lower sides and the hind wings below beautifully adorned with spots
of metallic blue or green. There are three species in the genus, two
of which occur in our territory, _E. atala_, which we figure, and _E.
minyas_, which may be distinguished from the former by its larger size.
[Illustration: PL. LXXIX]
(1) _Eumæus atala_ (Poey), Plate LXXIX, Fig. 1, ♂, _under side_ (The
Florida Blue-spot).
The figure accurately represents the lower side of this charming
insect. Expanse 1.65-1.75 inch.
It is common in southern Florida and Cuba. The other species, _E.
minyas_, which is much larger and equally beautifully marked, is found
in southern Texas and thence ranges southward into Brazil.
GENUS THECLA FABRICIUS (THE HAIR-STREAKS).
Mostly small _butterflies_. On the upper side very often colored with
iridescent blue, green, or purple, sometimes reddish or dark brown; on
the under side marked with lines and spots variously arranged and often
very strikingly colored. What has been said as to the _eggs_, _larvæ_,
and _chrysalids_ of the family apply as well to this as to many of the
following genera, and need not be here repeated.
While students of this group have subdivided extensively, and with
scientific propriety have erected a number of genera which are
acceptable to specialists, there seems to the writer no need for going
into these things in this book, as most of the distinctions drawn are
too fine to be appreciated by any but specialists.
(1) _Thecla halesus_ (Cramer), Plate LXXIX, ♂ (The Great Purple
Hair-streak).
The upper side is deep purplish blue, as shown in our figure; on
the lower side the thorax is black spotted with white, the abdomen
orange-red; the wings warm sepia spotted with crimson at their bases,
in the males glossed with a stripe of metallic green on the fore wings,
and in both sexes adorned at the anal angle by spots of metallic green,
red, and iridescent blue. Expanse 1.35-1.50 inch.
Common in Central America and Mexico, ranging north through the hotter
parts of the Gulf States, and has been recorded from southern Illinois.
Occurs in southern California and Arizona. The larva feeds on mistletoe.
[Illustration: PL. LXXX]
(2) _Thecla m-album_ Boisduval & Leconte, Plate LXXX, Fig. 1, ♂ (The
White-M Hair-streak).
Smaller than the preceding species, bluer, and not inclined to greenish
at base of wings on upper side; on under side fore wing crossed by a
submarginal and a median line of white, continued on the hind wings,
zigzagged at anal angle so as to look like an inverted M; near this is
a rounded crimson patch; anal angle black glossed with blue. Expanse
1.35-1.45 inch.
Ranges from New Jersey and Wisconsin to Venezuela.
(3) _Thecla crysalus_ Edwards, Plate LXXX, Fig. 2, ♂ (The Colorado
Hair-streak).
Upper side as in our figure, under side marked with white lines edged
with brown. Orange spots of upper side reappear below, but at anal
angle are transformed into red eye-spots pupilled with black and
margined with metallic green. Expanse 1.50 inch.
Ranges from Colorado to eastern Arizona.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXI]
(4) _Thecla favonius_ Smith & Abbot, Plate LXXXI, Fig. 1, ♂ (The
Southern Hair-streak).
On the under side the wings are marked much as in _T. m-album_, but in
the region of the median nervules is a rather broad transverse carmine
streak inwardly edged with dark lines. Expanse 1.00-1.15 inch.
Found in the Gulf States and as far north as South Carolina.
(5) _Thecla wittfeldi_ Edwards, Plate LXXXI, Fig. 2, ♀, _Type_
(Wittfeld’s Hair-streak).
On the lower side both wings are crossed beyond the middle by two
parallel pale lines bordered with darker tints, and at the end of the
cells have each a short whitish bar. The anal angle is adorned with
blue scales, before which is a red eye-spot of large size, externally
marked with black. Expanse 1.25-1.35 inch.
Found in the region of Indian River, Florida.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXII]
(6) _Thecla autolycus_ Edwards, Plate LXXXII, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Texas
Hair-streak).
