which we figure. As there is no likelihood of mistaking it for anything
else, we forego a long generic description.
[Illustration: PL. LXI]
(1) _Satyrodes canthus_ (Boisduval & Leconte), Plate LXI, ♀ (The
Grass-nymph).
The butterfly always haunts meadows and hides among tufts of tall grass
in moist places. It is quite common in New England and Canada, and
is found in the cool regions of the Appalachian uplift as far south
as North Carolina. It has a peculiar jerking flight, and is easily
captured. Expanse 1.65-1.90 inch.
The caterpillar feeds on grasses, and its early stages and
transformations have often been described.
GENUS NEONYMPHA WESTWOOD
(THE SPANGLED-NYMPHS).
Small _butterflies_, rather obscure in color. Both fore and hind wings
evenly rounded; the fore wings with the costal and median veins much
swollen at the base. Antennæ short without a distinctly defined club.
_Egg_ globular marked with polygonal cells. _Caterpillar_ with a large
head, bifid above, and produced as two cones thickly studded with
little raised projections. _Chrysalis_ comparatively long, pointed at
the head, with a blunt tubercle on the thorax; green.
Some writers maintain that this genus is identical with the genus
_Euptychia_ Hübner, which contains over one hundred species,
principally found in the American tropics. Seven species are found in
our region, of which we shall delineate five.
[Illustration: PL. LXII]
(1) _Neonympha gemma_ (Hübner), Plate LXII, Fig. 1, ♂, _under side_
(The Gemmed Brown).
The upper side of the wings are mouse-colored, with a couple of twinned
dark spots on the outer margin of the hind wings. On the under side the
wings are reddish gray, marked with irregular rusty lines, and at the
point where the dark spots appear upon the upper side there is a row of
silvery spots. Expanse 1.25-1.35 inch.
Ranges from West Virginia to Mexico.
(2) _Neonympha phocion_ (Fabricius), Plate LXII, Fig. 2, ♀ (The
Georgian Satyr).
A trifle larger than the preceding species, which it closely resembles
above, but from which it may at once be distinguished by the form of
the markings of the lower side of the hind wings, which are depicted in
our illustration. Expanse 1.25-1.45 inch.
Ranges from southern New Jersey to the Gulf as far west as Texas. Very
common in Georgia.
[Illustration: PL. LXIII]
(3) _Neonympha eurytus_ (Fabricius), Plate LXIII, ♂ (The Little
Wood-satyr).
Readily distinguished from the other species in our fauna by the two
well-developed eye-spots on the fore wings, as well as on the hind
wings on the upper side. Expanse 1.75 inch.
The caterpillar and chrysalis are pale brown, the latter marked with
darker brown.
Ranges from New England and Ontario to Georgia and westward to Kansas
and Texas.
[Illustration: PL. LXIV]
(4) _Neonympha sosybius_ (Fabricius), Plate LXIV, Fig. 1, ♂ (The
Carolinian Satyr).
Upper side unspotted dark mouse-gray. On the under side the wings are
paler, crossed by three lines, one defining the basal, the second the
median area, and the third just before the outer margin. Between the
last two are rows of ocelli, which are obscure, except the first on
the fore wing and the second and last two on the hind wing. Expanse
1.25-1.50 inch.
Ranges from the latitude of New Jersey southward through the lower
half of the Mississippi Valley to Mexico and Central America.
(5) _Neonympha rubricata_ Edwards, Plate LXIV, Fig. 2, ♂. _Type_ (The
Red Satyr).
Most nearly related to _N. sosybius_, but readily distinguished by its
much redder color, and by having but one eye-spot on the upper side of
the fore wing. Expanse 1.40-1.75 inch.
Found in Texas, Arizona, Mexico, and Central America.
GENUS CŒNONYMPHA WESTWOOD
(THE RINGLETS).
Small _butterflies_. Costal, median, and submedian veins of fore wing
strongly swollen at base. Both wings evenly rounded on outer margin.
