Plate XX.
(3)Vanessa milberti, Godart, Plate XX, Fig. 10, ♂; PlateIII, 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 EuropeanV. 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 genusPopulus.
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 genusVanessa.
Caterpillar.—The caterpillar in its mature form is covered with spines, but these are not relatively as large as inVanessa, 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 havea wide range,Pyrameis carduibeing 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 areHumulus,Bœhmeria, andUrtica.
Fig. 97.—Neuration of the genusPyrameis.
(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) andAntennaria.
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, andAlthæa.
(4)Pyrameis caryæ, Hübner, Plate XX, Fig. 12, ♂ (The West Coast Lady).
Butterfly.—This species is easily distinguished fromP. 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 isLavatera 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 ownAnosia 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 findHypolimnas 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 aPyrameis, which appearsto be only a subvariety of the well-knownPyrameis 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 ofArgynnis, 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 genusPyrameis, 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 genusVanessa, but immediately at the origin of the third median nervule.
Fig. 98.—Neuration of the genusJunonia.
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 cœnia, 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), alsoGerardiaandAntirrhinum. 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 inlaviniathan incœnia. 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.
Fig. 99.—Neuration of the genusAnartia.
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 thetropics 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.
Fig. 100.—Neuration of the genusHypanartia.
Early Stages.—But little is known of the early stages of this genus.
The species reckoned as belonging toHypanartianumber 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 closelyappressed 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.
Fig. 101.—Neuration of the genusEunica.
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 butterflyWas doubting in the air."McDonald.
"And here and yonder a flaky butterflyWas doubting in the air."McDonald.
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.
Fig. 102.—Neuration of the genusCystineura.
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.
Fig. 103.—Neuration of the genusCallicore.
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.
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.
Fig. 104.—Neuration of the genusTimetes.
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 lateralrows 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 Euplœinæ, 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.
Fig. 105.—Neuration of the genusHypolimnas.
(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 whichis most common in the region where the insect is found. The species mimicked isDanais chrysippus, of which at least three varietal forms or local races are known. The American butterfly conforms in the female sex to the typicalD. 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 ofH. misippusis 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).
Fig. 106.—Neuration of the genusBasilarchia.
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.
Fig. 107.—Leaf cut away at end by caterpillar ofBasilarchia(Riley).
Fig. 108.—Hibernaculum, or winter quarters, of larva ofBasilarchia.
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 ofB. 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, ♂, formlamina, Fabricius; Fig. 5, ♂, formproserpina, Edwards, Plate III, Fig. 26,larva; Plate IV, Figs. 14, 23,chrysalis(The Banded Purple).
Butterfly.—Easily distinguished in the formlaminafromastyanax, 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 formproserpinathere is a tendency on the part of the white bands to become obsolete, and in some specimens they do entirely disappear. The likeness toastyanaxin 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.
Plate XXII.
(3)Basilarchia weidemeyeri, Edwards, Plate XXII, Fig. 6, ♂ (Weidemeyer's Admiral).
Butterfly.—Superficially likearthemis, 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 mimicsAnosia plexippusin 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 namedpseudodorippusby 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 ofAnosia berenice. The ground-color of the wings is not so bright as inB. 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 ofthe 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 isPopulus, willows, and the choke-cherry (Prunus demissa).
Besides the forms figured in our plates there is a species in Florida namedfloridensisby Strecker, and subsequentlyerosby Edwards, which is generally larger and much darker thanB. disippus, which it otherwise closely approximates.
THE BUTTERFLIES' FAD
"I happened one night in my travelsTo stray into Butterfly Vale,Where my wondering eyes beheld butterfliesWith 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 hadWas making collections of boys."There were boys of all sizes and agesPinned 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 themWith 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 beyondIn 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-redAnd 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 leisureAnd analyze under a glass.'I seemed to grow cold as I listenedTo the words that these butterflies spoke;With fear overcome, I was speechless and dumb,And then with a start—I awoke!"
"I happened one night in my travelsTo stray into Butterfly Vale,Where my wondering eyes beheld butterfliesWith 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 hadWas making collections of boys."There were boys of all sizes and agesPinned 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 themWith 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 beyondIn 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-redAnd 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 leisureAnd analyze under a glass.'I seemed to grow cold as I listenedTo 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 ofBasilarchia. 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 inBasilarchia. 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 inBasilarchia, 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 genusBasilarchia, the segments are adorned with more branching spines and with short fleshy tubercles, giving rise to small clusters of hairs.