The carmine spots on the under side of the wings are not arranged
across the median nervules as in _T. favonius_, but are located in the
vicinity of the anal angle crowning the black crescents near the inner
end of the outer margin. Expanse 1.15-1.30 inch.
Ranges from Missouri and Kansas to Texas.
(7) _Thecla melinus_ Hübner, Plate LXXXII, Fig. 2, ♀ (The Common
Hair-streak).
This common little butterfly may easily be recognized by its plain
slaty upper surface, marked by a large black spot crowned with
crimson between the origin of the two tails on the hind wings. Expanse
1.10-1.20 inch.
The caterpillar feeds on hop vines. The insect is found throughout
temperate North America, thence southward into Mexico and Central
America on the highlands.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXIII]
(8) _Thecla grunus_ Boisduval, Plate LXXXIII, Fig. 1, ♂ (Boisduval’s
Hair-streak).
Wings on the upper side are as shown in our figure, but tawnier. On
the under side the wings are pale tawny with transverse marginal and
submarginal rows of small dark spots on both wings. Two or three of the
marginal spots near the anal angle are conspicuously black crowned with
a metallic green crescent. Expanse 1.10-1.20 inch.
The larva feeds upon the leaves of the live-oak (_Quercus
chrysolepis_). Found in California and Nevada.
(9) _Thecla edwardsi_ Saunders, Plate LXXXIII, Fig. 2, ♂ _under side_
(Edwards’ Hair-streak).
Our figure shows the under side; on the upper side the wings are dark
brown glossed with plumbeous, with a pale sex-mark on the fore wing of
the male near the costa. Expanse 1.15 inch.
The caterpillar feeds upon the young leaves of various kinds of oak.
The species ranges from Quebec westward to Colorado and is not uncommon
in New England, New York, and western Pennsylvania.
(10) _Thecla acadica_ Edwards, Plate LXXXIII, Fig. 3, ♂ (The Acadian
Hair-streak).
The wings on the under side are pale wood-brown, with a black bar at
the end of the cells, and submarginal and median bands of small black
spots surrounded with white; on the hind wings there is a submarginal
row of red crescents, growing smaller from the anal angle toward the
outer angle. Near the anal angle are two conspicuous black spots
separated by a broad patch of bluish green scales. Expanse 1.15-1.25
inch.
The caterpillar feeds upon willows. The insect ranges from Quebec to
Vancouver Island.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXIV]
(11) _Thecla calanus_ Hübner, Plate LXXXIV, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Banded
Hair-streak).
On the upper side resembling _T. edwardsi_, but warmer brown in color;
on the under side wings are marked by fine white lines on the outer
half, which are not broken as in _T. edwardsi_, but form continuous
bands. Expanse 1.15 inch.
The larva feeds on oaks. The insect ranges from Quebec to Colorado and
Texas, and is common in western Pennsylvania.
(12) _Thecla liparops_ Boisduval & Leconte, Plate LXXXIV, Fig. 2, ♀,
_under side_ (The Striped Hair-streak).
Dark brown on the upper side. On the under side the lines are arranged
much as in _T. edwardsi_, but farther apart, quite narrow, and scarcely
defining the darker bands between them. The spots at the anal angle are
obscure and blackish. Expanse 1.15 inch.
The larva feeds on oaks, willows, wild plum, and many other plants. The
insect ranges from Quebec through the northern Atlantic States as far
west as Montana and Colorado, but is never common.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXV]
(13) _Thecla damon_ (Cramer), Plate LXXXV, Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_;
var. _discoidalis_ Skinner, Plate LXXXV, Fig. 1, ♂, _upper side_ (Olive
Hair-streak).
In our plate we have given in Fig. 1 a representation of the upper side
of the form called _discoidalis_, which in the central part of the
fore wing is broadly marked with reddish fulvous. In Fig. 2 we have a
representation of the under side of typical _T. damon_. With the help
of these figures the student may recognize both forms of the species.
