closely resembling _Melitæa_
harrisi, for which it may easily be mistaken upon the wing. The under
side of the hind wings is very different, and may at once be
distinguished by the lighter color of the base of the wing, and the
pale, silvery crescent on the outer margin. Expanse, ♂ 1.25-1.65 inch;
♀, 1.65-2.00 inches.
_Egg._--The egg is half as high again as broad, marked with sixteen or
seventeen vertical ribs above, and pitted about the middle by hexagonal
cells. It is pale green in color.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar undergoes four moults after hatching. In
the mature stage it is velvety-black, with a dull orange stripe along
the back, and purplish streaks on the sides. The body is studded with
whitish spots, each giving rise to a delicate black hair, and is further
beset with rather short, black, hairy spines.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is pearly-gray, blotched with dark brown.
The life-history of this species has been carefully worked out, and all
the details may be found described in the most minute manner by Edwards
and by Scudder.
The insect ranges from Maine to North Carolina, and thence westward to
the foot-hills of the Rocky Mountains.
(2) =Phyciodes ismeria=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XVII, Fig. 24, ♂;
Fig. 25, ♂, _under side_ (Ismeria).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--Easily distinguished from all other allied species by
the double row of small light spots on the dark margin of the fore wings
on the upper side, and by the silvery, narrow, and greatly bent line of
bright silvery spots crossing the middle of the hind wings on the under
side.
♀.--The female is like the male, but larger and paler and all the spots
on the upper side are pale fulvous, and not as distinctly white on the
outer margin as in the male sex. Expanse, ♂, 1.15-1.35 inch; ♀,
1.35-2.00 inches.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar, according to Boisduval and Leconte, is
yellowish, with blackish spines and three longitudinal blackish stripes.
The head, the thoracic legs, and the under side are black; the other
legs are yellow.
_Chrysalis._--According to the same authors, the chrysalis is pale gray,
with paler light spots and nearly white dorsal tubercles.
This insect ranges over a wide territory from Canada to the Southern and
Western States east of the Rocky Mountains.
(3) =Phyciodes vesta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 17, ♂; Fig. 18, ♀;
Fig. 19, ♀, _under side_ (Vesta).
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVII |
| |
| 1. _Melitæa alma_, Strecker, ♂. |
| 2. _Melitæa elada_, Hewitson, ♂. |
| 3. _Melitæa chara_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 4. _Melitæa chara_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 5. _Melitæa harrisi_, Scudder, ♂. |
| 6. _Melitæa harrisi_, Scudder, ♀, |
| _under side_. |
| 7. _Melitæa whitneyi_, Behr, ♂. |
| 8. _Melitæa whitneyi_, Behr, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 9. _Melitæa wrighti_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 10. _Melitæa wrighti_, Edwards, ♀, |
| _under side_. |
| 11. _Melitæa minuta_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 12. _Melitæa minuta_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 13. _Melitæa hoffmanni_, Behr, ♂. |
| 14. _Melitæa hoffmanni_, Behr, ♀, |
| _aberration_. |
| 15. _Melitæa thekla_, Edwards, ♂ |
| _under side_. |
| 16. _Melitæa thekla_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 17. _Phyciodes vesta_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 18. _Phyciodes vesta_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 19. _Phyciodes vesta_, Edwards, ♀, |
| _under side_. |
| 20. _Phyciodes picta_, Edwards, ♀, |
| _under side_. |
| 21. _Phyciodes picta_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 22. _Phyciodes phaon_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 23. _Phyciodes phaon_, Edwards, ♀, |
| _under side_. |
| 24. _Phyciodes ismeria_, Boisduval and |
| Leconte, ♂. |
| 25. _Phyciodes ismeria_, Boisduval and |
| Leconte, ♂, _under side_. |
| 26. _Phyciodes montana_, Behr, ♀, |
| _under side_. |
| 27. _Phyciodes montana_, Behr, ♂. |
| 28. _Phyciodes nycteis_, Doubleday and |
| Hewitson, ♂, _under side_. |
| 29. _Phyciodes nycteis_, Doubleday and |
| Hewitson, ♂. |
| 30. _Phyciodes nycteis_, Doubleday and |
| Hewitson, ♀. |
| 31. _Phyciodes orseis_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 32. _Phyciodes camillus_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 33. _Phyciodes camillus_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 34. _Phyciodes camillus_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 35. _Phyciodes batesi_, Reakirt, ♂. |
| 36. _Phyciodes batesi_, Reakirt, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 37. _Phyciodes pratensis_, Behr, ♂. |
| 38. _Phyciodes pratensis_, Behr, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 39. _Eresia punctata_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 40. _Phyciodes mylitta_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 41. _Phyciodes mylitta_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 42. _Eresia frisia_, Poey, ♂. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XVII.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
_Butterfly_, ♂.--On the upper side it closely resembles the winter form
_marcia_ of _Phyciodes tharos_, Drury; but the black markings are more
evenly distributed. The under side is a pale yellowish-fulvous, and the
black markings are slight.
♀.--The female is like the male, but paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♀,
1.25 inch.
_Early Stages._--The chrysalis has been described by Edwards in the
"Canadian Entomologist," vol. xi, p. 129. This is all we know of the
early life of the insect.
It is found in Texas and Mexico.
(4) =Phyciodes phaon=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 22, ♂; Fig. 23. ♀,
_under side_ (Phaon).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The ground-color of the male is paler on the upper side
than in _Phyciodes tharos_, and the black markings are much heavier. The
median band on the fore wings is yellowish. The wings on the under side
are yellow, shaded with fulvous on the primaries, on which the dark
markings are heavy.
♀.--Like the male. Expanse, ♂, .90 inch; ♀, 1.25 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This insect inhabits the Gulf States, and has been occasionally taken in
Kansas.
(5) =Phyciodes tharos=, Drury, Plate XVIII, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀; var.
=marcia=, Edwards, Plate XVIII, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♀; Plate V, Figs.
20-22, _chrysalis_ (The Pearl Crescent).
_Butterfly._--This very common and well-known little insect scarcely
needs to be described. The upper side is bright fulvous, with heavy
black borders; all the other dark markings are slight. The wings on the
under side are paler, with the dark markings of the upper side showing
through, and there are additional markings of brown on the hind wings.
Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.65 inch.
_Early Stages._--The early stages of this insect have been worked out
with the most extreme care by Mr. Edwards, and the reader who is curious
to know about them should consult "The Butterflies of North America."
Dr. Scudder also has minutely and laboriously described the early stages
in "The Butterflies of New England." The egg is light greenish-yellow.
The caterpillar, which feeds upon various species of aster and allied
_Compositæ_, is dark brown after the third moult, its back dotted with
yellow, adorned with short, black, bristly spines, which are yellow at
the base. The chrysalis is grayish-white, mottled with dark spots and
lines.
This species is one of many dimorphic species, the winter form _marcia_,
which emerges in spring, having the under side brighter, and the light
markings more conspicuous on that side than in the summer form, which
has been called _morpheus_. Concerning all of this, and the way in which
cold affects the color of butterflies, the reader will do well to
consult the splendid pages of Edwards and of Scudder.
The pretty little Pearl Crescent ranges from southern Labrador to
Florida; in fact, all over North America north of Texas and south of the
region of Hudson Bay, except the Pacific coast of California.
(6) =Phyciodes batesi=, Reakirt, Plate XVII, Fig. 35, ♂; Fig. 36, ♀,
_under side_ (Bates' Crescent-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--On the upper side much like _P. tharos_, with the black
markings very heavy. The under side of the hind wings is uniformly pale
fulvous or yellow, with a row of faint submarginal brown spots.
♀.--Like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.50-1.65 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This species ranges from New York to Virginia, and westward to Ohio.
(7) =Phyciodes pratensis=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 37, ♂; Fig. 38, ♀,
_under side_ (The Meadow Crescent-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The butterfly resembles the preceding species on the
upper side, but the ground-color is much paler and the black markings
are not so heavy. The under side of the wings is pale fulvous, spotted
with yellow.
♀.--The female has the black markings of the upper side heavier than the
male, and all the spots pale yellow. The markings on the under side are
heavier than in the male sex. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♀, 1.40 inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
The range of this species is the Pacific coast from Oregon to Arizona.
(8) =Phyciodes orseis=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 31, ♂ (Orseis).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The dark markings on the upper side are much heavier
than in either of the two preceding species, and the fulvous spots are
smaller, the marginal crescents more regular and distinct. The markings
on the under side are also much heavier than in _P. batesi_ or _P.
pratensis._
♀.--The female is like the male, but all the dark markings are heavier
and the pale markings lighter. Expanse, ♂, 1.35 inch; ♀, 1.60 inch.
_Early Stages._--These remain to be described.
_Phyciodes orseis_ ranges from Washington Territory in the north to
Mexico in the south.
(9) =Phyciodes camillus=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 32, ♂; Fig. 33, ♀;
Fig. 34, ♂, _under side_ (The Camillus Crescent).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The male is more like _P. pratensis_, but the light
spots on the primaries are paler, on the secondaries brighter, fulvous.
The dark markings on the under side are less pronounced than in
_pratensis_.
♀.--The female is much like the male. Expanse, ♂, 1.30 inch; ♀, 1.50
inch.
_Early Stages._--These are wholly unknown.
The species is reported from British Columbia, Colorado, Montana,
Kansas, and Texas.
(10) =Phyciodes mylitta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 40, ♂, _under side_;
Fig. 41, ♂ (The Mylitta Crescent).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--Broadly bright fulvous on the upper side, with the dark
markings slight; on the under side closely resembling _P. tharos_, var.
_marcia_, Edwards.
♀.--The female is like the male, but paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♀,
1.25-1.50 inch.
_Early Stages._--These have been described by Mr. Harrison G. Dyar in
the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxiii, p. 203. The eggs are laid in
clusters upon the thistle (_Carduus_). The caterpillar in its final
stage after the fourth moult is black, yellowish below, with a faint
twinned yellow dorsal line and faint lines of the same color on the
sides. The spines, which are arranged in six rows, are black; those of
segments four, five, and six, yellow. The chrysalis is dull wood-brown.
This species has a wide range in the region of the Rocky Mountains,
extending from Washington to Arizona, and eastward to Colorado.
(11) =Phyciodes barnesi=, Skinner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 5, ♂ (Barnes'
Crescent-spot).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--Very like the following species, with the light
fulvous of the upper side of the wings more widely extended, causing the
dark markings to be greatly restricted. The figure in the plate is, in
this species as in most others, that of the type, and I am under
obligations to Dr. Skinner for kind permission to have the use of the
specimen. Expanse, 1.75 inch.
The type came from Colorado Springs.
(12) =Phyciodes montana=, Behr, Plate XVII, Fig. 26, ♀, _under side_;
Fig. 27, ♀ (The Mountain Crescent-spot).
_Butterfly._--Upon the upper side the wings are marked much as in _P.
camillus_, but are prevalently bright fulvous, with the dark markings
quite slight in most specimens. On the under side the wings are pale
yellowish-fulvous. The female usually has the secondaries crossed by a
broad median band of very pale spots. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♀, 1.50
inch.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
The habitat of this species is the Sierras of California and Nevada.
(13) =Phyciodes picta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 20, ♀, _under side_;
Fig. 21, ♂ (The Painted Crescent-spot).
