A. Antennæ naked, not clothed with scales.
(a) Fore wings less than twice as long as broad _Euplœinæ._
(b) Fore wings twice as long as broad and often translucent,
the abdomen extending far beyond the inner
angle of the hind wings _Ithomiinæ._
B. Antennæ clothed with scales, at least above.
(a) Fore wings at least twice as long as broad _Heliconiinæ._
(b) Fore wings less than twice as long as broad.
1. Palpi not as long as the thorax _Nymphalinæ._
2. Palpi longer than the thorax _Libytheinæ._
II. With some of the veins of the fore wing greatly swollen at the
base _Satyrinæ._
Subfamily EUPLŒINÆ (The Euplœids).
Large or medium-sized butterflies; fore wings somewhat produced at
apex; hind wings rounded, never with tails; fore legs greatly atrophied
in the males, somewhat less so in the females; hind wings of the males
marked with one or more sexual brands which in the American species
are located on or near the first median nervule; some of the oriental
species are white, many are dark brown or black in color, shot with
purple and violet; all of the American species are of some shade of
reddish brown or fulvous, with the apex of the fore wings and the
outer borders of both fore and hind wings margined widely with darker
color, and the veins and nervules also darker, standing out in bold
relief upon the lighter ground-color; the apex of the primary and the
outer border of the secondary wings are more or less spotted with light
color, often with white.
The adult caterpillars are cylindrical in form, adorned with long
fleshy filaments, and with their bodies of some light shade of yellow
or green banded with darker colors. The American species feeds upon the
plants belonging to the family of the _Asclepiadaceæ_, or Milkweeds.
The chrysalis is smooth, pale in color, often ornamented with metallic
spots, usually golden.
This subfamily, which is represented in the tropics of the Old World by
many genera and species, is only represented in the United States by
one genus, _Anosia_.
GENUS ANOSIA HÜBNER
_Butterfly_, large or medium-sized; fore wings triangular, produced;
hind wings rounded, the inner margins clasping the abdomen when
at rest; apex, outer margins, and veins, dark; male with sex-mark
on first median nervule of hind wing. _Egg_ ovate conical, ribbed
perpendicularly and horizontally. _Larva_ cylindrical, with long, dark,
fleshy filaments before and behind; body usually pale in color, ringed
with dark bands. _Chrysalis_ pendant, stout, cylindrical, abdomen
rapidly tapering, and ending in long cremaster; pale, with metallic
spots.
A large genus, many species being found in the tropics of both
hemispheres, but only two in the United States. The insects are
“protected,” being distasteful to other animals, thus escaping attack.
[Illustration: PL. I]
(1) _Anosia plexippus_ (Linnæus), The Monarch, Plate I, ♂; Plate C,
Fig. g, _egg_; Figs. a-c, _larva pupating_; Fig. d, _chrysalis_.
Upper side of wings reddish brown, apex, margins, and veins black,
under side paler; a double row of whitish spots on outer borders, apex
crossed by two bands of light spots. Expanse of wings 3.25 to 4.25
inches. _Egg_ pale green. _Caterpillar_ feeds on milkweeds, and is
found in Pennsylvania from June onward. _Chrysalis_ pale green spotted
with gold.
Breeds continuously. As summer comes the butterflies move north,
laying eggs. The insect spreads until it reaches its northern limit in
the Dominion of Canada. In fall it returns. Swarms of the retreating
butterflies gather on the northern shores of Lakes Erie and Ontario and
in southern New Jersey. Recently the Monarch has become domiciled in
many parts of the Old World.
[Illustration: PL. II]
(2) _Anosia berenice_ (Cramer), The Queen, Plate II, ♀.
Smaller than the Monarch; the ground-color of the wings livid brown.
The markings, as shown by the Plate, are somewhat different from those
of the preceding species. Expanse 2.5 to 3 inches.
This butterfly does not occur in the North, but ranges through New
Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and southward.
Subfamily ITHOMIINÆ (THE ITHOMIIDS).
_Butterflies_ of moderate size, though a few species are quite large.
Fore wings at least twice as long as wide; hind wings small and
rounded, without tails. Abdomen produced beyond the margin of the hind
wing. Wings more or less transparent. Antennæ long and very slender,
with a slender club at end, naked. Fore legs greatly atrophied,
especially in the males. _Larvæ_ and _chrysalids_ resembling those of
the _Euplœinæ_, the chrysalids being short, cylindrical, and marked
with metallic spots. The family, with the exception of the Australian
genus, _Hamadryas_, is confined to the New World, in the tropics of
which there are swarms of genera and species. Like the _Euplœinæ_ they
are “protected.” But two genera are reported from our territory.