The caterpillar feeds on the red cedar (_Juniperus virginiana_). It
is double-brooded in the North and triple-brooded in the South. The
species ranges from Ontario to Texas over the whole eastern half of the
United States.
(14) _Thecla simæthis_ (Drury), Plate LXXXV, Fig. 3, ♂ _under side_
(The Brown-margined Hair-streak).
Closely resembling in many respects the preceding species, especially
on the upper side, but the white band on the hind wings is straight and
the outer margins are heavily marked with bright reddish brown. Expanse
0.85-1.00 inch.
This pretty species ranges from Texas well into South America.
(15) _Thecla augustus_ Kirby, Plate LXXXV, Fig. 4, ♀ (The Brown Elfin).
Brown above, paler below. The fore wings on the lower side are marked
by a straight incomplete median band; the hind wings by an irregular
curved median band. Back of these lines toward the base both wings are
darker brown. Expanse 0.90 inch.
The insect is found in New England, thence northward and westward into
the British possessions.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXVI]
(16) _Thecla niphon_ (Hübner), Plate LXXXVI, Fig. 1, ♀, _under side_
(The Banded Elfin).
Our cut gives an excellent idea of the markings of the under side. On
the upper side the insect is plain reddish brown. Expanse 1.10 inch.
The caterpillars feed upon pines. The insect ranges from Nova Scotia to
Colorado in the Northern States, and is only found in pine woods, but
is never very abundant.
(17) _Thecla irus_ (Godart), Plate LXXXVI, Fig. 2, ♂ (The Hoary Elfin).
Grayish brown on the upper side, on the under side of the same color,
but paler on the outer margins and darker toward the base; small
crescents appear on the outer margins of the hind wings below, or they
may be absent. Expanse 1.10 inch.
The larva feeds on young wild plums just after the petals of the
flower have dropped away. The species ranges from the Atlantic to the
Pacific in the latitude of New England.
(18) _Thecla henrici_ Grote & Robinson, Plate LXXXVI, Fig. 3, ♀
(Henry’s Hair-streak).
Very much like the preceding species, but with the outer half of the
wings laved with reddish brown. The hind wings on the under side are
blackish brown; on the basal half of the outer margin paler, the
division between the dark and light shades being irregular and sharply
defined. Expanse 1.00-1.10 inch.
This species, like the preceding, feeds on young plums. It ranges from
Maine to West Virginia, and is not very common.
(19) _Thecla læta_ Edwards, Plate LXXXVI, Fig. 4, ♂ (Early Hair-streak).
Wings brown glossed with bright blue on the upper side; on the under
side pale fawn, with a band of pale red spots on both wings about the
middle, and a few similar spots on the outer and inner margins of the
hind wings. Expanse 0.75-0.85 inch.
The species ranges from Quebec to southern New Jersey and westward
and southward to West Virginia and Arizona. It is a rare species, and
appears in the early spring.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXVII]
(20) _Thecla dumetorum_ Boisduval, Plate LXXXVII, Fig. 1, ♂, _under
side_ (The Green White-spotted Hair-streak).
Dark fawn above; on the outer third of the wings often shaded with
reddish; on the under side both wings are green, the fore wings with
a short band of white spots on the outer third; the hind wings with a
white spot on the costa beyond the middle and two or three conspicuous
white spots near the anal angle. Expanse 1.10 inch.
The eggs are laid on the buds of _Hosackia argophylla_. The insect
ranges from Oregon and California eastward as far as Colorado.
(21) _Thecla behri_ Edwards, Plate LXXXVII, Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_
(Behr’s Hair-streak).
On the upper side the wings are broadly reddish fulvous on the disk,
with the costa and outer margins of both wings broadly dark brown or
black. The under side is accurately shown in our cut, and therefore
needs no description. Expanse 1.10 inch.
This species is also found in Oregon and California, and ranges as far
east as Colorado.
(22) _Thecla titus_ (Fabricius), Plate LXXXVII, Fig. 3, ♂, _under side_
(The Coral Hair-streak).