_Butterfly._--The butterfly in both sexes somewhat closely resembles _P.
phaon_ on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are red on
the median area, with the base, the costa, the apex, and the outer
margin pale yellow; the black markings very prominent. The hind wings on
the under side are nearly immaculate yellow. Expanse, ♂, .80-1.10 inch;
♀, 1.10-1.25 inch.
_Early Stages._--These may be found described with minute exactness by
Mr. W.H. Edwards in the pages of the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xvi,
pp. 163-167. The egg is yellowish-green. The caterpillar moults five
times. When mature it is about six tenths of an inch long, armed with
seven principal rows of short spines, which appear to vary in color in
the spring and fall broods, being light brown in the June brood and
greenish-yellow in the October brood. The prevalent color of the
caterpillar is some shade of yellowish-or greenish-brown, mottled with
lighter and darker tints. The chrysalis is yellowish-brown. The
food-plants of the caterpillar are various species of aster.
This species is found as far north as Nebraska, and is abundant in
Colorado and New Mexico, ranging southward through Arizona into Mexico.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVIII |
| |
| 1. _Phyciodes tharos_, Drury, ♂. |
| 2. _Phyciodes tharos_, Drury, ♀. |
| 3. _Phyciodes tharos_, var. _marcia_, |
| Edwards, ♂. |
| 4. _Phyciodes tharos_, var. _marcia_, |
| Edwards, ♀. |
| 5. _Phyciodes barnesi_, Skinner, ♂. |
| 6. _Argynnis snyderi_, Skinner, ♂. |
| 7. _Argynnis platina_, Skinner, ♂. |
| 8. _Eresia texana_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 9. _Eresia texana_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 10. _Synchloë janais_, Drury, ♂. |
| 11. _Synchloë lacinia_, Hubner, ♂. |
| 12. _Eresia ianthe_, Fabricius, ♂. |
| 13. _Melitæa anicia_, var. _beani_, |
| Skinner, ♂. |
| 14. _Brenthis astarte_, Doubleday and |
| Hewitson, ♂. |
| 15. _Brenthis astarte_, Doubleday and |
| Hewitson, ♂, _under side_. |
| 16. _Brenthis helena_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 17. _Brenthis helena_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 18. _Debis creola_, Skinner, ♂. |
| 19. _Debis creola_, Skinner, ♀. |
| 20. _Debis portlandia_, Fabricius, ♂. |
| 21. _Geirocheilus tritonia_, Edwards, ♂. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XVIII.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
Genus ERESIA, Doubleday
_Butterfly._--Small butterflies, closely resembling the species of the
genus _Phyciodes_ in the neuration of the wings, and only differing from
them in the outline of the outer margin of the primaries, which are more
or less excavated about the middle. In the style of the markings they
differ somewhat widely from the butterflies of the genus _Phyciodes_,
notably in the absence of the crescents on the margins of the wings. The
wings on the upper side are generally some shade of deep brown or black,
marked with spots and bands of white or fulvous, the median band on the
hind wings being generally more or less conspicuous. In the pattern of
their markings they illustrate a transition from the genus _Phyciodes_
to the genus _Synchloë._
[Illustration FIG. 93.--Neuration of the genus _Eresia_, slightly
enlarged.]
_Egg._--Hitherto undescribed.
_Caterpillar._--Cylindrical, with seven rows of spines, one dorsal, and
three lateral on each side; the spines are short, blunt, and armed with
short bristles. The head is subcordate, with the vertices rounded. It
moults four times.
_Chrysalis._--Cylindrical, abdomen stout, head-case short, beveled,
nearly square at top, the vertices pyramidal. There are three rows of
small tubercles on the dorsal side of the abdomen.
The caterpillars so far as known feed upon various _Compositæ_, as
_Diclippa_ and _Actinomeris_.
The genus, which is somewhat doubtfully separable from _Phyciodes_, and
probably possesses only subgeneric value, is well represented in Central
and South America. But three species are found in the faunal region of
which this book treats.
(1) =Eresia frisia=, Poey, Plate XVII, Fig. 42, ♂ (Frisia).
_Butterfly._--Upper side reddish-fulvous, clouded with fuscous at the
base. On the basal area are waved black lines, separate on the hind
wings, more or less blended on the fore wings. The outer border is
broadly black. Between this border and the basal third the wing is
crossed by irregular black bands, the spaces between which are paler
fulvous than the base and the hind wings, those near the outer margin
being whitish. These bands are continued broadly across the hind wings.
The wings on the under side are fulvous, mottled with dark brown and
white, and spotted with conspicuous white spots. The male and the female
closely resemble each other. Expanse, 1.40 inch.
The early stages are wholly unknown.
The only locality within the limits of the United States in which this
insect has been found is Key West, in Florida. It is abundant in the
Antilles, Mexico, Central and South America.
(2) =Eresia texana=, Edwards, Plate XVIII, Fig. 8, ♀; Fig. 9, ♂, _under
side_ (The Texan Eresia).
_Butterfly._--Black on the upper side of the wings, shading into
reddish-brown on the basal area. The fore wings are spotted on the
median and limbal areas with white, and the hind wings are adorned by a
conspicuous median band of small white spots. On the under side the fore
wings are fulvous at the base, broadly dark brown beyond the middle. The
light spots of the upper side reappear on the lower side. The hind wings
on the under side are marbled wood-brown on the basal area and the inner
margin, darker brown externally. The white macular band of the upper
side reappears on this side, but less distinct than above. Expanse, ♂,
1.25-1.50 inch; ♀, 1.60-1.75 inch.
_Early Stages._--For the only account of the life-history of this
species the reader is referred to the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xi,
p. 127, where the indefatigable Edwards gives us an interesting account
of his original observations.
This insect ranges from Texas into Mexico. It has been confounded by
some with a closely allied insect, =Eresia ianthe=, Fabricius, and to show
the difference we have given in Plate XVIII, Fig. 12, a representation
of that species, by means of which the reader will be enabled to mark
the difference on the upper surfaces of the two species.
(3) =Eresia punctata=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 39, ♂ (The Dotted
Eresia).
_Butterfly._--A lengthy description of this little species is scarcely
necessary, as the figure in the plate will suffice for its accurate
determination. Nothing is known of its early stages. Expanse, 1.10 inch.
It is found in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. It has been
recently declared to be identical with _E. tulcis_, Bates, an opinion I
am not quite prepared to accept, but which, if correct, will force us,
according to the law of priority, to substitute the name given by Bates
for that given by Edwards.
Genus SYNCHLOË, Boisduval (The Patched Butterflies)
_Butterfly._--Medium-sized or small butterflies, rather gaily colored,
although the species found in the United States are not very brilliant.
They may be distinguished structurally from the butterflies of the two
preceding genera not only by their larger size and the spindle-formed
third article of the palpi, which in the genera _Eresia_ and _Phyciodes_
is thin and pointed like a needle, but also by the fact that the lower
discocellular vein of the fore wings is generally quite straight and not
bowed or angled as in the before-mentioned genera.
[Illustration FIG. 94.--Neuration of the genus _Synchloë_, enlarged.]
_Egg._--Similar in appearance to the eggs of the genus _Phyciodes_:
obovoid, truncated, and slightly depressed at top, rounded at the
bottom; the lower three fifths with shallow depressions; the upper part
with about twenty-four light blunt-edged ribs. The eggs are laid in
clusters upon the leaves of _Helianthus_.
_Caterpillar._--Varying in color, generally black or some shade of red
or brown, covered with spines which are arranged as in the genus
_Melitæa_ and are thickly beset with diverging bristles. The caterpillar
moults four times.
_Chrysalis._--Shaped as in the genus _Melitæa_, light in color, blotched
with dark brown or black spots and lines.
The genus is well represented in Central and South America. Some of the
species are polymorphic, many varieties being produced from a single
batch of eggs. The result has been considerable confusion in the
specific nomenclature.
(1) =Synchloë janais=, Drury, Plate XVIII, Fig. 10, ♂ (The
Crimson-patch).
_Butterfly._--Fore wings black above, spotted with white; hind wings
black above, marked in the center with a broad band of crimson. On the
under side the markings of the upper side of the fore wings are
reproduced. The hind wings on the under side are black at the base and
on the outer third; immediately at the base is a yellow bar; across the
middle is a broad yellow band laved outwardly by red, upon which are
numerous black spots. There is a marginal row of yellow spots and an
inner row of smaller white spots on the limbal area. Expanse, 2.50-3.00
inches.
_Early Stages._--What is known of these is contained in articles
published by Mr. William Schaus, "Papilio," vol. iii, p. 188; and by
Henry Edwards, "Entomologica Americana," vol. iii, p. 161, to which the
reader may refer.
The habitat of the species is Texas, Mexico, and Central America. The
insect is very variable in the markings both of the upper and under
sides, and several so-called species are only varietal forms of this.
(2) =Synchloë lacinia=, Hübner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 11, ♂; form
=crocale=, Edwards, Plate XXIV, Fig. 8, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 9, ♂
(Lacinia).
_Butterfly._--This is a protean species, a dozen or more well-marked
varietal forms being produced, many of them from a single batch of eggs.
The wings on the upper side are black; both primaries and secondaries
are crossed about the middle by a band of spots, generally broken on the
primaries and continuous on the secondaries. These spots in the typical
form _lacinia_ are fulvous, and the bands are broad. In the form
_crocale_ the spots are white, the bands narrow. A great variety of
intergrading forms are known and are represented in the author's
collection, most of them bred specimens reared from the egg. On the
under side the fore wings are marked as on the upper side. The hind
wings on the under side are black, with a marginal row of spots, a
transverse straight median band, a short basal band, and a costal
edging, all bright straw-yellow; in addition there is a submarginal row
of small white spots and a crimson patch of variable size at the anal
angle. Expanse, ♂, 1.50-2.00 inches; ♀, 1.75-2.75 inches.
_Early Stages._--These are described fully by Edwards in the "Canadian
Entomologist," vol. xxv, p. 286.
_Lacinia_ ranges from Texas and New Mexico to Bolivia.
FAUNAL REGIONS
That branch of zoölogical science which treats of the geographical
distribution of animals is known as zoögeography. None of the zoölogical
sciences has contributed more to a knowledge of the facts with which
zoögeography deals than the science of entomology.
Various divisions of the surface of the earth, based upon the character
of the living beings which inhabit them, have been suggested. At the
present time, however, it is agreed that in a general way five major
subdivisions are sufficient for the purposes of the science, and we
therefore recognize five faunal regions, namely, the _Palæarctic_, which
includes the temperate regions of the eastern hemisphere; the
_Indo-Malayan_, covering the tropics of Asia and the islands lying south
of that great continent, including Australia; the _Ethiopian_, covering
the continent of Africa south of the lands bordering on the
Mediterranean, and extending northward into the southern part of Arabia;
the _Neotropical_, covering the continent of South America and the
islands of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico; and, finally, the
_Nearctic_, covering the temperate and polar regions of North America.
The butterflies with which this volume deals are mostly nearctic
species, only a few species representing the neotropical region being
found as stragglers into the extreme southern portion of the United
States.
These five faunal regions are characterized by the presence of certain
groups of insects which are more or less peculiar to them. In the
Palæarctic Region, for instance, we find a very great development of the
_Satyrinæ_, of the genera _Argynnis_, _Melitæa_, and _Lycæna_, and of
the genus _Colias_. The genus _Papilio_ is but poorly represented, there
being only three species found on the entire continent of Europe, and
comparatively few in Asia north of the Himalayan mountain-ranges.