GENUS CERATINIA FABRICIUS
Distinguished from other allied genera by the strongly lobed costal
margin of the hind wings in the male.
There are fifty species of this genus known from the American tropics,
but only one occurs within the limits of the United States, and only in
the extreme southwestern portion of our territory.
(1) _Ceratinia lycaste_ (Fabricius), Plate III, Fig. 2, ♀ (Lycaste
Butterfly).
This insect, which may easily be identified by the figure we give,
is reported from southern California. The plate shows the variety,
named _negreta_, which has a spot at the end of the cell of the hind
wing instead of a black bar, as is the case in specimens from Panama.
Expanse 2.1 to 2.25 inches. Wright does not include this species in his
list of butterflies of the west coast.
GENUS DIRCENNA DOUBLEDAY
Medium-sized _butterflies_, with quite transparent wings. Abdomen
not as long as in the preceding genus. Hind wing of male strongly
bowed forward at middle, the costal vein tending to coalesce with
the subcostal. Only one species occurs in our region. There are many
species in the American tropics.
[Illustration: PL. III]
(1) _Dircenna klugi_ (Hübner), Plate III, Fig. 1, ♂ (Klug’s Dircenna).
The wings are pale brown, narrowly margined with darker brown; the
fore wings have a pale yellowish diagonal bar at the end of the cell,
followed by two bands of similar spots, curving from the costa to the
inner margin. Expanse 2.5 to 2.75 inches.
_Habitat_: Southern California and Mexico according to Reakirt. The
citation of California by this authority may refer to Lower California.
In recent years no specimens have been taken in Upper California. It
may be that with the changes which have taken place in the development
of the country the insect has become extinct about Los Angeles and San
Diego, where Reakirt collected.
SUBFAMILY HELICONIINÆ (THE HELICONIANS).
Moderately large _butterflies_. Fore wings twice as long as wide.
Antennæ nearly as long as the body; club tapering, but stouter than in
the _Ithomiids_, clothed with scales above. Fore legs feeble in both
sexes. Color black, sometimes shot with blue, and variously marked with
white, yellow, orange, or crimson spots. _Eggs_ cylindrical, twice
as high as wide, tapering and truncate above, ribbed. _Caterpillar_,
when mature, with six branching spines on each segment. _Chrysalis_
angulated, covered with curious projections, making it look like a
shrivelled leaf, dark in color.
These insects, which are strongly “protected,” abound in the forests of
tropical America. There are many species, but only one occurs in our
region.
GENUS HELICONIUS LATREILLE
[Illustration: PL. IV]
(1) _Heliconius charithonius_ (Linnæus). Plate IV, ♀ (The Zebra).
The figure suffices for identification. The caterpillar feeds upon the
foliage of different species of Passion-flower. Common in the hot
parts of the Gulf States, thence ranging all over the American tropics.
Expanse 2.5 to 3.5 inches.
SUBFAMILY NYMPHALINÆ (THE NYMPHS).
The _butterflies_ belonging to this subfamily are usually medium-sized
or large, although some are very small. Antennæ usually as long as, or
longer than, the abdomen, more or less heavily clothed with scales.
Palpi stout, densely clothed with hairs and scales. Thorax stout or
very robust. Fore wings relatively broad, except in certain forms which
mimic the _Heliconiinæ_, produced at apex, more or less excavated
on outer margin; discoidal cell generally less than half the length
of wing, and in most genera closed; costal vein terminating behind
the middle of the front margin of the wing; the two inner subcostal
nervules given off before, the outer subcostals beyond, the end of
the cell. Hind wings rounded, or angulated, with the outer border
either rounded, scalloped, or tailed, the inner border always forming
a channel for the reception of the abdomen; discoidal cell often
open, or closed by an almost imperceptible veinlet. _Eggs_ conoid,
barrel-shaped, or globular, variously ornamented. _Larva_ when hatched
with minute wart-like eminences, each bearing a hair, the hairs
in later stages being replaced in many forms by branching spines.
_Chrysalis_ suspended, variously ornamented, often having on the dorsal
surface raised eminences, and the head bifurcate.
There are about thirty genera, containing somewhat less than two
hundred species, which belong to this subfamily in the United States.
GENUS COLÆNIS DOUBLEDAY
The _butterflies_ of this genus mimic the Heliconians in form; their
fore wings are long and narrow. The cell in the hind wing is open.
There are a number of species, two of which are found in the hot parts
of the Gulf States. The larvæ resemble those of the genera, _Dione_ and
_Euptoieta_, and, like them, feed on the Passifloraceæ.
