This richly-coloured butterfly, known in England as the Red Admiral,
is very rare in the Canary Islands. The ground-colour of the upper
surface of the fore-wings is a velvety black, shading off to brown at
the base. A bright red oblique band crosses the wings, and four large
oblong white spots, with four or five smaller ones, are grouped on the
apex. These again are bordered by several faint blue spots, quite at
the tip. The hind-wings are blackish brown, with a broad red margin,
in which are four black dots, and some blue spots are marked on the
lower angle of the wings. On the underside the fore-wings are black,
with several steely blue lines, the red band across the centre being
clearly defined. The apex of the wings is brownish yellow, marked with
white. The hind-wings are most beautifully variegated with steely blue,
black, and buff. The antennæ are long and slender, abruptly forming a
knot at the end, which is tipped with white. The larva is dusky green
in colour, with a yellow line running down its back and sides; it is
sparingly coloured with short stubby hairs, and is found gregariously
on the nettle-leaf. Gold spots are freely sprinkled over the brown
chrysalis. The caterpillar stage lasts five or six weeks, the butterfly
appearing in another three or four. The larva suspends itself by the
tail, often wrapping itself in a nettle-leaf, on which it feeds. If the
pupa is gathered from the nettles for breeding, it should be fastened
in the cage in the same position, head downwards. Disappointment is
often experienced in the number of butterflies that emerge from the
chrysalis state, so many being attacked by ants, &c.
The caterpillars are found gregariously with the Callirhoe, which is
the commonest species of Pyrameis found in the Islands. Among many
reared, three only proved to be Atalanta butterflies. It is found in
Teneriffe from January to June.
PYRAMEIS CALLIRHOE, or VULCANIA.