As soon as we pass from the boundaries of the Palæarctic Region into
India there is discovered a great number of species of the genus
_Papilio_. The _Euploeinæ_, of various genera, swarm, and splendid
creatures, magnificent in color, present themselves, replacing among the
_Nymphalinæ_ the small and obscurely colored forms which are found among
the mountains of Europe and on the great Asiatic steppes. In the
Indo-Malayan Region one of the most gorgeous of the papilionine genera
is known as _Ornithoptera_. These great "bird-wing" butterflies are most
brilliant in color in the male, and in the female attain an expanse of
wing reaching in some species eight and even nine inches, so that it
would be impossible to represent them in their natural dimensions upon a
page such as that which is before the reader. One of these giants of the
butterfly family, named _Victoria_ after her Majesty the Queen of
England, is found in the Solomon Islands, and is probably the largest of
all known butterflies. One specimen, belonging to the author, has an
expanse of wing exceeding nine inches. Among the strangest of recent
discoveries is _Ornithoptera paradisea_, which is found in New Guinea.
The male has the hind wings produced in the form of a very delicate and
slender tail; the upper surfaces of the wing are broadly marked with
shining green and lustrous orange upon a velvety-black ground. The
female is black with white spots, slightly marked with yellow, being
obscure in color, as is for the most part characteristic of this sex
among butterflies, as well as other animals.
The Ethiopian Region is rich in beautiful butterflies of the genus
_Callosune_, which are white or yellow, having the tips of the anterior
wings marked with crimson or purple. There are many scores of species of
these which are found on the grassy park-like lands of southeastern
Africa, and they range northward through Abyssinia into Arabia, and a
few species even invade the hot lands of the Indian peninsula. In the
great forests of the Congo and in fact throughout tropical Africa, the
genus _Acræa_, composed of beautiful insects with long, narrow wings
like the genus _Heliconius_, but for the most part yellow, rich brown,
and red, spotted with black, abound. And here, too, are found some of
the noblest species belonging to the great genus _Papilio_, among them
that most singular and, until recently, rarest of the genus, _Papilio
antimachus_ of Drury, one specimen of which, among a dozen or more in
the author's possession, has wings which exceed in expanse even those of
_Ornithoptera victoria_, though this butterfly, which seems to mimic the
genus _Acræa_, has comparatively narrow wings, and they, therefore, do
not cover so large an area as is covered in the case of the genus
_Ornithoptera_.
In the Neotropical Region we are confronted by swarms of butterflies
belonging to the _Ithomiinæ_, the _Heliconiinæ_, and the _Acræinæ_, all
of which are known to be protected species, and which are mimicked by
other species among the butterflies and moths of the region which they
frequent. A naturalist familiar with the characteristics of the
butterfly fauna of South America can at a glance determine whether a
collection placed before him is from that country or not, merely by his
knowledge of the peculiar coloration which is characteristic of the
lepidoptera of the region. The most brilliant butterflies of the
neotropical fauna are the _Morphos_, glorious insects, the under side of
their wings marked with eye-like spots, the upper side resplendent in
varying tints of iridescent blue.
In the Nearctic Region there is a remarkable development of the genera
_Argynnis_, _Melitæa_, and _Phyciodes_. There are also a great many
species of the _Satyrinæ_ and of the _Hesperiidæ_, or "skippers." The
genus _Colias_ is also well represented. The Nearctic Region extends
southwardly into northern Mexico, at high elevations, and is even
continued along the chain of the Andes, and there are species which are
found in the vicinity of San Francisco which occur in Chili and
Patagonia. In fact, when we get to the southern extremity both of Africa
and of South America we find certain genera characteristic of the north
temperate zone, or closely allied to them, well represented.
Genus GRAPTA, Kirby
(The Angle-Wings)
_Butterfly._--Medium-sized or small, characterized by the more or less
deeply excavated inner and outer margins of the fore wings, the
tail-like projection of the hind wings at the extremity of the third
median nervule, the closed cell of the same wings, and the thick
squamation of the palpi on the under side, while on the sides and tops
of the palpi there are but few scales. They are tawny on the upper side,
spotted and bordered with black; on the under side mimicking the bark of
trees and dead leaves, often with a c-shaped silvery spot on the hind
wings. The insects hibernate in the butterfly form in hollow trees and
other hiding-places.
[Illustration FIG. 95.--Neuration of the genus _Grapta_.]
_Egg._--The eggs are taller than broad, tapering upward from the base.
The summit is broad and flat. The sides are marked by a few equidistant
narrow longitudinal ribs, which increase in height to the top. A few
delicate cross-lines are interwoven between these ribs. They are laid in
clusters or in short string-like series (see p. 5, Fig. 10).
_Caterpillar._--The head is somewhat quadrate in outline, the body
cylindrical, adorned with rows of branching spines (see Plate III, Figs.
23, 27, 31-33, 38).
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalids have the head more or less bifid. There is
a prominent thoracic tubercle, and a double row of dorsal tubercles on
the abdomen. Viewed from the back they are more or less excavated on the
sides of the thorax. In color they are generally some shade of
wood-brown or greenish.
The caterpillars feed for the most part upon the _Urticaceæ_, plants of
the nettle tribe, such as the stinging-nettle, the elm, and the
hop-vine, though the azalea and wild currants furnish the food of some
species.
The genus is confined mainly to the north temperate zone.
(1) =Grapta interrogationis=, Fabricius, Plate I, Fig. 3, ♂, _under
side_; form =fabricii=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 1, ♂; form umbrosa,
Lintner, Plate XIX, Fig. 2, ♀; Plate III, Fig. 23, _larva_, from a
blown specimen; Fig. 27, _larva_, copied from a drawing by Abbot; Plate
IV, Figs. 21, 22, 24-26, 40, _chrysalis_ (The Question-sign).
_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished by its large size, being the largest
species of the genus in our fauna. The fore wings are decidedly falcate,
or sickle-shaped, bright fulvous on the upper side, spotted and bordered
with dark brown and edged with pale blue. On the under side they are
mottled brown, shaded with pale purplish, and have a silvery mark shaped
like a semicolon on the hind wings. The dimorphic variety _umbrosa_,
Lintner, has the upper side of the hind wings almost entirely black,
except at the base. Expanse, 2.50 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have been frequently described, and the reader
who wishes to know all about the minute details of the life-history will
do well to consult the pages of Edwards and Scudder, who have written
voluminously upon the subject. The food-plants are the elm, the
hop-vine, and various species of nettles.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XIX |
| |
| 1. _Grapta interrogationis_, Fabricius, |
| var. _fabricii_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 2. _Grapta interrogations_, Fabricius, |
| var. _umbrosa_, Lintner, ♀. |
| 3. _Grapta comma_, Harris, var. _dryas_, |
| Edwards, ♂. |
| 4. _Grapta comma_, Harris, var. _harrisi_, |
| Edwards, ♂. |
| 5. _Grapta silenas_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 6. _Grapta silenus_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 7. _Grapta hylas_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 8. _Grapta hylas_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 9. _Vanessa j-album_, Boisduval and |
| Leconte, ♀. |
| 10. _Grapta gracilis_, Grote and |
| Robinson, ♂. |
| 11. _Grapta gracilis_, Grote and Robinson, |
| ♀, _under side_. |
| 12. _Grapta faunus_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 13. _Grapta faunus_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 14. _Grapta satyrus_, Edwards, var. |
| _marsyas_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 15. _Grapta satyrus_, Edwards, var. |
| _marsyas_, Edwards, ♂, _under side_. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XIX.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
This is one of our commonest butterflies. It is double-brooded in the
Middle States. It hibernates in the imago form. When the first warm
winds of spring begin to blow, it may be found at the sap-pans in the
sugar-camps, sipping the sweets which drip from the wounded trunks of
the maples. It ranges all over the United States, except the Pacific
coast, and is common throughout Canada and Nova Scotia.
(2) =Grapta comma=, Harris, form =dryas=, Plate XIX, Fig. 3, ♂; form
=harrisi=, Edwards, Fig. 4, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 38, _larva_; Plate IV,
Figs. 27, 29, 30, 39, 46-48, _chrysalis_ (The Comma Butterfly).
_Butterfly._--Dimorphic, in the form _dryas_ with the hind wings heavily
suffused with black, in the form _harrisi_ predominantly fulvous.
Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.
The caterpillars feed upon the _Urticaceæ_, and are very common upon the
nettle. They vary greatly in color, some being almost snow-white. This
species is found throughout Canada and the adjacent provinces, and
ranges south to the Carolinas and Texas and over the Northwestern
States.
(3) =Grapta satyrus=, Edwards, Plate XX, Fig. 1, ♀; Fig. 2, ♀, _under
side_; form =marsyas=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 14, ♂; Fig. 15, ♂,
_under side_; Plate III, Fig. 33, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 41, 42,
_chrysalis_ (The Satyr).
_Butterfly._--The species is so accurately depicted in the plates that a
description is hardly necessary. The form _marsyas_ is smaller,
brighter, and with the dark spots on the upper side of the hind wings
reduced in size. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.
The food-plant of the caterpillar is the nettle. It occurs occasionally
in Ontario, and thence ranges west, being not uncommon from Colorado to
California and Oregon.
(4) =Grapta hylas=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♂, _under
side_ (The Colorado Angle-wing).
_Butterfly._--The butterfly closely resembles _G. silenus_ on the upper
side, but may easily be distinguished by the uniform pale purplish-gray
of the lower side of the wings. Expanse, 2.00 inches.
The early stages are unknown. The insect has thus far been found only in
Colorado, but no doubt occurs in other States of the Rocky Mountain
region.
(5) =Grapta faunus=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 12, ♂; Fig. 13, ♂, _under
side_; Plate III, Fig. 32, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 31, 33-35,
_chrysalis_ (The Faun).
_Butterfly._--This species is readily recognized by the deep
indentations of the hind wings, the heavy black border, and the dark
tints of the under side mottled with paler shades. Expanse, 2.00-2.15
inches.
The caterpillar feeds on willows. It is found from New England to the
Carolinas, and thence westward to the Pacific.
(6) =Grapta zephyrus=, Edwards, Plate XX, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♂, _under
side_ (The Zephyr).
_Butterfly._--Fulvous, marked with yellowish toward the outer margins,
the dark markings upon which are not as heavy as in the other species of
the genus. On the under side the wings are paler than is the case in
other species, reddish-brown, marbled with darker brown lines and
frecklings. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.
The caterpillar, which feeds upon _Azalea occidentalis_, is described
and figured by Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. i.
_Zephyrus_ is found throughout the region of the Rocky Mountains, from
Colorado to California, and from Oregon to New Mexico.
(7) =Grapta gracilis=, Grote and Robinson, Plate XIX, Fig. 10, ♂; Fig.
11, ♀, _under side_ (The Graceful Angle-wing).
_Butterfly._--A small species, rather heavily marked with dark brown or
blackish on the upper side. The wings on the under side are very dark,
crossed about the middle by a pale-gray or white band shading off toward
the outer margins. This light band serves as a means of easily
identifying the species. Expanse, 1.75 inch.
The early stages are unknown.
The species has been found on the White Mountains in New Hampshire, in
Maine, Canada, and British America, as far west as Alaska.
(8) =Grapta silenus=, Edwards, Plate XIX, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♀, _under
side_ (Silenus).
_Butterfly._--Larger than _gracilis_, and the wings more deeply excised,
as in _faunus_. On the under side the wings are very dark, with lighter
irrorations, especially on the fore wings. Expanse, 2.00-2.30 inches.
The early stages have never been studied. This species appears to be
found only in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.