_Egg_ conical, rounded at the bottom, truncated, with low ribs and
cross-lines near the top. The _caterpillar_ has a globular head and
cylindrical body, which tapers backward from about the middle, and on
the last segment has two cone-like backward projections. _Chrysalis_
straight ventrally, convex dorsally, with a rounded keeled eminence
over the thorax, pointed at the end; green or drab, marked with darker
spots.
The genus is found throughout the north temperate zone, and we have in
our fauna a number of species and varieties, most of which are confined
to the Pacific Coast and to Alaska.
[Illustration: PL. LXV]
(1) _Cœnonympha ochracea_ Edwards, Plate LXV, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Ochre
Ringlet).
Glossy ochreous yellow above, without dark markings except as those
of lower side faintly show through. On under side the fore wing has
an eye-spot near apex, and the hind wing has a submarginal row of
incomplete eye-spots, which in some specimens is wanting. Ground-color
of under side of fore wings as above; of hind wings gray, interrupted
about middle by a lighter band, and lighter rays about the cell near
base. Expanse 1.25-1.50 inch. Ranges from British Columbia to Arizona
eastward to Kansas and Nebraska.
(2) _Cœnonympha inornata_ Edwards, Plate LXV, Fig. 2, ♂ (The Plain
Ringlet).
Reddish ochraceous on upper side with outer margin of fore wings and
hind wings laved with darker. On the under side there is an ocellus
near the apex of fore wing and on the hind wing, which is dark gray, a
yellow curved mark beyond the cell and a couple of pale yellow spots
near the anal angle. Expanse 1.25-1.50 inch.
Occurs in Montana, Minnesota, Ontario north of Lake Superior, thence
eastward to Newfoundland.
GENUS EREBIA DALMAN (THE ALPINES).
Rather small _butterflies_, dark in color, with eye-spots on the wings,
most numerous on the under side. Veins of fore wing thickened at base;
lower radial in some cases projected inwardly into the cell at point of
origin. Outer margin of both wings evenly rounded. _Egg_ subconical,
ribbed, the ribs often intersecting each other. _Larva_ with globular
head, body tapering backward, last segment bifurcate. _Chrysalis_
convex dorsally and ventrally, humped on thorax, produced at head,
light brown or ashen gray.
The genus is arctic and confined to the far north, or to the summits of
high mountains, which have an arctic climate. There are many species in
the northern hemisphere, of which we select two for representation.
[Illustration: PL. LXVI]
(1) _Erebia discoidalis_ Kirby, Plate LXVI, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Red-streaked
Alpine).
Easily distinguished from all other species in our fauna by the plain
dark wings streaked on the costa and suffused over the outer three
fourths of the middle of the fore wings with dark red or maroon.
Expanse 1.75-2.00 inches.
_Habitat_ region of Hudson Bay, thence westward to Alaska and southward
among snowy peaks of British Columbia. Probably found on high mountains
of Idaho and Montana.
(2) _Erebia epipsodea_ Butler, Plate LXVI, Fig. 2, ♂ (The Common
Alpine).
The upper side is shown in our cut; the under side repeats the markings
of the upper side more or less clearly, and besides has on the hind
wing a broad, curved, median, blackish band. Expanse 1.75-2.10 inches.
Ranges from the alpine summits of New Mexico northward at suitable
elevations to Alaska, where it is common.
GENUS GYROCHEILUS BUTLER
(THE BLACKAMOORS).
Medium-sized _butterflies_, very dark in color, with eye-spots on fore
wings, and hind wings bordered with brown. There is only one species
found in our region, and a detailed account of its structure may
therefore be spared.
[Illustration: PL. LXVII]
(1) _Gyrocheilus tritonia_ Edwards, Plate LXVII, ♂ (The Arizona
Blackamoor).