On the upper side uniformly gray-brown, although occasionally specimens
of the female sex have a few red spots on the hind wing at the anal
angle. On the under side the hind wings have a conspicuous submarginal
band of coral-red spots, as shown in our cut. Expanse 1.30 inch.
The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the wild cherry and wild plum.
The insect ranges from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains and from
Maine to the latitude of northern Georgia.
(23) _Thecla clytie_ Edwards, Plate LXXXVII, Fig. 4, ♂ (Clytie).
The upper side of this pretty little insect is well delineated in our
figure. On the lower side the wings are white, with the usual marginal
and transverse markings quite small and faint. Expanse .90 inch. The
species occurs in Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico.
GENUS FENISECA GROTE (THE HARVESTER).
Small, bright orange-yellow on the upper side, the costal and outer
margin of the fore wings and the basal half of the hind wings dark
brown. On the under side more or less mottled with gray and brown, the
markings of the upper side reappearing. _Egg_ sub-globular, much wider
than high, marked with a multitude of fine and indistinct raised ridges
disposed in the form of polygonal cells. _Caterpillar_ slug-shaped,
covered with bristling spines, upon which it gathers the scales of the
mealy bugs upon which it feeds. _Chrysalis_ brown in color, showing a
remarkable likeness to the face of a monkey, a phenomenon which also
appears in the case of its allies of the genus _Spalgis_ found in
Africa and Asia, as the writer has pointed out.
Only one species of the genus is known.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXVIII]
(1) _Feniseca tarquinius_ (Fabricius), Plate LXXXVIII, Fig. 1, ♂ (The
Harvester).
There is considerable variation in the size of the dark markings on the
upper side of the wings, and in some specimens they almost entirely
disappear. Expanse 1.30 inch. Ranges from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas,
and through Mississippi valley.
GENUS CHRYSOPHANUS DOUBLEDAY (THE COPPERS).
Small _butterflies_ with the upper side of the wings some shade of
coppery red or orange, often glossed with deep purple. On the under
side the wings are marked with a multitude of spots and lines. _Egg_
hemispherical, flattened on the base, pitted above with polygonal or
circular depressions. _Larva_ slug-shaped, thickest in the middle and
tapering either way, head very small. _Chrysalid_ rounded at either
end, and supported by a silken girdle a little forward of the middle.
The genus is found in both hemispheres. There are over a dozen species
in the United States, five of which we have selected for illustration.
(1) _Chrysophanus xanthoides_ (Boisduval), Plate LXXXVIII, Fig. 2, ♂
(The Great Copper).
This is the largest species of the genus in America. On the under side
the wings are creamy white, and the spots of the upper side reappear as
black markings, which show forth very distinctly on the lighter ground.
Expanse 1.50-1.65 inch.
The species is confined to the western half of the continent.
[Illustration: PL. LXXXIX]
(2) _Chrysophanus hypophlæas_ (Boisduval), Plate LXXXIX, Fig. 1, ♀ (The
American Copper).
This is one of the commonest butterflies in the United States.
Everybody has seen it flitting about upon lawns and in gardens. The
figure we give is unmistakable. Expanse 1.00 inch.
The caterpillar feeds upon common sorrel (_Rumex acetosella_). The
insect ranges from Hudson Bay to the Gulf States, but does not invade
the hot belt about the Gulf.
(3) _Chrysophanus epixanthe_ (Boisduval & Leconte), Plate LXXXIX, Fig.
2, ♂ (The Least Copper).
The smallest species in the genus, confined to the north. The male
above has the wings fuscous, shot with violet, with a few red spots
near the anal angle of the hind wings. The female is pale gray above,
more profusely marked with dark spots than the male. Below the wings
are pale gray sprinkled with bluish scales at the base, marked as
above. Expanse 0.85-0.95 inch.
Common from Newfoundland to British Columbia, never south of New
England.
(4) _Chrysophanus thoë_ (Boisduval & Leconte), Plate LXXXIX, Fig. 3, ♂
(The Bronze Copper).