(9) =Grapta progne=, Cramer, Plate XX, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♂, _under
side_; Plate III, Fig. 31, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 32, 37, 38,
_chrysalis_ (Progne).
_Butterfly._--A rather small species, with light-fulvous fore wings,
shading into yellow toward the outer margins; the dark markings slight,
but deep in color. The secondaries are heavily bordered with black on
the outer margin. On the under side the wings are very dark, variegated
with paler shades, somewhat as in _G. gracilis_. Expanse, 1.85-2.00
inches.
The early stages have been quite fully described by various authors, and
the reader may consult "The Butterflies of New England," vol. i, pp.
266-268, for a full account. The caterpillar feeds on the elm, but more
commonly on various species of the _Grossulaceæ_, or currant tribe, wild
or domesticated. It ranges from Siberia to Nova Scotia, and southward as
far as Pennsylvania.
There are several other species of _Grapta_ found in our fauna, which
are not delineated in this book; but they are rare species, of which
little is as yet known. The types are in the collection of the writer,
and if the reader finds any species which he cannot identify by means of
this book the author will be pleased to help him to the full extent of
his ability.
Genus VANESSA, Fabricius
(The Tortoise-shells)
[Illustration FIG. 96.--Neuration of the genus _Vanessa_.]
_Butterfly._--Medium-sized insects, the wings on the upper side
generally some shade of black or brown, marked with red, yellow, or
orange. The head is moderately large, the eyes hairy, the palpi more or
less heavily scaled, the prothoracic legs feeble and hairy. The lower
discocellular vein of the fore wings, when present, unites with the
third median nervule, not at its origin, but beyond on the curve. The
cell of the primaries may or may not be closed. The cell of the
secondaries is open. The fore wings have the outer margin more or less
deeply excavated between the extremities of the upper radial and the
first median, at which points the wings are rather strongly produced.
The hind wings have the outer margin denticulate, strongly produced at
the extremity of the third median nervule.
_Egg._--Short, ovoid, broad at the base, tapering toward the summit,
which is broad and adorned with a few narrow, quite high longitudinal
ridges, increasing in height toward the apex. Between these ribs are a
few delicate cross-lines. They are generally laid in large clusters upon
twigs of the food-plant.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar moults four times. In the mature form it
is cylindrical, the segments adorned with long, branching spines
arranged in longitudinal rows; the spines much longer, and branching
rather than beset with bristles, as in the genus _Grapta_. It lives upon
elms, willows, and poplars.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis in general appearance is not unlike the
chrysalis of _Grapta_.
The genus is mainly restricted to the north temperate zone and the
mountain regions of tropical lands adjacent thereto. The insects
hibernate in the imago form, and are among the first butterflies to take
wing in the springtime.
(1) =Vanessa j-album=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XIX, Fig. 9, ♀ (The
Compton Tortoise).
_Butterfly._--No description is required, as the figure in the plate
will enable it to be immediately recognized. On the under side of the
wings it resembles in color the species of the genus _Grapta_, from
which the straight edge of the inner margin of the primaries at once
distinguishes it. It is a very close ally of the European _V.
vau-album_. Expanse, 2.60-2.75 inches.
The caterpillar feeds upon various species of willow. It is a Northern
form, being found in Pennsylvania upon the summits of the Alleghanies,
and thence north to Labrador on the east and Alaska on the west. It is
always a rather scarce insect.
(2) =Vanessa californica=, Boisduval, Plate XX, Fig. 11, ♂ (The
California Tortoise-shell).
_Butterfly._--On the upper side deep fulvous, mottled with yellow,
spotted and bordered with black. On the under side dark brown; pale on
the outer half of the primaries, the entire surface marked with dark
lines and fine striæ. Expanse, 2.00-2.25 inches.
_Early Stages._--The larva and chrysalis have been described by Henry
Edwards in the "Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences," vol.
v, p. 171. The caterpillar feeds upon _Ceanothus thyrsiflorus_.
This insect is a close ally of the European _V. xanthomelas_. It ranges
from Colorado to California and as far north as Oregon.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XX |
| |
| 1. _Grapta satyrus_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 2. _Grapta satyrus_, Edwards, ♀, |
| _under side_. |
| 3. _Grapta progne_, Cramer, ♂. |
| 4. _Grapta progne_, Cramer, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 5. _Grapta zephyrus_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 6. _Grapta zephyrus_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 7. _Junonia coenia_, Hübner, ♀. |
| 8. _Junonia lavinia_, Cramer, ♂. |
| 9. _Junonia genoveva_, Cramer, ♂. |
| 10. _Vanessa milberti_, Godart, ♂. |
| 11. _Vanessa californica_, Boisduval, |
| ♂. |
| 12. _Pyrameis caryæ_, Hübner, ♂. |
| 13. _Anartia jatrophæ_, Linnæus, ♂. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XX.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
(3) =Vanessa milberti=, Godart, Plate XX, Fig. 10, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 36,
_larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 43, 49, 50, _chrysalis_ (Milbert's
Tortoise-shell).
_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished by the broad yellow submarginal band
on both wings, shaded outwardly by red. It is nearly related to the
European _V. urticæ_. Expanse, 1.75 inch.
The life-history has been worked out and described by numerous writers.
The caterpillars feed upon the nettle (_Urtica_).
This pretty little fly ranges from the mountains of West Virginia
northward to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, thence westward to the
Pacific.
(4) =Vanessa antiopa=, Linnæus, Plate I, Fig. 6, ♀; Plate III, Fig. 28,
_larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 51, 58, 59, _chrysalis_ (The Mourning-cloak;
The Camberwell Beauty).
_Butterfly._--This familiar insect needs no description. It is well
known to every boy in the north temperate zone. It is one of the
commonest as well as one of the most beautiful species of the tribe. A
rare aberration in which the yellow border invades the wing nearly to
the middle, obliterating the blue spots, is sometimes found. The author
has a fine example of this "freak."
The eggs are laid in clusters upon the twigs of the food-plant in spring
(see p. 5, Fig. 11). There are at least two broods in the Northern
States. The caterpillars feed on willows, elms, and various species of
the genus _Populus_.
Genus PYRAMEIS, Doubleday
_Butterfly._--The wings in their neuration approach closely to the
preceding genus, but are not angulate, and the ornamentation of the
under side tends to become ocellate, or marked by eye-like spots, and in
many of the species is ocellate.
_Egg._--The egg is broadly ovoid, being much like the egg of the genus
_Vanessa_.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar in its mature form is covered with
spines, but these are not relatively as large as in _Vanessa_, and are
not as distinctly branching.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis approaches in outline the chrysalis of the
preceding genus, and is only differentiated by minor structural
peculiarities.
The genus includes only a few species, but some of them have a wide
range, _Pyrameis cardui_ being almost cosmopolitan, and having a wider
distribution than any other known butterfly.
(1) =Pyrameis atalanta=, Linnæus, Plate XLIII, Fig. 4, ♂; Plate III,
Fig. 35, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 52, 53, 55, _chrysalis_ (The Red
Admiral).
This familiar butterfly, which is found throughout North America,
Europe, northern Asia, and Africa, needs no description beyond what is
furnished in the plates. Expanse, 2.00 inches. The food-plants are
_Humulus_, _Boehmeria_, and _Urtica_.
[Illustration FIG. 97.--Neuration of the genus _Pyrameis_.]
(2) =Pyrameis huntera=, Plate I, Fig. 2, ♂; Plate XXXIII, Fig. 6, ♂,
_under side_; Plate III, Fig. 34, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 54, 63, 64,
_chrysalis_ (Hunter's Butterfly).
_Butterfly._--Marked much like the following species, but easily
distinguished at a glance by the two large eye-like spots on the under
side of the hind wings. Expanse, 2.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have been frequently described, and are in part
well depicted in Plates III and IV. The food-plants are cudweed
(_Gnaphalium_) and _Antennaria_.
Hunter's Butterfly ranges from Nova Scotia to Mexico and Central America
east of the Sierras.
(3) =Pyrameis cardui=, Linnæus, Plate I, Fig. 1, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 37,
_larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 60-62, _chrysalis_ (The Painted Lady; The
Thistle-butterfly).
_Butterfly._--This is undoubtedly the most widely distributed of all
known butterflies, being found in almost all parts of the temperate
regions of the earth and in many tropical lands in both hemispheres. It
is easily distinguished from the preceding species by the more numerous
and much smaller eye-like spots on the under side of the hind wings.
Expanse, 2.00-2.25 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have been again and again described at great
length and with minute particularity by a score of authors. The
food-plants of the caterpillar are thistles (_Carduus_), _Urtica_,
_Cnicus_, and _Althæa_.
(4) =Pyrameis caryæ=, Hübner, Plate XX, Fig. 12, ♂ (The West Coast
Lady).
_Butterfly._--This species is easily distinguished from _P. cardui_,
its nearest ally, by the absence of the roseate tint peculiar to that
species, the tawnier ground-color of the upper surfaces, and the
complete black band which crosses the middle of the cell of the
primaries. Expanse, 2.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have not all been thoroughly described, but we
have an account of the larva and chrysalis from the pen of Henry
Edwards, in the "Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences,"
vol. v, p. 329. The food-plant of the caterpillar is _Lavatera
assurgentiflora_. This species ranges from Vancouver's Island to
Argentina, and is found as far east as Utah.
WIDELY DISTRIBUTED BUTTERFLIES
The primal curse declared that the earth, because of man's sin, should
bring forth thorns and thistles, and thistles are almost everywhere.
Wherever thistles grow, there is found the thistle-butterfly, or the
"Painted Lady," as English collectors are in the habit of calling it,
_Pyrameis cardui_. All over Europe, all over North America, in
Africa,--save in the dense jungles of the Congo,--throughout South
America, in far-off Australia, and in many of the islands of the sea
this beautiful butterfly is found. At some times it is scarce, and then
again there are seasons when it fairly swarms, every thistle-top having
one of the gaily colored creatures seated upon its head, and among the
thorny environment of the leaves being found the web which the
caterpillar weaves. Another butterfly which bids fair ultimately to take
possession of the earth is our own _Anosia plexippus_, the wanderings of
which have already been alluded to.
Many species are found in the arctic regions both of the Old World and
the New. Obscure forms are these, and lowly in their organization,
survivors of the ice-age, hovering on the borderline of eternal frost,
and pointing to the long-distant time when the great land-masses about
the northern pole were knit together, as geologists teach us.
One of the curious phenomena in the distribution of butterflies is the
fact that in Florida we find _Hypolimnas misippus_, a species which is
exceedingly common in Africa and in the Indo-Malayan subregion. Another
curious phenomenon of a like character is the presence in the Canary
Islands of a _Pyrameis_, which appears to be only a subvariety of the
well-known _Pyrameis indica_, which is common in India, southern China,
and Japan. Away off in southeastern Africa, upon the peaks and
foot-hills which surround the huge volcanic masses of Kilima-Njaro,
Kenia, and Ruwenzori, was discovered by the martyred Bishop Hannington a
beautiful species of _Argynnis_, representing a genus nowhere else found
upon the continent of Africa south of Mediterranean lands. Strange
isolation this for a butterfly claiming kin to the fritillaries that sip
the sweets from clover-blossoms in the Bernese Oberland, in the valleys
of Thibet, and on the prairies of the United States.