Upper side shown in our figure. The under side is much the same, except
that the submarginal band is purplish red sprinkled with white and dark
brown scales, and has on the inner side a row of imperfectly developed
eye-spots partially ringed about on the side of the base by yellow.
Expanse 2.25-2.50 inches.
Occurs in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.
GENUS NEOMINOIS SCUDDER
For a detailed account of the structure and metamorphoses of these
insects the reader is referred to “The Butterfly Book.” There are only
two species found in our territory and we give figures of the upper
side of both of them, so that the student will be able to recognize
them when he gets them.
[Illustration: PL. LXVIII]
(1) _Neominois ridingsi_ (Edwards), Plate LXVIII, Fig. 1, ♂. _Type_
(Ridings’ Satyr).
The upper side is well shown in our figure. The under side is paler
than the upper, and the basal and mesial areas are mottled with narrow
pale brown streaks, while the hind wing is crossed about the middle by
a dark band, the outer margin of which is sharply indented. Expanse
1.50 inch. Larva pupates under ground.
Inhabits the mountain states of the Pacific Coast.
(2) _Neominois dionysius_ Scudder, Plate LXVIII, Fig. 2, ♂ (Scudder’s
Satyr).
On the under side the mesial band of the hind wings is narrower and
more irregularly curved than in the preceding species and the outer
indentations are more strongly produced. Expanse 1.00 inch. Occurs in
Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.
GENUS SATYRUS WESTWOOD (THE WOOD-NYMPHS).
Medium-sized or small _butterflies_. Wings marked with eye-spots,
or ocelli. On upper side generally very obscurely colored with some
shade of gray or brown, occasionally marked by yellow bands; under
side frequently beautifully streaked and spotted, with the ocelli more
prominent than on the upper side. The veins of the fore wing are much
swollen at the base. The outer margin of the fore wing is evenly
rounded, that of the hind wing somewhat scalloped. _Egg_ barrel-shaped,
truncated on top, ribbed on the sides, the ribs at the top connected
by a waved, raised elevation. _Caterpillar_ with globular head,
cylindrical body, tapering both ways from the middle, and furnished
with diverging anal horns. _Chrysalis_ in form like those of many of
the genera belonging to this subfamily; green in color. The genus is
quite large, and many of the species are very variable.
[Illustration: PL. LXIX]
(1) _Satyrus pegala_ (Fabricius), Plate LXIX, ♀, _under side_ (The
Southern Wood-nymph).
Easily recognized by its large size, it being the largest species in
our fauna, and by the broad subterminal yellow band on the fore wing
marked in the male by one eye-spot, and in the female by two such
spots. Expanse 2.75-3.00 inches.
Common in the Gulf States and occasionally occurring as far north as
New Jersey.
[Illustration: PL. LXX]
(2) _Satyrus alope_ (Fabricius), Plate LXX, ♀ (The Common Wood-nymph).
Closely resembling the preceding species, but only two thirds its
size. The number of the ocelli is not constant, and some specimens
lack them entirely. This is the form which is common on the Atlantic
seaboard from New Jersey to New Hampshire, and westward to the
Mississippi. Expanse 1.75-2.25 inches.
[Illustration: PL. LXXI]
(3) _Satyrus alope_ form _nephele_ Kirby, Plate LXXI, Fig. 1, ♂ (The
Clouded Wood-nymph).
This form, long held to be a valid species, has been ascertained
by breeding to be a dimorphic variety characterized by the partial
or entire suppression of the yellow band on the fore wings and the
tendency of the eye-spots to disappear. It is a northern form, and is
common in Canada, northern New England, and in corresponding latitudes
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Expanse 1.85-2.25 inches.
(4) _Satyrus paulus_ Edwards, Plate LXXI, Fig. 2, ♂, _Type, under side_
(The Small Wood-nymph).
Somewhat smaller than _S. nephele_. Upper side dark brown in both
sexes; fore wings always with two ocelli, one near apex, the other
near inner angle; hind wing with two ocelli near anal angle. Expanse
1.75-2.00 inches.