The female differs from the male in having the fore wings bright
coppery red, marked with a number of dark spots, three in the cell,
one below it, and an irregular transverse band of them crossing the
limbal area. The outer margin is heavily banded with fuscous. Below the
fore wing is tawny red in both sexes, pale gray at the apex; the hind
wings are bluish gray with a broad band of carmine on the outer margin.
Both wings underneath profusely adorned with small black spots. Expanse
1.30-1.40 inch.
Ranges from Maine to Colorado, southward to northern Virginia.
[Illustration: PL. XC]
(5) _Chrysophanus helloides_ (Boisduval), Plate XC, Fig. 1, ♂ (The
Purplish Copper).
The male has the wings on the upper side broadly shot with iridescent
purple; the female, which is larger than the male, has the wings red,
with less iridescence. Below the fore wings in both sexes are pale red,
the hind wings reddish gray with a marginal row of brick-red crescents.
Expanse 1.15-1.30 inch.
Ranges from northern Illinois to British Columbia.
GENUS LYCÆNA FABRICIUS (THE BLUES).
The _butterflies_ in this group are generally small, with the upper
side of some shade of pale blue. On the under side the wings are paler
in color, variously marked with spots and lines. The genus in recent
years has been subdivided into smaller subgenera but as an ability to
discriminate these involves a knowledge of minuter anatomical details,
which is only possessed by specialists, the writer has not deemed it
worth the while in a little manual like this to go deeply into these
matters. The old name _Lycæna_, which has been in vogue for a century,
and which is still applied to part of the group, is sufficiently
characteristic. If we were reviewing all the species of the world,
of which there are many hundreds in this assemblage of forms, we
would be forced to use the minuter methods of classification. The
_eggs_ are turban-shaped; the _caterpillars_ are slug-shaped, feeding
on the petals and bracts of flowers or tender terminal leaves; the
_chrysalids_ are short, rounded at either end, supported by a silken
girdle and closely appressed to the supporting surface.
(1) _Lycæna couperi_ Grote, Plate XC, Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_ (Couper’s
Blue).
On the upper side the wings of the male are pale shining blue with a
narrow black border; of the female darker blue broadly margined with
dusky. On the under side in both sexes the wings are brownish gray
relieved with white spots, having dark pupils. Expanse 1.25 inch. It is
a boreal form.
(2) _Lycæna aster_ Edwards, Plate XC, Fig. 3, ♂, _under side_ (The
Aster Blue).
On the upper side the male is pale lilac-blue, the female darker blue,
with a submarginal row of paler blue spots on the margin of the hind
wing. On the under side the fore wings have a dark bar at the end of
the cell followed on the limbal area with a curved band of small dark
spots. This style of decoration is repeated on the hind wings, and
in addition there is a marginal band of pale yellow oval spots, each
surrounded by a fine black encircling line. Expanse 0.95-1.00 inch. The
insect is known thus far only from Newfoundland.
(3) _Lycæna melissa_ Edwards, Plate XC, Fig. 4, ♀ (The Orange-margined
Blue).
The male on the upper side is pale blue, with a narrow black marginal
line and white fringes. The female is brown or lilac-gray with a series
of orange-red crescents on the outer margin of both wings. The wings
below are stone-gray with the usual spots, but on the hind wings the
orange crescents are oblong tipped inwardly with black and outwardly
with metallic green. Expanse 0.90-1.15 inch.
Ranges from Arizona to Montana.
[Illustration: PL. XCI]
(4) _Lycæna scudderi_ Edwards, Plate XCI, Fig. 1, ♂ (Scudder’s Blue).
Our figure gives a good idea of the upper side of the male, which is
hard to discriminate from the same sex of _L. melissa_. The female is
darker, and has only a few orange crescents on the outer margin of the
hind wing on the upper side. On the under side the wings are shining
white, the spots much reduced in size, the large orange spots found in
_L. melissa_ being replaced by little ochreous spots very obscurely
tipped externally by a few greenish scales.