Genus JUNONIA, Hübner
(Peacock Butterflies)
_Butterfly._--Medium-sized butterflies, with eye-like spots upon the
upper wings. Their neuration is very much like that of the butterflies
belonging to the genus _Pyrameis_, to which they are closely allied. The
eyes are naked, the fore feet are scantily clothed with hair, and the
lower discocellular vein of the fore wing, when present, does not
terminate on the arch of the third median nervule before its origin, as
in the genus _Vanessa_, but immediately at the origin of the third
median nervule.
[Illustration FIG. 98.--Neuration of the genus _Junonia_.]
_Egg._--Broader than high, the top flattened, marked by ten vertical
ribs, very narrow, but not very high. Between the ribs are a few
delicate cross-lines.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar is cylindrical, the segments being
adorned with rows of branching spines and longitudinally striped.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is arched on the dorsal surface and marked
by two rows of dorsal tubercles, concave on the ventral side. The head
is slightly bifid, with the vertices rounded.
There are eighteen or more species which belong to this genus, of which
some are neotropical, but the greater number are found in the tropical
regions of the Old World. Three forms occur within the limits of the
United States, which have by some authors been reckoned as distinct
species, and by others are regarded merely as varietal forms.
(1) =Junonia coenia=, Hübner, Plate XX, Fig. 7, ♀; Plate III, Figs. 29,
30, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 56, 57, 65-67, _chrysalis_ (The Buckeye).
_Butterfly._--The figure in the plate is far better than any verbal
description. On the under side the eye-like spots of the upper side are
reproduced, but are much smaller, especially on the hind wings. There is
much variety in the ground-color of the wings on the under side. Some
specimens are reddish-gray, and some are quite heavily and solidly
pinkish-red on the secondaries. Expanse, 2.00-2.25 inches.
_Egg._--The egg is dark green.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar is dark in color, longitudinally
striped, and adorned with branching spines, two of which are on the head
and point forward.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is generally pale wood-brown, strongly
arched on the dorsal and concave on the ventral side. It always hangs at
less than a right angle to the surface from which it depends.
This is a very common butterfly in the Southern States, ranging
northward as far as New England, westward to the Pacific, and southward
to Colombia. The caterpillar feeds on various species of plantain
(_Plantago_), also _Gerardia_ and _Antirrhinum_. When I was a lad in
western North Carolina these insects fairly swarmed one summer;
thousands of the caterpillars could be found in worn-out fields, feeding
on the narrow-leaved plantain, and every fence-rail had one or more of
their chrysalids hanging from the under side. I have never seen such
multitudes of this species since then. The butterflies are quite
pugnacious, and will fight with other passing butterflies, dashing forth
upon them, and chasing them away.
(2) =Junonia lavinia=, Cramer, Plate XX, Fig. 8, ♂ (Lavinia).
_Butterfly._--This species may be distinguished by the more rounded apex
and the more deeply excavated outer margin of the fore wings, and also
by the decided elongation of the outer margin of the hind wings at the
end of the submedian vein. The wings are paler on the upper side than in
the preceding species, and the eye-like spots much smaller. Expanse,
2.00 inches.
The early stages are not accurately known. The insect is common in the
Antilles and South America, but is only now and then taken in the
extreme southern parts of Texas.
(3) =Junonia genoveva=, Cramer, Plate XX, Fig. 9, ♂ (Genoveva).
_Butterfly._--Much darker above than either of the two preceding
species. The transverse subapical band is pale yellow, almost white; the
ocelli of the wings are more as in _lavinia_ than in _coenia_. Expanse,
about 2.00 inches.
This form, if found at all in our fauna, is confined to the extreme
South. I have seen and possess some specimens reputed to have come from
Texas. The specimen figured in the plate was taken in Jamaica, where
this form is prevalent.
Genus ANARTIA, Doubleday
_Butterfly._--The head is small; the eyes are round and prominent; the
tongue is long; the antennæ are relatively long, having the club short,
compressed, and pointed. The palpi have the second joint thick, the
third joint gradually tapering and lightly clothed with scales. The fore
wings are rounded at the apex, and have the outer and inner margins
somewhat excavated. The outer margin of the hind wings is sinuous,
produced at the end of the third median nervule. The cell of the hind
wing is open. The subcostal nervules in the fore wing are remarkable
because of the tendency of the first and second to fuse with the costal
vein. The prothoracic feet of the male are small and weak; of the
female, stronger.
[Illustration FIG. 99.--Neuration of the genus _Anartia_.]
_Early Stages._--These, so far as is known to the writer, await
description.
There are four species belonging to this genus, only one of which is
found within the limits of the United States. The others are found in
Central and South America.
(1) =Anartia jatrophæ=, Linnæus, Plate XX, Fig. 13, ♂ (The White
Peacock).
_Butterfly._--There can be no mistake made in the identification of this
species if the figure we give is consulted. The male and female are much
alike. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--So far as is known to me, these have never been
described. The butterfly is common throughout the tropics of the New
World, and is occasionally found in southern Texas and Florida.
Genus HYPANARTIA, Hübner
(The Banded Reds)
_Butterfly._--The palpi of medium size, well clothed with scales; the
second joint moderately thick; the third very little thinner, blunt at
the tip. The antennæ have a distinct, short, well-rounded club. The fore
wings have the first two subcostal nervules arising before the end of
the cell, close to each other. The third subcostal arises midway between
the end of the cell and the origin of the fourth subcostal. The cell of
the fore wing is closed by a stout lower discocellular vein which is
more or less continuous with the third median nervule. The hind wing has
the cell open or only partially closed.
[Illustration FIG. 100.--Neuration of the genus _Hypanartia_.]
_Early Stages._--But little is known of the early stages of this genus.
The species reckoned as belonging to _Hypanartia_ number less than a
dozen, most of which are found in tropical America, but, singularly
enough, two species occur in tropical and southern Africa, and another
has been described from Madagascar.
(1) =Hypanartia lethe=, Fabricius, Plate XXIV, Fig. 10, ♂ (Lethe).
This very handsome insect, which is quite common in tropical America, is
another straggler into our fauna, being occasionally found in southern
Texas. But little is known of its early life-history. Expanse, 2.00
inches.
Genus EUNICA, Hübner
(The Violet-wings)
_Butterfly._--The head is narrow, hairy; the eyes prominent. The antennæ
are long and slender, having a greatly enlarged club marked with two
grooves. The palpi have the third joint in the case of the female longer
than in the case of the male. They are relatively short, thickly clothed
with hairs and scales lying closely appressed to the surface. The fore
wing has the costal and median vein enlarged and swollen at the base.
The subcostal has five nervules, the first two of which arise before the
end of the cell, the third midway between the end of the cell and the
fourth nervule. The upper discocellular vein is wanting; the middle
discocellular vein is bent inwardly; the lower discocellular vein is
somewhat weak and joins the median vein exactly at the origin of the
second median nervule. The cell of the hind wing is lightly closed.
_Early Stages._--Very little is known of the early stages of this genus.
[Illustration FIG. 101.--Neuration of the genus _Eunica_.]
The butterflies are characterized by the dark-brown or black
ground-color of the upper side, generally glossed with rich blue or
purple. On the under side the markings are exceedingly variable and in
most cases very beautiful. The genus is characteristic of the
neotropical fauna, and there are over sixty species which have been
described. The males are said by Bates, to whom we are indebted for most
of our knowledge of these insects, to have the habit of congregating
about noon and in the early afternoon in moist places by the banks of
streams, returning toward nightfall to the haunts of the females. In
this respect they resemble club-men, who at the same hours are generally
to be found congregating where there is something to drink. Only two
species are found in our region, and are confined to the hottest parts
of Texas and Florida, ranging thence southward over the Antilles and
Central America as far as Bolivia.
(1) =Eunica monima=, Cramer, Plate XXI, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♀ (The Dingy
Purple-wing).
_Butterfly._--This obscure little butterfly represents in Florida and
Texas the great genus to which it belongs, and gives but a feeble idea
of the splendid character of its congeners, among which are some
exceedingly beautiful insects. Nothing is known of its life-history. It
is common in the Antilles and Mexico.
Another species of the genus, _Eunica tatila_, has recently been
reported from the extreme southern portion of Florida.
Genus CYSTINEURA, Boisduval
"And here and yonder a flaky butterfly
Was doubting in the air."
MCDONALD.
_Butterfly._--Small butterflies, with elongated fore wings, the hind
wings with the outer margin rounded, slightly crenulate. The head is
small; the palpi are very delicate and thin, scantily clothed with
scales. The costal vein of the fore wing is much swollen near the base.
The subcostal vein of this wing sends forth two branches before the end
of the cell. The upper discocellular vein is lacking; the middle
discocellular is short and bent inwardly; the lower discocellular is
almost obliterated, and reaches the median vein at the origin of the
second median nervule. In the hind wing the cell is open, and the two
radial veins spring from the same point.
[Illustration FIG. 102.--Neuration of the genus _Cystineura_.]
_Early Stages._--Very little is as yet definitely ascertained as to
these.
But one species is found within the limits covered by this work. Seven
species have been described, all of them inhabiting Central or South
America.
(1) =Cystineura amymone=, Ménétries, Plate XXIV, Fig. 7, ♂ (Amymone).
_Butterfly._--The fore wings are white on the upper side, dusted with
gray at the base, on the costa, the apex, and the outer margin. The hind
wings are gray on the basal area, pale yellowish-brown on the limbal
area, with a narrow fuscous margin. On the under side the markings of
the upper side reappear, the gray tints being replaced by yellow. The
hind wings are yellowish, with a white transverse band near the base and
an incomplete series of white spots on the limbal area. Expanse, 1.50
inch.
The early stages await description. The insect is found about
Brownsville, Texas, and throughout Mexico and Central America.
Genus CALLICORE, Hübner
(The Leopard-spots)
_Butterfly._--Small-sized butterflies, with the upper side of the wings
dark in color, marked with bands of shining metallic blue or
silvery-green, the under side of the wings generally more or less
brilliantly colored, carmine upon the primaries and silvery-white upon
the secondaries, with the apex of the primaries marked with black
transverse bands and the body of the secondaries traversed by curiously
arranged bands of deep black, these bands inclosing about the middle of
the wing circular or pear-shaped spots. All of the subcostal nervules in
this genus arise beyond the end of the cell. The costal and the median
veins are swollen near the base. The cell in both the fore and hind
wings is open.
[Illustration FIG. 103.--Neuration of the genus _Callicore_.]
_Early Stages._--Very little is known of these.
This genus numbers about thirty species, almost all of which are found
in South America, only one being known to inhabit the United States,
being found in the extreme southern portion of Florida, and there only
rarely.
(1) =Callicore clymena=, Hübner, Plate XXI, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♂,
_under side_ (The Leopard-spot).
_Butterfly._--The wings on the upper side are black, the primaries
crossed by an oblique iridescent bluish-green band, and the secondaries
marked by a similarly colored marginal band. On the under side the
primaries are crimson from the base to the outer third, which is white,
margined with black, and crossed by an outer narrow black band and an
inner broad black band. The secondaries on this side are white, marked
about the middle by two large coalescing black spots, and nearer the
costa a large pear-shaped spot, both ringed about with black lines.