[Illustration: PL. V]
(1) _Colænis julia_ (Fabricius) (Julia). Plate V, ♂.
The figure on the plate obviates the necessity for a description. The
insect occurs sparingly in Florida and in Texas, especially about
Brownsville. It is very common in Mexico, and thence southward. Expanse
3 to 3.5 inches.
(2) _Colænis delila_ (Fabricius), Delila.
Imagine all the dark markings shown in the figure of _Colænis julia_
on Plate V effaced, and replaced by the lighter ground-color, only all
of the wing a shade paler and yellower, and the fore wings a trifle
more pointed at the tip, and you have a mental picture of this species,
which has the same range as the one shown. Expanse 2.75 to 3.3 inches.
GENUS DIONE HÜBNER
This genus has the fore wings elongated, but less so than in _Colænis_.
The cell in the hind wing is open. The palpi are much more robust and
heavily clothed with hairs than in _Colænis_, thus resembling those of
the genus _Argynnis_. Like _Argynnis_ the under side of the wings of
all species of _Dione_ is spotted with silver.
There are a half dozen species of _Dione_ in the New World, all but one
of which occur outside of our limits. They are gloriously beautiful
insects.
[Illustration: PL. VI]
(1) _Dione vanillæ_ (Linnæus) (The Gulf Fritillary). Plate VI, ♂.
This lovely insect ranges from southern Virginia southward and
westward to southern California, and thence further south, wherever
the sun shines and Passion-flowers bloom. The figure on the plate does
not show the magnificent markings of the under side of the wings, but
catch one, and you will see that you have a beauty in your possession.
Expanse 2.75 to 3.25 inches.
GENUS EUPTOIETA DOUBLEDAY
There are two species of this genus found in the United States. The
_butterfly_ has the cell of the fore wing closed by a feeble veinlet
and the cell of the hind wing open. The antennæ and palpi resemble
those of the genus _Argynnis_. The under sides of the wings are not
spotted with silvery marks.
[Illustration: PL. VII]
(1) _Euptoieta claudia_ (Cramer), The Variegated Fritillary. Plate VII,
Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, _under side_.
The caterpillar feeds upon the leaves of Passion-flowers and violets.
It is reddish yellow in color, with black spines on the segments,
white spots on the back, and dark brown bands running the long way on
the sides. The _chrysalis_ is pearly white mottled with black spots
and streaks. The insect ranges from southern New England south and
west, and is reported from as far north as Alberta. It goes as far as
Argentina in the south. Expanse ♂, 1.75 to 2.25 inches; ♀, 2.25 to 2.75
inches.
(2) _Euptoieta hegesia_ (Cramer), The Mexican Fritillary.
Very much like the preceding species, only the wings, especially the
hind wings, have very few dark markings, except about the borders, and
the insect is smaller. Expanse ♂, 1.6 to 2.25; ♀, 2.25 to 2.5 inches.
Found in Texas, Arizona, and southward.
GENUS ARGYNNIS FABRICIUS
_Butterflies_ of medium or large size, generally of some shade of
reddish fulvous, conspicuously marked on the upper side with dark
spots and waved lines, which are less conspicuously repeated on the
under side, and in many species in part replaced by silvery spots.
In some species the males and the females are _dimorphic_, that is,
very different in appearance from each other. The palpi are strongly
developed and clothed heavily with hairs. The antennæ have a short,
well-defined, flattened, somewhat spoon-shaped club. The cells of both
fore and hind wings are closed. _Eggs_ cone-shaped, flattened, and
depressed at the top, rounded at the base, ribbed both ways, mostly
near the base. _Caterpillars_ dark in color, spiny, with the spines
on the first segment the longest; feeding on violets at night, and
hiding during the day. _Chrysalis_ angular, adorned with more or less
prominent projections, head bifid.
This large genus has many species. It occurs in both hemispheres. Its
metropolis is North America, and we can speak of only a few of the
commoner and more conspicuous forms.
[Illustration: PL. VIII]
(1) _Argynnis idalia_ (Drury), The Regal Fritillary. Plate VIII, ♂.
The figure given will help the student to recognize this insect. The
caterpillar, when fully grown, is about 1.75 inches in length, black,
banded and striped with ochreous and orange-red, and ornamented with
fleshy spines, of which the two rows on the back are white tipped with
black, those on the sides black tinged with orange where they spring
from the body. The chrysalis is brown mottled with yellow.
Ranges from Maine to Nebraska, and southward among the Appalachian
highlands into West Virginia. Expanse 2.75 to 4 inches.