Occurs in California and Nevada.
[Illustration: PL. LXXII]
(5) _Satyrus meadi_ Edwards, Plate LXXII, Fig. 1, ♂ (Mead’s Satyr).
Readily distinguished from all others by the bright red on the limbal
area above and below. Expanse 1.60-1.75 inch.
Ranges from Arizona to Montana in the region of the Rocky Mountains.
[Illustration: PL. LXXIII]
(6) _Satyrus charon_ Edwards, Plate LXXIII, Fig. 1, ♂, _Type_ (The Dark
Wood-nymph).
The _type_ of the species is darker on the under side of the wings than
many specimens in the possession of the writer; the under side is in
fact somewhat variable. There may or may not be ocelli on the under
side. Mr. Edwards named the form without ocelli _Satyrus silvestris_,
but this form is doubtlessly a good species. Both fore and hind wings
on the under side are marked abundantly and evenly by little streaks
darker in color than the ground, and are crossed on either side of the
median area by dark lines, which sometimes are wanting, and are quite
variable. Expanse 1.50-1.75 inch.
Ranges from British Columbia to New Mexico, and appears to be common,
wherever it occurs.
(7) _Satyrus sthenele_ Boisduval, Plate LXXIII, Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_
(The Least Wood-nymph).
Quite small, on the upper side resembling _S. charon_, but very
different on the under side. The distinguishing mark of the species is
the dark, twice-strangulated band of the hind wings, bordered outwardly
on either side by lighter shades. This is shown in our figure. Expanse
1.40-1.50 inch.
Found in California.
GENUS PARAMECERA BUTLER
There is only one species in this genus thus far known. The insect
closely resembles those of the genus _Satyrus_, but may readily be
told apart by the patch of heavy, dark, raised scales in the region
of the median nervules of the fore wing. On the under side the insect
is paler, ruddy, and the fore wings have a large pupilled eye-spot,
followed by a blind, much smaller eye-spot at the apex. The hind wing
has a pale mesial band bordered by darker lines and a submarginal row
of eye-spots.
(1) _Paramecera xicaque_ (Reakirt), Plate LXXII, Fig. 2, ♂ (Reakirt’s
Satyr).
The insect has an expanse of wing varying from 1.35-1.75 inch. It is
not uncommon in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.
GENUS ŒNEIS HÜBNER (THE ARCTICS).
Medium-sized _butterflies_, above some shade of light or dark brown;
below marbled and mottled, often with a dark median band crossing both
wings. The fringes are brown checkered with white. They live in the
cold north or on the tops of high mountains. One of the best-known
species is the White Mountain Butterfly, _O. semidea_, which exists
on the summit of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. The _eggs_ are
ovate-spheroid, ribbed, and are laid on dry grasses near the spot where
grass will grow in the following spring. The _caterpillars_, when
mature, are cylindrical, tapering from the middle both ways, pale green
or brown, with darker longitudinal stripes, feeding on grasses. The
_chrysalids_ are stout, a little angulated, and are formed, unattached,
under stones or at the roots of grass in a slight depression where the
caterpillar has deposited a few threads of silk.
There are a score or more of species in our fauna, of which most occur
on the tops of high northern mountains or near the Arctic Circle.
[Illustration: PL. LXXIV]
(1) _Œneis jutta_ (Hübner), Plate LXXIV, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀ (The Nova
Scotian).
This species, found also in Europe, is one of the most conspicuous of
its tribe. It is not uncommon in the State of Maine, ranging northward
from Bangor through Nova Scotia, thence westward to Ottawa and the
Hudson Bay country. Expanse 1.80-2.10 inches.
[Illustration: PL. LXXV]
(2) _Œneis semidea_ (Say), Plate LXXV, Fig. 1, ♀ (The White Mountain
Butterfly).