Beyond these black rings are two black bands conformed to the outline of
the inner and outer margins of the wing, and, in addition, a fine black
marginal line. The costa is edged with crimson. Expanse, 1.75 inch.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXI |
| |
| 1. _Timetes coresia_, Godart, ♂. |
| 2. _Timetes coresia_, Godart, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 3. _Timetes petreus_, Cramer, ♂. |
| 4. _Timetes chiron_, Fabricius, ♂. |
| 5. _Callicore clymena_, Cramer, ♂. |
| 6. _Callicore clymena_, Cramer, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 7. _Eunica monima_, Cramer, ♂. |
| 8. _Eunica monima_, Cramer, ♀. |
| 9. _Hypolimnas misippus_, Linnæus, ♂. |
| 10. _Hypolimnas misippus_, Linnæus, ♀. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XXI.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
The Leopard-spot is found occasionally in Florida, but quite commonly in
the Antilles, Mexico, and Central America.
Genus TIMETES, Boisduval
(The Dagger-wings)
_Butterfly._--The palpi are moderately long, thickly clothed with
scales, the last joint elongated and pointed. The antennæ have a
well-developed club. The fore wings and the hind wings have the cell
open. In the fore wing the subcostal vein, which has five branches,
emits the first nervule well before the end of the cell, the second a
little beyond it, and the third and fourth near together, before the
apex of the wing. The third median nervule of the hind wing is greatly
produced and forms the support of the long tail which adorns this wing.
Between the end of the submedian vein and the first median nervule is
another lobe-like prolongation of the outer margin of the wing. The
butterflies are characterized for the most part by dark upper surfaces,
with light under surfaces marked with broad bands and lines of varying
intensity of color. They are easily distinguished from the butterflies
of all other genera of the Nymphalidæ by the remarkable tail-like
appendage of the hind wing, giving them somewhat the appearance of
miniature Papilionidæ.
[Illustration FIG. 104.--Neuration of the genus _Timetes_.]
_Early Stages._--Nothing of note has been recorded of their early stages
which may be accepted as reliable, and there is an opportunity here for
study and research.
There are about twenty-five species belonging to the genus, all found
within the tropical regions of America. Four species are occasionally
taken in the extreme southern portions of Florida and Texas. They are
all, however, very common in the Antilles, Mexico, and more southern
lands.
(1) =Timetes coresia=, Godart, Plate XXI, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♂, _under
side_ (The Waiter).
_Butterfly._--Easily recognized by means of our figures, which show that
this creature deserves the trivial name I have bestowed upon it. In its
dark coat and white vest it gracefully attends the feasts of Flora.
Expanse, 2.50 inches.
So far as I am aware, nothing reliable has been recorded as to the early
stages of this insect. It is occasionally found in Texas.
(2) =Timetes petreus=, Cramer, Plate XXI, Fig. 3, ♂ (The Ruddy
Dagger-wing).
_Butterfly._--The upper side of the wings is accurately delineated in
the plate. On the under side the wings are pale, with the dark bands of
the upper side reproduced. Expanse, 2.60 inches. It occurs in southern
Florida and Texas, and elsewhere in tropical America.
(3) =Timetes chiron=, Fabricius, Plate XXI, Fig. 4, ♂ (The Many-banded
Dagger-wing).
_Butterfly._--Easily recognized by means of the figure in the plate.
Like the preceding species, this is occasionally found in Texas. It is
very common in Mexico, South America, and the Antilles.
Genus HYPOLIMNAS, Hübner
(The Tropic Queens)
_Butterfly._--Eyes naked. The palpi are produced, rising above the head,
heavily scaled. The antennæ have a well-developed, finely pointed club.
The fore wings have stout costal and median veins. The subcostal throws
out five nervules, the first two before the end of the cell, the third
midway between the end of the cell and the outer border; the fourth and
the fifth diverge from each other midway between the third and the outer
border, and both terminate below the apex. The upper discocellular vein
is wanting; the middle discocellular vein is bent inwardly; the lower
discocellular is very weak, and, in some species, wanting. The cell of
the hind wing is lightly closed.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar is cylindrical, thickest toward the
middle. The head is adorned with two erect rugose spines; the segments
have dorsal rows of branching spines, and three lateral rows on either
side of the shorter spines. It feeds on various species of malvaceous
plants and also on the common portulaca.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is thick, with the head obtusely pointed;
the abdominal segments adorned with a double row of tubercles. The
thorax is convex.
This genus, which includes a large number of species, reaches its
fullest development in the tropics of the Old World, and includes some
of the most beautiful, as well as the most singular, forms, which mimic
the protected species of the Euploeinæ, or milkweed butterflies, of the
Indo-Malayan and Ethiopian regions. In some way one of the most widely
spread of these species, which is found throughout the tropics of Asia
and Africa, has obtained lodgment upon the soil of the New World, and is
occasionally found in Florida, where it is by no means common. It may be
that it was introduced from Africa in the time of the slave-trade,
having been accidentally brought over by ship. That this is not
impossible is shown by the fact that the writer has, on several
occasions, obtained in the city of Pittsburgh specimens of rare and
beautiful tropical insects which emerged from chrysalids that were found
attached to bunches of bananas brought from Honduras.
[Illustration FIG. 105.--Neuration of the genus _Hypolimnas_.]
(1) =Hypolimnas misippus=, Linnæus, Plate XXI, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♀
(The Mimic).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--On the upper side the wings are velvety-black, with two
conspicuous white spots on the fore wing, and a larger one on the middle
of the hind wing, the margins of these spots reflecting iridescent
purple. On the under side the wings are white, intricately marked with
black lines, and black and reddish-ochraceous spots and shades.
♀.--The female mimics two or three forms of an Oriental milkweed
butterfly, the pattern of the upper side of the wings conforming to that
of the variety of the protected species which is most common in the
region where the insect is found. The species mimicked is _Danais
chrysippus_, of which at least three varietal forms or local races are
known. The American butterfly conforms in the female sex to the typical
_D. chrysippus_, to which it presents upon the upper side a startling
likeness. On the under side it is marked much as the male. Expanse, ♂,
2.50 inches; ♀, 3.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--What has been said as to the early stages in the
description of the genus must suffice for the species. But little is as
yet accurately known upon the subject.
The range of _H. misippus_ is southern Florida, the Antilles, and the
northern parts of South America. It is not common on this side of the
Atlantic, but very common in Africa, tropical Asia, and the islands
south as far as northern Australia.
Genus BASILARCHIA, Scudder
(The White Admirals)
_Butterfly._--Head large; the eyes are large, naked; the antennæ are
moderately long, with a distinct club; the palpi are compact, stout,
produced, densely scaled. The fore wings are subtriangular, the apex
well rounded, the lower two thirds of the outer margin slightly
excavated. The first two subcostal nervules arise before the end of the
cell. The hind wings are rounded, crenulate.
_Egg._--Nearly spherical, with the surface pitted with large hexagonal
cells (see p. 3, Fig. 1).
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar in its mature state is cylindrical,
somewhat thicker before than behind, with the second segment adorned
with two prominent rugose club-shaped tubercles. The fifth segment, and
the ninth and tenth segments also, are ornamented with dorsal
prominences (see p. 8, Fig. 20).
[Illustration FIG. 106.--Neuration of the genus _Basilarchia_.]
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is suspended by a stout cremaster; the
abdominal segments are rounded. On the middle of the dorsum is a
prominent projecting boss. The thorax is rounded. The head is rounded or
slightly bifid.
The caterpillars feed upon the leaves of various species of oak, birch,
willow, and linden. The eggs are laid upon the extreme tip of the
leaves, and the infant caterpillar, feeding upon the leaf in immediate
proximity to the point where it has been hatched, attaches bits of
bitten leaf by strands of silk to the midrib, thus stiffening its perch
and preventing its curling as the rib dries. Out of bits of leaves thus
detached it constructs a packet of material, which it moves forward
along the midrib until it has completed its second moult. By this time
winter begins to come on, and it cuts away for itself the material of
the leaf on either side of the rib, from the tip toward the base, glues
the rib of the leaf to the stem by means of silk, draws together the
edges of the remaining portions of the leaf, and constructs a tube-like
hibernaculum, or winter quarters, exactly fitting the body, in which it
passes the winter.
[Illustration FIG. 107.--Leaf cut away at end by caterpillar of
_Basilarchia_ (Riley).]
[Illustration FIG. 108.--Hibernaculum, or winter quarters, of larva of
_Basilarchia_.]
There are a number of species of the genus found in the United States,
the habits of which have been carefully studied, and they are among our
most interesting butterflies, several species being mimics of protected
species.
(1) =Basilarchia astyanax=, Fabricius, Plate XXII, Fig. 1, ♂; Plate III,
Figs. 17, 21, 25, larva; Plate IV, Figs. 12, 13, _chrysalis_ (The
Red-spotted Purple).
_Butterfly._--This common but most beautiful species is sufficiently
characterized by the plate so far as the upper surface is concerned. On
the under side the wings are brownish, banded with black on the margins;
the lunules are on this side as above, but the inner band of spots is
red. There are two red spots at the base of the fore wings, and four at
the base of the hind wings. The palpi are white below, and the abdomen
is marked with a lateral white line on each side. Expanse, 3.00-3.25
inches.
_Egg._--The egg, which resembles somewhat closely that of _B. disippus_
(see p. 3, Fig. 1), is yellowish-green, gradually turning dark brown as
the time for the emergence of the caterpillar approaches.
_Caterpillar._--The caterpillar is so well delineated in Plate III,
Fig. 17, as to obviate the necessity for a lengthy verbal description.
_Chrysalis._--What has been said of the caterpillar is also true of the
chrysalis (see Plate IV).
The larva feeds upon the willow, cherry, apple, linden (_Tilia_),
huckleberry, currant, and other allied shrubs and trees. The butterfly
is somewhat variable, and a number of varietal forms have been
described. It ranges generally over the United States and southern
Canada as far as the Rocky Mountain ranges in the West, and is even said
to occur at high elevations in Mexico.
(2) =Basilarchia arthemis=, Drury, Plate XXII, Fig. 4, ♂, form =lamina=,
Fabricius; Fig. 5, ♂, form =proserpina=, Edwards, Plate III, Fig. 26,
_larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 14, 23, _chrysalis_ (The Banded Purple).
_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished in the form _lamina_ from _astyanax_,
which in other respects it somewhat closely resembles, by the broad
white bands crossing both the fore wings and the hind wings, and
followed on the secondaries by a submarginal row of red spots shading
inwardly into blue. In the form _proserpina_ there is a tendency on the
part of the white bands to become obsolete, and in some specimens they
do entirely disappear. The likeness to _astyanax_ in such cases is
striking, and the main point by which the forms may then be
discriminated is the persistence of the red spots on the upper side of
the secondaries; but even these frequently are obsolete. Expanse, 2.50
inches.
_Egg._--The egg is grayish-green, with "kite-shaped" cells.
_Caterpillar._--Greenish-or olive-brown, blotched with white in its
mature form, which is well represented in Plate III. It feeds upon the
willow, the hawthorn (_Cratægus_), and probably other plants.
_Chrysalis._--The figure in Plate IV is sufficiently exact to obviate
the necessity for further description.
This beautiful insect ranges through northern New England and New York,
Quebec, Ontario, and the watershed of the Great Lakes, spreading
southward at suitable elevations into Pennsylvania. I have taken it
about Cresson, Pennsylvania, at an elevation of twenty-five hundred feet
above sea-level. It is not uncommon about Meadville, Pennsylvania. The
species appears to be, like all the others of the genus, somewhat
unstable and plastic, or else hybridization is very frequent in this
genus. Probably all the species have arisen from a common stock.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXII |
| |
| 1. _Basilarchia astyanax_, Fabricius, ♂. |
| 2. _Heterochroa californica_, Butler, ♀. |
| 3. _Basilarchia lorquini_, Boisduval, ♂. |
| 4. _Basilarchia arthemis_, Drury, ♂. |
| 5. _Basilarchia arthemis_, Drury, var. |
| _proserpina_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 6. _Basilarchia weidemeyeri_, Edwards, ♂. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XXII.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
(3) =Basilarchia weidemeyeri=, Edwards, Plate XXII, Fig. 6, ♂
(Weidemeyer's Admiral).