The caterpillar feeds on lupine and allied plants. The insect is very
common in the basin of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. It
abounds in central New York.
[Illustration: PL. XCII]
(5) _Lycæna pseudargiolus_ (Boisduval & Leconte), Plate XCI, Fig. 2,
♂; Fig. 3, ♀. Form _neglecta_ Edwards, Plate XCI, Fig. 4, ♂; Fig.
5, ♀. Form _lucia_ Kirby, Plate XCII, Fig. 1, ♂, _under side_. Form
_marginata_ Edwards, Plate XCII, Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 3, ♂,
_upper side_. Form _nigra_ Edwards, Plate XCII, Fig. 4, ♀ (The Common
Blue).
This insect which is very common and may be found upon the wing from
early spring until late in the autumn illustrates in a remarkable
manner the phenomenon of polymorphism; that is to say, it has a number
of forms, some of which are seasonal, some of which are sexual, some
of which are climatic. It is in fact only through the labors of the
late William Henry Edwards that some of the mysteries were cleared up,
he having by breeding established the fact that some of the so-called
species could be raised from eggs derived from one common stock. The
great series of specimens upon which his conclusions were founded
are in the possession of the writer, and have from time to time been
supplemented by a vast amount of other material all of which confirms
his teachings.
The forms _lucia_ and _marginata_ are winter forms, coming from
chrysalids which have endured the long cold of the winter months and
are the first to appear in spring. They are the only forms which occur
in the far north near the Arctic Circle.
The forms _pseudargiolus_ and _neglecta_ are summer forms of the
second and third generations, produced from eggs laid by _lucia_ and
_marginata_. _Nigra_ is a dimorphic female form belonging to the summer
broods and is melanic; that is to say, it is a form in which dark color
prevails. Students of biology recognize a tendency in some animals to
become black, while there is also a tendency to become white, or to
produce albinoes. These tendencies in opposite directions in color are
often observed in butterflies, and the melanic female of the species
under consideration illustrates it. There is still another form,
_piasus_, which occurs in Arizona and Mexico, and is climatic, or due
to the influence of environment.
The winter forms are dwarfed and darkly marked on the under side as our
figures show; the summer forms are larger, pale on the under side and
dark on the outer borders above.
The species has a range in the expanse of wing of from 0.85-1.25 inch.
It occurs from Alaska to Florida, and from Anticosti to northern Mexico.
[Illustration: PL. XCIII]
(6) _Lycæna amyntula_ Boisduval, Plate XCIII, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀ (The
Western Tailed Blue).
Male pale blue on upper side; female darker, the hind wings with a
submarginal row of orange crescents pupilled with black. Expanse
1.00-1.25 inch.
Ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific in British America and
southward as far as Colorado.
(7) _Lycæna comyntas_ (Godart), Plate XCIII, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♀ (The
Eastern Tailed Blue).
Somewhat closely resembling the preceding, but appreciably smaller.
Expanse 1.00-1.10 inch.
Ranges from the Saskatchewan to Costa Rica, and from the Atlantic to
the Rocky Mountains.
(8) _Lycæna isophthalma_ Herrich-Schäffer, Plate XCIII, Fig. 5, ♀ (The
Dwarf Blue).
Light brown above in both sexes, with a row of dark spots on outer
margin of hind wings; below pale brown profusely marked by light spots
and bands, the dark marginal spots of the upper side reappearing, and
defined by circlets of metallic scales. Expanse 0.75 inch.
Found in the Gulf States and the Antilles.
(9) _Lycæna exilis_ Boisduval, Plate XCIII, Fig. 6, ♂ (The Pygmy Blue).
The smallest of North American butterflies, closely resembling the
foregoing, but distinguished by the white spot on fringe near inner
angle of fore wing, and the white fringes of the same wing near apex.
Expanse 0.65 inch.
The Pygmy occurs in the Gulf States and in tropical America.
(10) _Lycæna theona_ Lucas, Plate XCIII, Fig. 7, ♀ (The West Indian
Blue).