The wings are very thin and semi-translucent. Restricted to the summit
of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, and some of the alpine peaks in
the Rocky Mountains. It is also found in Labrador, and no doubt in
corresponding latitudes about Hudson Bay and westward. Expanse 1.75
inch.
(3) _Œneis katahdin_ Newcomb, Plate LXXV, Fig. 2, ♂ (The Katahdin
Butterfly).
Closely allied to the preceding species, from which it may be
distinguished by its paler wings and the irregular dark band on the
under side of the hind wings about their middle. Expanse 1.75 inch.
This insect in recent years has been found to inhabit the summit of
Mount Katahdin in Maine.
[Illustration: PL. LXXVI]
(4) _Œneis macouni_ (Edwards), Plate LXXVI, ♂. _Type_ (Macoun’s Arctic).
More like _O. jutta_ in the form of the wings, but differs in
coloration. It belongs to a group of species included in this genus,
most of which are found in the region of the Rocky Mountains, which
are larger and yellower on the upper side of the wings than the two
preceding species. Expanse 2.00-2.25 inches.
Not uncommon about Lake Nipigon, north of Lake Superior.
SUBFAMILY LIBYTHEINÆ (THE SNOUT-BUTTERFLIES).
These insects may readily be distinguished from all others by their
long projecting palpi, and by the fact that the males have only four
feet adapted to walking while the females have six, a fact which seems
to ally them to the _Erycinidæ_. On the other hand, the chrysalis is
pendent as in the _Nymphalidæ_. There is but one genus of the group
represented in our faunal region.
GENUS LIBYTHEA FABRICIUS (THE SNOUT-BUTTERFLIES).
Small _butterflies_, the palpi enormously produced in comparison with
other butterflies. The fore wings are strongly excavated on the outer
margin, and produced at the end of the lower radial. The hind wing is
upwardly lobed at the base, excised before the outer angle, and the
outer margin is somewhat scalloped. The _egg_ is ovoid, nearly twice as
high as wide, ribbed, every other rib being higher than the one beside
it and increasing in height toward the top. The _caterpillar_ has a
small head, overarched by the anterior swollen segments; it lives upon
the hackberry (_Celtis_). The _chrysalis_ has the abdomen conical, the
head pointed, with two raised ridges running from the head on either
side to the middle of the first segment of the abdomen; between these
ridges is a low tubercle.
There are numerous species found in all parts of the world, but only
three occur within our limits. Of these we figure the one which is most
widely distributed.
[Illustration: PL. LXXVII]
(1) _Libythea bachmani_ Kirtland, Plate LXXVII, ♂ (The Common
Snout-butterfly).
The figure we give will enable the student to immediately recognize the
insect.
It ranges from New England and Ontario southward and westward over the
whole country as far as Arizona and northern Mexico.
FAMILY ERYCINIDÆ (THE METAL-MARKS).
This is a great family of small or rather less than medium-sized
butterflies, which is found in both the eastern and western
hemispheres, but is mostly confined to the American tropics, where
there are known to be about a thousand species, some of them remarkably
beautiful in their colors and markings. The males have the fore legs
aborted as in the case of the _Nymphalidæ_, while the females have
six legs for walking. In this respect they resemble the _Lycænidæ_.
The chrysalids are not pendent as are those of all the insects which
we have hitherto described in this book, but are held in place by a
silken girdle, and are closely appressed to the supporting surface. The
strongest mark of distinction from other butterflies is the fact that
the precostal vein of the hind wing is located on the extreme inner
margin of the wing and sends out a little free hook, very much as is
the case in many of the moths. The antennæ are very long and slender,
distinctly knobbed at the end. Many genera have the peculiarity when
alighting of not folding their wings, but carrying them flat, and they
have also the habit of hiding under leaves, like moths. Most of the
species found in our region occur in the Southwestern States, two alone
are found in the Eastern States.
GENUS CHARIS HÜBNER (THE METAL-MARKS).