_Butterfly._--Superficially like _arthemis_, but easily distinguished by
the absence of the lunulate marginal bands of blue on the margins of the
hind wings and by the presence of a submarginal series of white spots on
both wings. Expanse, 3.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have been described by W.H. Edwards in the
"Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxiv, p. 107, and show great likeness to
the following species, _B. disippus_. The caterpillar feeds upon
cottonwood (_Populus_).
The insect is found on the Pacific slope and eastward to Montana,
Nebraska, and New Mexico.
(4) =Basilarchia disippus=, Godart, Plate VII, Fig. 4, ♂; Plate III,
Figs. 19, 22, 24, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 18-20, _chrysalis_ (The
Viceroy).
_Butterfly._--This species mimics _Anosia plexippus_ in a remarkable
manner, as may be seen by referring to Plate VII. An aberration in which
the mesial dark transverse band on the secondaries has disappeared was
named _pseudodorippus_ by Dr. Strecker. The type is in the Mead
collection, now belonging to the writer. Expanse, 2.50-2.75 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have all been carefully studied by numerous
writers. The egg is depicted on p. 3, Fig. 1. The caterpillar is shown
on p. 8, as well as in Plate III.
The species ranges everywhere from southern Canada and British America
into the Gulf States.
(5) =Basilarchia hulsti=, Edwards, Plate VII, Fig. 5, ♂ (Hulst's
Admiral).
_Butterfly._--This form is apparently a mimic of _Anosia berenice_. The
ground-color of the wings is not so bright as in _B. disippus_, and the
mesial band of the secondaries on the upper side is relieved by a series
of small whitish spots, one on each interspace. The perfect insect can
easily be distinguished by its markings. Expanse, 2.50-2.60 inches. Thus
far it is only known from Utah and Arizona. The early stages have not
been described.
(6) =Basilarchia lorquini=, Boisduval, Plate XXII, Fig. 3, ♂ (Lorquin's
Admiral).
_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished from all the other species of the
genus by the yellowish-white bar near the end of the cell of the fore
wings and the reddish color of the apex and upper margin of the same
wings. Expanse, 2.25-2.75 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have been partially described by Henry Edwards,
and minutely worked out by Dr. Dyar, for whose description the reader
may consult the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxiii, p. 172. The
food-plant of the caterpillar is _Populus_, willows, and the
choke-cherry (_Prunus demissa_).
Besides the forms figured in our plates there is a species in Florida
named _floridensis_ by Strecker, and subsequently _eros_ by Edwards,
which is generally larger and much darker than _B. disippus_, which it
otherwise closely approximates.
THE BUTTERFLIES' FAD
"I happened one night in my travels
To stray into Butterfly Vale,
Where my wondering eyes beheld butterflies
_With wings that were wide as a sail_.
They lived in such houses of grandeur,
Their days were successions of joys,
And the very last fad these butterflies had
_Was making collections of boys_.
"There were boys of all sizes and ages
_Pinned up on their walls_. When I said
'Twas a terrible sight to see boys in that plight,
I was answered: '_Oh, well, they are dead.
We catch them alive, but we kill them
With ether_--a very nice way:
Just look at this fellow--his hair is so yellow,
And his eyes such a beautiful gray.
"'Then there is a droll little darky,
As black as the clay at our feet;
He sets off that blond that is pinned just beyond
In a way most artistic and neat.
And now let me show you the latest,--
A specimen really select,
A boy with a head that is carroty-red
And a face that is funnily specked.
"'We cannot decide where to place him;
Those spots bar him out of each class;
We think him a treasure to study at leisure
And analyze under a glass.'
I seemed to grow cold as I listened
To the words that these butterflies spoke;
With fear overcome, I was speechless and dumb,
And then with a start--I awoke!"
ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
Genus ADELPHA, Hübner
(The Sisters)
_Butterfly._--This genus is very closely allied to the preceding, and is
the South American representative of _Basilarchia_. The only difference
which is noticeable structurally is in the fact that the eyes are hairy,
the palpi not so densely clothed with scales. The prothoracic legs of
the males are smaller than in _Basilarchia_. The cell of the primaries
is very slightly closed by the lower discocellular vein, which reaches
the median a little beyond the origin of the second median nervule. The
outer margin of the fore wing is rarely excavated, as in _Basilarchia_,
and the lower extremity of the hind wing near the anal angle is
generally more produced than in the last-mentioned genus.
_Early Stages._--The life-history of the genus has not been carefully
worked out, but an account has been published recently of the
caterpillar of the only species found within our fauna, which shows
that, while in general resembling the caterpillars of the genus
_Basilarchia_, the segments are adorned with more branching spines and
with short fleshy tubercles, giving rise to small clusters of hairs.
[Illustration FIG. 109.--Neuration of the genus _Adelpha_.]
The chrysalids are of peculiar form, with bifid heads and broad
wing-cases. They are generally brown in color, with metallic spots. The
only species in our fauna is confined to southern California, Arizona,
and Mexico.
(1) =Adelpha californica=, Butler, Plate XXII, Fig. 2, ♀ (The Californian
Sister).
_Butterfly._--Easily recognized by the large subtriangular patch of
orange-red at the apex of the primaries. In its habits and manner of
flight it closely resembles the species of the genus _Basilarchia_.
Expanse, 2.50-3.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--So far as is known to the writer, these have not been
described, except partially by Henry Edwards in the "Proceedings of the
California Academy of Sciences," vol. v, p. 171. The caterpillar feeds
upon oaks.
The insect is found in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Mexico.
Genus CHLORIPPE, Boisduval
(The Hackberry Butterflies)
_Butterfly._--Small butterflies, generally some shade of fulvous, marked
with eye-like spots on the posterior margin of the secondaries, and
occasionally upon the outer margin of the primaries, the fore wings as
well as the hind wings being in addition more or less strongly spotted
and banded with black. The eyes are naked; the antennæ are straight,
provided with a stout, oval club; the palpi are porrect, the second
joint heavily clothed with hairs, the third joint short, likewise
covered with scales. The costal vein of the fore wing is stout. The
first subcostal vein alone arises before the end of the cell. The cell
is open in both wings.
_Egg._--The eggs, which are deposited in clusters, are nearly globular,
the summit broad and convex. The egg is ornamented by from eighteen to
twenty rather broad vertical ribs, having no great elevation, between
which are numerous faint and delicate cross-lines.
[Illustration FIG. 110.--Neuration of the genus _Clorippe_, ♂.]
_Caterpillar._--The head is subquadrate, with the summit crowned by a
pair of diverging stout coronal spines which have upon them a number of
radiating spinules. Back of the head, on the sides, is a frill of curved
spines. The body is cylindrical, thickest at the middle, tapering
forward and backward from this point. The anal prolegs are widely
divergent and elongated, as in many genera of the _Satyrinoe_.
_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is compressed laterally and keeled on the
dorsal side, concave on the ventral side, the head distinctly bifid. The
cremaster is very remarkable, presenting the appearance of a flattened
disk, the sides studded with hooks, by means of which the chrysalis is
attached to the surface, from which it depends in such a manner that the
ventral surface is parallel to the plane of support.
The caterpillars feed upon the _Celtis_, or hackberry.
There are a number of species, mainly confined to the southwestern
portion of the United States, though some of them range southward into
Mexico. Two only are known in the Middle States. The species are
double-brooded in the more northern parts of the country, and the
caterpillars produced from eggs laid by the second brood hibernate.
(1) =Chlorippe celtis=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXIII, Fig. 3, ♂;
Fig. 4, ♀; Fig. 11, ♂, _under side_ (The Hackberry Butterfly).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The primaries at the base and the secondaries except at
the outer angle pale olive-brown, the rest of the wings black. The dark
apical tract of the primaries is marked by two irregular, somewhat
broken bands of white spots. There is a red-ringed eye-spot between the
first and second median nervules, near the margin of the fore wing, and
there are six such spots on each hind wing. On the under side the
ground-color is grayish-purple; the spots and markings of the upper side
reappear on this side.
♀.--The female has the wings, as is always the case in this genus, much
broader and not so pointed at the apex of the primaries as in the male
sex, and the color is much paler. Expanse, ♂, 1.80 inch; ♀, 2.10
inches.
_Early Stages._--These are beautifully described and delineated by
Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. ii. The caterpillar
feeds on the hackberry (_Celtis occidentalis_).
This species is found generally from southern Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. It is not, so far as is
known, found on the Pacific coast.
(2) =Chlorippe antonia=, Edwards, Plate XXIII, Fig. 12, ♂ (Antonia).
_Butterfly._--Bright yellowish-fulvous on the upper side. Easily
distinguished from _celtis_ by the two eye-spots near the margin of the
primaries. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
_Antonia_ is found in Texas.
(3) =Chlorippe montis=, Edwards, Plate XXII, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♀ (The
Mountain Emperor).
_Butterfly._--Very closely allied to _C. antonia_ in the style and
location of the markings, but tinted with pale ashen-gray on the upper
side of the wings, and not yellowish-fulvous as in the last-named
species. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♀, 2.15 inches.
The early stages are unknown.
_Montis_ occurs in Arizona and Colorado, and by some writers is regarded
as a varietal form of _antonia_, in which opinion they may be correct.
(4) =Chlorippe leilia=, Edwards, Plate XXIII, Fig. 11, ♂ (Leilia).
_Butterfly._--Like _antonia_, this species has two extra-median
eye-spots on the primaries, and thus may be distinguished from _celtis_.
From _antonia_ it may be separated by its larger size and the deeper
reddish-brown color of the upper surfaces. Expanse, 2.10-2.50 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
So far we have received this butterfly only from Arizona.
(5) =Chlorippe alicia=, Plate XXIII, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♀ (Alicia).
_Butterfly._--Very bright fawn at the base of the wings, shading into
pale buff outwardly. There is but one eye-spot on the primaries. The six
eye-spots on the secondaries are black and very conspicuous. The
marginal bands are darker and heavier than in any other species of the
genus. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♀, 2.50 inches.
The early stages are only partially known.
_Alicia_ ranges through the Gulf States from Florida to Texas.
(6) =Chlorippe clyton=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXIII, Fig. 5, ♂;
Fig. 6, ♀; Plate III, Fig. 20, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 15-17,
_chrysalis_ (The Tawny Emperor).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The fore wings without an extra-median eye-spot, and
the secondaries broadly obscured with dark brown or blackish, especially
on the outer borders, so that the eye-spots are scarcely, if at all,
visible.
♀.--Much larger and paler in color than the male, the eye-spots on the
secondaries conspicuous. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♀, 2.50-2.65 inches.