[Illustration: PL. IX]
[Illustration: PL. X]
(2) _Argynnis diana_ (Cramer), Plate IX, ♂; Plate X, ♀ (Diana).
This lovely insect is dimorphic, the male having the outer borders of
the wings orange-fulvous, while the female has the wings bordered with
blue spots. Expanse 3.75 to 4.5 inches.
It belongs to the southern Appalachian region, and ranges from West
Virginia and the Carolinas to northern Georgia, thence westward to
the Ozarks, being found sparingly in southern Ohio and Indiana, and
commonly in parts of Kentucky.
[Illustration: PL. XI]
(3) _Argynnis leto_ Edwards, Plate XI, ♀ (Leto).
The male of this species is in some respects not unlike the two
following species, but with the wings darker at their bases; the
female, on the other hand, is quite different, the dark spots on the
inner half of the wings running together and giving this part of the
wings a dark brown or black appearance, while the outer borders are
pale yellow. Expanse 2.5 to 3.25 inches.
This beautiful form occurs on the western side of the Rocky Mountains,
in California and Oregon.
[Illustration: PL. XII]
(4) _Argynnis cybele_ (Fabricius), Plate XII, ♀, _under side_ (The
Great Spangled Fritillary).
The male is bright reddish-fulvous on the upper side of the wings,
with the characteristic dark markings of the genus; on the under side
the wings are heavily silvered. There always is a pale yellowish
submarginal band shown on the under side of the hind wings which does
not appear in the next species, and by the presence or absence of which
they may be discriminated from each other. The caterpillars hibernate
as soon as hatched, and pass the winter in this state, feeding up
and maturing in the following spring when the violets begin to grow.
Expanse 3 to 4 inches.
This species ranges from Maine to Nebraska and southward to Georgia and
Arkansas. It is our commonest species in the Middle States.
[Illustration: PL. XIII]
(5) _Argynnis aphrodite_ (Fabricius). Plate XIII, ♀, _under side_
(Aphrodite).
Closely resembling the preceding species, but smaller. The under side
of the hind wings has the submarginal band narrower than in _A. cybele_
and often wholly wanting, as shown in the figure. The fore wings on the
under side are redder at the base than in _A. cybele_. Expanse 3 to 3.5
inches.
The range is the same as that of the preceding species.
The two species _A. cybele_ and _A. aphrodite_ usually are found flying
at the same time and in the same places, and when on the wing it is
often very difficult to distinguish them from each other. In fact they
seem to intergrade into each other, and in a long series of specimens
such close resemblances often occur that it is puzzling to decide which
is which. The deeper red of the fore wing of _A. cybele_ is the best
diacritical character. The paler outer margin of the hind wing of _A.
aphrodite_, which is typically shown in Plate XII, sometimes occurs
also in _A. cybele_, and I have specimens of the latter which very
closely approximate the former in this regard. In selecting specimens
for illustration I have chosen the two extreme forms in which the pale
wing of _A. aphrodite_ is seen to contrast on the under side with the
darker wing of _A. cybele_ shown on Plate XIII.
It may be remarked in passing that the genus _Argynnis_ is very
difficult, and the writer has been in the habit of comparing it to
the genus _Salix_, the willows, among flowers. Botanists know how the
willows seem to run together, and how hard it is to discriminate the
species. The same thing is true of this great genus of butterflies
with which we are now dealing. It is particularly true of the species
which occur in the region of the Rocky Mountains, of which the writer
has probably the largest collection in existence, including all of the
types of the late William H. Edwards. The test of breeding has not been
fully applied as yet to all of these forms, and it is doubtful whether
some of them are more than varieties or local races. There is here a
field of inquiry which should tempt some young, ardent, and careful
student. The day for more thorough work is at hand, and I hope some
reader of these pages may be converted to the task. Entomological study
should become more intensive, as well as extensive. The fathers of the
science have paved the way and laid foundations; it remains for the
rising generation to complete the work which the fathers have begun.
[Illustration: PL. XIV]
(6) _Argynnis atlantis_ Edwards. Plate XIV, ♂ (The Mountain Silverspot).
Smaller than _A. aphrodite_, with narrower wings, darker at the base
on both the upper and lower sides. The submarginal band below is pale
yellow, narrow, distinct, and always present. Expanse 2.25 to 2.5
inches.
Ranges from Quebec to Alberta and southward, but is confined to the
Appalachian mountain ranges in southern Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The specimen figured on the Plate is the type of the male contained in
the collection of the late William H. Edwards. Although taken long ago,
it retains all its original freshness and beauty.