There are nearly fifty species of this genus found in the American
tropics. There are but two species in the eastern parts of the United
States, and two others in California. The figures we give will enable
any one to tell apart the two species found in the Atlantic region.
[Illustration: PL. LXXVIII]
(1) _Charis cænius_ (Linnæus), Plate LXXVIII, Fig. 3, ♂ (The Little
Metal-mark).
Very small, brighter red on the under side than on upper. Wings both
above and below spotted with small steely-blue metallic markings.
Common in Florida, ranging northward to Virginia and westward to Texas.
Expanse 0.75 inch.
(2) _Charis borealis_ (Grote & Robinson), Plate LXXVIII, Fig. 4, ♂ (The
Northern Metal-mark).
Larger than the preceding species. Upper side sooty brown marked with
blacker spots and a marginal and submarginal row of coppery red spots.
On the under side the wings are light red with a multitude of small
black spots arranged in transverse rows. The metallic spots of the
upper side reappear below. Expanse 1.15 inch.
Range from New York to Illinois and Michigan and south to the
Carolinas. Rare.
GENUS APODEMIA FELDER (THE MORMONS).
There are about ten species of this genus confined mainly to the
Southwestern States and northern Mexico. Some, like the one we figure,
are quite small, others are larger, spreading as much as 1.50 inch.
They are rather gayly colored, usually with the wings on the upper side
checkered or spotted with red, black, and white, and lighter on the
under side. None of them have metallic markings on either side.
(1) _Apodemia palmeri_ (Edwards), Plate LXXVIII, Fig. 2, ♂ (Palmer’s
Mormon).
One of the smallest species of the genus, mouse-gray, spotted with
white above; on the under side whitish gray, laved with pale red at
the base of the fore wings, the spots of the upper side reappearing on
this side. Expanse 0.75-0.95 inch.
Ranges from Utah to Mexico.
GENUS POLYSTIGMA SALVIN & GODMAN
There is thus far but one species known to belong to this genus,
which is marked off from all others by the fact that the males have
normally developed fore legs as well as the females, and thus are the
“exception” in the family, “which proves the rule.”
(1) _Polystigma nais_ (Edwards), Plate LXXVIII, Fig. 1, ♂, _Type_ (The
Many-spot).
The lower side of the wings is pale red mottled with buff on the hind
wings; the marks of the upper side reappear below and stand out boldly
upon the paler ground. Expanse 1.00-1.25 inch.
_P. nais_ occurs from Colorado to Mexico, east of the Rocky Mountains.
FAMILY LYCÆNIDÆ (THE HAIR-STREAKS, COPPERS, AND BLUES).
Small _butterflies_. The males have the first pair of legs more or less
aborted, and not adapted to walking. Many of the genera are brilliantly
blue on the upper side of the wings, others are coppery red. In Africa
there are numerous genera which mimic other butterflies in the form and
color of their wings. The _eggs_ are turban-shaped adorned with ridges,
minute eminences, and networks of raised lines. Under the microscope
some of them look like sea-urchins after the spines have fallen off.
The _caterpillars_ are slug-shaped, flat; and while most of them feed
on vegetable matter a few feed on scale-insects and aphids, and some
on the larvæ of ants. The latter are African and Oriental forms. The
_chrysalids_ are attached to the place where the caterpillar has
pupated by a cincture or girdle.
The family is very large and is represented in all parts of the world,
but there are probably more species in the American tropics than in any
other quarter of the globe, unless it be in the Malaysian Archipelago
and New Guinea, from which a host of species have been described in
recent years.
A multitude of refinements in classification have been invented by
recent authors and a lot of generic names have been proposed which in
this book we shall in part ignore, as they are based upon such slight
points that nobody but a man armed with a big microscope can make them
out. They puzzle common people, and this book is for laymen and not for
the supertechnical.
GENUS EUMÆUS HÜBNER (THE BLUE-SPOTS).