_Early Stages._--The life-history has been carefully worked out, and
the reader who wishes to know all about it should consult the writings
of Edwards and Scudder.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXIII |
| |
| 1. _Chlorippe flora_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 2. _Chlorippe flora_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 3. _Chlorippe celtis_, Boisd.-Lec., ♂. |
| 4. _Chlorippe celtis_, Boisd.-Lec., ♀. |
| 5. _Chlorippe clyton_, Boisd.-Lec., ♂. |
| 6. _Chlorippe clyton_, Boisd.-Lec., ♀. |
| 7. _Chlorippe montis_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 8. _Chlorippe montis_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 9. _Chlorippe alicia_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 10. _Chlorippe alicia_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 11. _Chlorippe leilia_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 12. _Chlorippe antonia_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 13. _Chlorippe celtis_, Boisd.-Lec., ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XXIII.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
This species is occasionally found in New England, and ranges thence
westward to Michigan, and southward to the Gulf States. It is quite
common in the valley of the Ohio.
(7) =Chlorippe flora=, Edwards, Plate XXIII, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀
(Flora).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--The ground-color is bright reddish-fulvous on the upper
side. The usual markings occur, but there is no eye-spot, or ocellus, on
the primaries. The hind wings are not heavily obscured with dark brown,
as in _clyton_, and the six ocelli stand forth conspicuously upon the
reddish ground. The hind wings are more strongly angulated than in any
other species. The borders are quite solidly black.
♀.--The female is much larger than the male, and looks like a very pale
female of _clyton_. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♀, 2.35 inches.
_Early Stages._--The life-history has been described by Edwards in the
"Canadian Entomologist," vol. xiii, p. 81. The habits of the insect in
its early stages and the appearance of the larva and chrysalis do not
differ widely from those of _C. clyton_, its nearest ally.
_Flora_ is found in Florida and on the borders of the Gulf to Texas.
Genus PYRRHANÆA, Schatz
(The Leaf-wings)
_Butterfly._--Medium-sized butterflies, on the upper side of the wings
for the most part red or fulvous, on the under side of the wings
obscurely mottled on the secondaries and the costal and apical tracts of
the primaries in such a manner as to cause them to appear on this side
like rusty and faded leaves. Structurally they are characterized by the
somewhat falcate shape of the primaries and the strongly produced outer
margin of the secondaries about the termination of the third median
nervule. The first and second subcostal nervules coalesce with one
another and with the costal vein. The costal margin of the fore wing at
the base is strongly angulated, and the posterior margin of the
primaries is straight. The cell of the secondaries is very feebly
closed.
_Egg._--Spherical, flattened at the base and somewhat depressed at the
apex, with a few parallel horizontal series of raised points about the
summit.
_Caterpillar._--Head somewhat globular in appearance; the anterior
portion of the first thoracic segment of the body is much smaller in
diameter than the head; the body is cylindrical, tapering to a point.
_Chrysalis._--Short, stout, with transverse ridges above the wings on
the middle of the abdomen, keeled on the sides. The cremaster is small
and furnished with a globular tip, the face of which is on the same
plane as the ventral surface of the body, causing the chrysalis to hang
somewhat obliquely from the surface which supports it.
This is a large genus of mostly tropical species, possessed of rather
singular habits. The caterpillars in the early stages of their existence
have much the same habits as the caterpillars of the genus
_Basilarchia_, which have been already described. After passing the
third moult they construct for themselves nests by weaving the edges of
a leaf together, and thus conceal themselves from sight, emerging in the
dusk to feed upon the food-plant. They live upon the _Euphorbiaceæ_, the
_Lauraceæ_, and the _Piperaceæ_. The insects are double-brooded in the
cooler regions of the North, and are probably many-brooded in the
tropics.
[Illustration FIG. 111.--Neuration of the genus _Pyrrhanæa_.]
(1) =Pyrrhanæa andria=, Scudder, Plate XXIV, Fig. 1, ♀ (The Goatweed
Butterfly).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--Solidly bright red above, the outer margins narrowly
dusky on the borders. On the under side the wings are gray, dusted with
brown scales, causing them to resemble the surface of a dried leaf.
♀.--The female has the upper side paler and marked by pale fulvous
bands, as shown in the plate. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♀, 3.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--In Fig. 21, on p. 9, is a good representation of the
mature caterpillar, the nest which it constructs for itself, and the
chrysalis. A full account of the life-history may be found in the "Fifth
Missouri Report" from the pen of the late C.V. Riley. The caterpillar
feeds on _Croton capitatum_.
The insect ranges from Illinois and Nebraska to Texas.
(2) =Pyrrhanæa morrisoni=, Edwards, Plate XXIV, Fig. 2, ♀ (Morrison's
Goatweed Butterfly).
_Butterfly_, ♂.--Much like _P. andria_, but more brilliantly and
lustrously red on the upper side, and marked with paler macular bands
like the female.
♀.--Differing from the female of _P. andria_ in the more macular, or
spotted, arrangement of the light bands on the wings, as is well shown
in the plate. Expanse, 2.25-2.50 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This species occurs in Arizona and Mexico.
(3) =Pyrrhanæa portia=, Fabricius, Plate XXIV, Fig. 3, ♂ (Portia).
_Butterfly._--Splendid purplish-red on the upper side. On the under side
the fore wings are laved with bright yellow on the basal and inner
marginal tracts, and the secondaries are dark brown, irrorated with
blackish scales arranged in spots and striæ. Expanse, 2.75-3.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
_Portia_ occurs in the extreme southern part of Florida and in the
Antilles.
Genus AGERONIA, Hübner
(The Calicoes)
[Illustration FIG. 112.--Neuration of the genus _Ageronia_.]
_Butterfly._--The antennæ moderately long, delicate, terminated in a
gradually thickened club. The eyes are naked; the palpi are compressed,
only slightly porrect, not densely covered with scales. The neuration is
alike in both sexes, the costal and the median veins greatly thickened
toward the base. The first and second subcostals arise from before the
end of the cell; the fourth and fifth subcostals arise from a common
stem emitted from the third subcostal beyond the end of the cell. The
cells in both the fore and hind wings are closed. The butterflies are of
medium or large size, curiously marked with checkered spots, blue and
white, with broad paler shades on the under side of the secondaries.
They are rapid fliers and are said to alight on the trunks of trees with
their wings expanded and their heads down. When flying they emit a
clicking sound with their wings.
_Early Stages._--Very little is known of these.
The chrysalids are slender and have two ear-like tubercles on the head.
This genus is, strictly speaking, neotropical. About twenty-five species
have been described from Central and South America, some of them being
exceedingly beautiful and rich in color. The two species credited to our
fauna are reported as being occasionally found in Texas. I have
specimens of one of the species which certainly came from Texas. I
cannot be so sure of the other.
(1) =Ageronia feronia=, Linnæus, Plate XXIV, Fig. 4, ♂ (The
White-skirted Calico).
_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished from the only other species of the
genus found in our fauna by the white ground-color of the under side of
the hind wings. Expanse, 2.50 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This remarkable insect is said to be occasionally found in Texas.
(2) =Ageronia fornax=, Hübner, Plate XXIV, Fig. 5, ♂, _under side_ (The
Orange-skirted Calico).
_Butterfly._--Closely resembling the preceding species on the upper
side, but at once distinguished by the orange-yellow ground-color of the
under side of the hind wing. Expanse, 2.60 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
Like its congener, _A. fornax_ is reported only from the hotter parts of
Texas.
Genus VICTORINA, Blanchard
(The Malachites)
_Butterfly._--Large butterflies, curiously and conspicuously marked with
light-greenish spots upon a darker ground; wings upon the under side
marbled with brown about the spots and having a satiny luster. The third
median nervule of the fore wing is very strongly bowed upward. The cells
of both wings are open. The hind wing is tailed at the end of the third
median nervule. The two first subcostals arise before the end of the
cell; the fourth and fifth spring from a common stem which is emitted
from the third beyond the end of the cell, as the cut shows.
_Early Stages._--We know nothing of these.
This genus, in which are reckoned five species, all found in the tropics
of the New World, is represented by but a single species in our fauna,
which occurs in southwestern Texas and in Florida. It is very common in
the West Indies and Central America.
[Illustration FIG. 113.--Neuration of the genus _Victorina_.]
(1) =Victorina steneles=, Linnæus, Plate XXIV, Fig. 6, ♂ (The Pearly
Malachite).
This splendid insect is occasionally found in southern Florida and the
extreme southern part of Texas. It is common throughout tropical
America. Nothing has ever been written upon its early stages.
FOSSIL INSECTS
Investigations within comparatively recent times have led to the
discovery of a host of fossil insects. A few localities in Europe and in
North America are rich in such remains, and the number of species that
have been described amounts to several thousands. Strangely enough, some
of these fossil insects are very closely allied in form to species that
are living at the present time, showing the extreme antiquity of many of
our genera. One of the comparatively recent discoveries has been the
fossil remains of a butterfly which Dr. Scudder, who has described it,
declares to be very near to the African _Libythea labdaca_, which
differs in certain minor anatomical respects from the American Libytheas
which are figured in this work; and Dr. Scudder has therefore proposed a
new generic name, _Dichora_, meaning "an inhabitant of two lands," which
he applies to the African species because related to the extinct
American butterfly. The strange discoveries, which have been made by
palæontologists as to the huge character of many of the mammals, birds,
and reptiles which at one time tenanted the globe, are paralleled by
recent discoveries made in insect-bearing strata in France. M. Charles
Brongniart of the Paris Museum is preparing an account of the collection
which he has made at Commentry, and among the creatures which he
proposes to figure is an insect which is regarded by Brongniart as one
of the forerunners of our dragon-flies, which had an expanse of wing of
two feet, a veritable giant in the insect world.
Of fossil butterflies there have thus far been discovered sixteen
species. Of these, six belong to the subfamily of the _Nymphalidæ_, and
five of the six were found in the fossiliferous strata of Florissant,
Colorado. Two species belong to the subfamily _Satyrinæ_, both occurring
in deposits found in southern France, and representing genera more
nearly allied to those now found in India and America than to the
_Satyrinæ_ existing at the present time in Europe. One of the fossils to
which reference has already been made belongs to the subfamily of the
_Libytheinæ_. The remainder represent the subfamilies of the _Pierinæ_,
the _Papilioninæ_, and the family _Hesperiidæ_.
It is remarkable that the butterflies which have been found in a fossil
state show a very close affinity to genera existing at the present time,
for the most part, in the warmer regions of the earth. Though ages have
elapsed since their remains were embedded in the mud which became
transformed into stone, the processes of life have not wrought any
marked structural changes in the centuries which have fled. This fixity
of type is certainly remarkable in creatures so lowly in their
organization.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| EXPLANATION OF PLATE XXIV |
| |
| 1. _Pyrrhanæa andria_, Scudder, ♀. |
| 2. _Pyrrhanæa morrisoni_, Edwards, ♀. |
| 3. _Pyrrhanæa portia_, Fabricius, ♂. |
| 4. _Ageronia feronia_, Linnæus, ♂. |
| 5. _Ageronia fornax_, Hübner, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 6. _Victorina steneles_, Linnæus, ♂. |
| 7. _Cystineura amymone_, Ménétries, ♂. |
| 8. _Synchloë crocale_, Edwards, ♂, |
| _under side_. |
| 9. _Synchloë crocale_, Edwards, ♂. |
| 10. _Eurema lethe_, Fabricius, ♂. |
| |
| [Illustration PLATE XXIV.] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
SUBFAMILY SATYRINÆ (THE SATYRS)
"Aught unsavory or unclean
Hath my insect never seen;
But violets and bilberry bells,
Maple-sap and daffodils,
Grass with green flag half-mast high,
Succory to match the sky,
Columbine with horn of honey,
Scented fern and agrimony,
Clover, catch-fly, adder's-tongue
And brier-roses dwelt among."
EMERSON.