There used to be near Cresson on the summit of the Allegheny Mountains
a field surrounded by woodland in which violets grew. When the clover
was in bloom myriads of Fritillaries, belonging to the species
_aphrodite_, _cybele_, and _atlantis_, congregated there. What captures
we made! Many a collection on both sides of the Atlantic contains
specimens taken in that field, but no possessor of these specimens
can have the happy memories of the days passed in that field by their
captor.
[Illustration: PL. XV]
(7) _Argynnis callippe_ Boisduval. Plate XV, ♀, _under side_ (Callippe).
Wings on the upper side obscured with dark brown on which the pale buff
spots, margined with black, stand out conspicuously. On the under side
the wings are pale buff, with a greenish cast, the spots well silvered.
Expanse 2.3 to 3 inches.
Abundant in southern California, according to W. G. Wright, preferring
plains, and being confined mainly to the little hot valleys which
traverse them. According to the same author the life of the insect as
an imago is very brief, “the shortest of any Argynnid that I know of,
being only a few days in length.”
Many of the western species do not have the spots on the under side
silvered, but are none the less beautiful for that. One of these
species, without silvery spots, the spots being creamy white, without
metallic lustre, is the beautiful insect figured on Plate XVI, _A.
rhodope_, the under side of the female type of which we show. There are
nearly a dozen species of _Argynnis_ belonging to the same group with
_A. rhodope_, but the latter is the most beautiful of all of them.
[Illustration: PL. XVI]
(8) _Argynnis rhodope_ Edwards. Plate XVI, ♀ _under side_ (Type)
(Rhodope).
The wings of the two sexes are quite alike on the under side. On the
upper side, which we do not figure, the wings are bright fulvous, dark
at the base, marked with heavy, black, confluent spots. Expanse 2.2 to
2.4 inches.
Found in Washington and British Columbia.
GENUS BRENTHIS HÜBNER
(THE LITTLE FRITILLARIES).
Small or medium-sized _butterflies_, closely resembling those of the
genus _Argynnis_. The chief difference is that in _Brenthis_ only the
first subcostal nervule branches off before the end of the cell, while
in _Argynnis_ the first and second are thus given off; palpi not so
stout as in _Argynnis_; the basal spur of the median vein of the fore
wing, found in _Argynnis_, is wanting in _Brenthis_. _Eggs_ subconical,
twice as wide as high, truncated, vertically ribbed. _Caterpillars_
like those of _Argynnis_, but smaller, and often lighter in color,
feeding on violets. _Chrysalis_ pendant, about 0.6 inch long; two rows
of conical tubercles on back.
Sixteen species are found in North America, all of which but two are
subarctic or occur on high mountains.
[Illustration: PL. XVII]
(1) _Brenthis myrina_ (Cramer), Plate XVII, Fig. 1, ♂, _upper side_;
Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_ (The Silver-bordered Fritillary).
Well depicted in the figures we give. Expanse 1.40-1.70 inch. _Eggs_
pale greenish yellow. _Caterpillar_, when fully grown, about 0.87 inch
long, dark olive-brown, marked with lighter green, and covered with
spiny, fleshy tubercles. _Chrysalis_ yellowish brown marked with darker
brown spots, some having a pearly lustre.
Ranges from Nova Scotia to Alaska and southward as far as the mountains
of the Carolinas.
(2) _Brenthis montinus_ Scudder, Plate XVII, Fig. 3, ♀, _under side_
(The White Mountain Fritillary).
Upper side fulvous, the wings at base darker than in _B. myrina_,
the black markings heavier. Hind wings below much darker than in _B.
myrina_, the silvery spots being quite differently arranged, the most
conspicuous being a bar at the end and a round spot at the base of the
cell of the hind wing. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♀, 1.75 inch.
A small species living on the summit of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire,
where a little colony has survived the glacial epoch, when the
northeastern parts of the United States were covered with glaciers, as
Greenland is to-day.
[Illustration: PL. XVIII]
(3) _Brenthis bellona_ (Fabricius), Plate XVIII, ♂ (The Meadow
Fritillary).
The only species of the genus, except _B. myrina_, found in the
densely settled portions of the continent. Easily distinguished from
_myrina_ by the absence on the under side of the wings of the silvery
spots, which make the Silver-bordered Fritillary so attractive. It is
generally found upon the wing in the late summer and the fall of the
year. In Pennsylvania it may be found when the asters are in bloom.
Common throughout Canada and the northern United States as far west
as the Rocky Mountains and as far south as the Carolinas. Expanse
1.65-1.80 inch.
GENUS MELITÆA (THE CHECKER-SPOTS).