Plate XI.
Egg.—Conoidal, with twelve to fourteen ribs, honey-yellow.The caterpillars are hatched in the fall, and hibernate without feeding until the following spring.
Caterpillar.—The head is dark blackish-brown. The body is velvety-purple above, a little paler on the under side. The usual spines occur on the body, and are black, grayish at the base. The larva feeds on violets.
Chrysalis.—The chrysalis is light brown, speckled, except on the abdominal segments, with black.
This species ranges from Maine to the mountains of western Pennsylvania, and thence southward along the central ridges of the Alleghanies into West Virginia. It is also found in Canada, and extends westward into the region of the Rocky Mountains. It is especially common in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the Adirondacks.
(12)Argynnis lais, Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 12, ♂; Fig. 13, ♁ (The Northwestern Silver-spot).
Butterfly.—The male is bright reddish-fulvous on the upper side, slightly obscured by fuscous at the base. The discal band of spots common to both wings is broken and irregular, and the spots on the hind wings are quite small. The fore wings on the under side are buff at the tips and pale red at the base and on the inner margin, lighter at the inner angle. The under side of the hind wings as far as the outer margin of the discal row of silvery spots is dark brown, mottling a yellowish ground. The submarginal band of the hind wings is pale yellow and moderately broad. The female is marked much as the male, but the discal band of spots on the upper side of the fore wings is confluent and broader, the fringes whitish, and the spots included between the sagittate marginal spots and the marginal lines paler than in the male sex. Expanse, 2.00-2.20 inches.
Caterpillar, etc.—The early stages are unknown.
This species is found in the territories of Alberta and Assiniboia, and in British Columbia among the foot-hills and the lower slopes of the mountain-ranges.
(13)Argynnis oweni, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♁,under side(Owen's Silver-spot).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings on the upper side are dull reddish-fulvous, not much obscured with brown on the base, the black markings moderately heavy, the two marginal lines tending toflow together. The fore wings on the under side are yellowish-buff from the base to the outer row of spots, or in some specimens with the buff lightly laved with reddish; the nerves reddish-brown. The subapical patch is dark brown, with a small silvered spot; the five submarginal spots are small and obscurely silvered. The hind wings are dark brown on the discal area and outer margin, with a rather narrow grayish-buff submarginal band, strongly invaded by projections of the dark brown of the discal area. The spots of the outer discal row are generally well silvered; the inner spots less so in most cases.
♁.—The female has the wings more or less mottled with yellowish outside of the mesial band. The black markings are very heavy in this sex. On the under side the spots are well silvered.
The dark markings on the upper side of the wings of the male are much heavier than inA. behrensi. On the under side of the wings in both sexes it may be distinguished frombehrensiby the fact that the ground-color toward the base is mottled with yellow, and not solid brown as inbehrensi. Expanse, 2.25-2.40 inches.
This species abounds on Mount Shasta, in California, at an elevation of seven to eight thousand feet above sea-level.
(14)Argynnis cornelia, Edwards. Plate XI, Fig. 8, ♂ (Miss Owen's Fritillary).
Butterfly, ♂.—The upper side of both wings is dark brown from the base to the mesial band of spots, with the exception of the outer end of the cell. The space beyond the band is reddish-fulvous; the dark markings are not very heavy; the two marginal lines are fine, and confluent at the ends of the nervules. The under side of the fore wings is reddish-brown from the base to the outer margin on the inner half of the wing; the outer spaces toward the apex are yellowish; the subapical patch is reddish-brown, inclosing a small silvery spot; the outer margin is reddish-brown, adorned with five small silvery spots toward the apex. The hind wings on the under side are almost solid reddish-brown to the clear yellow submarginal belt, only slightly mottled on the discal area with buff. The spots are small and well silvered.
♁.—The female on the upper side is duller red, with the dark markings heavier; the marginal spots on the fore wings are paleyellowish, and the marginal lines are confluent on the upper half of these wings. The wings on the under side in this sex are as in the male, but the ground-color on the inner half of the wings is darker, and the spots are more brilliantly silvered. Expanse, 2.30-2.50 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This pretty species is found withA. electaandA. hesperisin Colorado. It was originally described from specimens taken at Manitou and Ouray, and named by Edwards in honor of a deceased daughter of Professor Owen of the University of Wisconsin.
(15)Argynnis electa, Edwards, Plate X, Fig. 8, ♂ (Electa).
Butterfly.—The male is dull reddish-fulvous on the upper side. The black markings are narrow. The base of both wings is slightly obscured. On the under side the fore wings are pale cinnamon-red, with the tip dark cinnamon-red. The hind wings are broadly dark cinnamon-red, mottled on the disk with a little buff. The submarginal band is buff, quite narrow, and often invaded by the ground-color of the inner area. The silvery spots are usually very well marked and distinct, though in a few instances the silvery color is somewhat obscured. The female has the black markings a little heavier than in the male; otherwise there is but little difference between the sexes. Expanse, 2.00-2.25 inches.
Caterpillar, etc.—The early stages are unknown.
This species has been confounded withA. atlantis, from which it is wholly distinct, being much smaller in size, the fore wings relatively broader, and the markings not so dark on the upper surface. It is found in Colorado and Montana, among the mountains.
(16)Argynnis columbia, Henry Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 3, ♂ (The Columbian Silver-spot).
Butterfly.—The male has the upper side of the fore wings pale reddish-fulvous. In the median band of both wings the spots do not flow together, but are separate and moderately heavy. The under side of the fore wings is pale fulvous, buff at the tip; spots silvered. The hind wings on the under side are light rusty-red, but little mottled with buff on the disk; the submarginal band is narrow, buff, and sometimes almost wholly obscured by the darker ground-color. The spots, which are small, are well silvered.The female is much lighter than the male, and, as usual, the dark lines are heavier than in that sex. The spots of the median band are bent and partly lanceolate, and the light spots of the outer border are whitish. Expanse, 2.25-2.50 inches.
Caterpillar, etc.—The early stages have not as yet been worked out.
This species, which is related toelecta, may easily be distinguished from it by the pale marginal series of light spots, in the male, between the sagittate spots and the dark outer marginal lines, which latter are confluent, forming a solid dark outer border to the wing, while inelectathey are separated by a narrow band of light-brown spots. The female is also much lighter and larger than inelecta, as has been pointed out. The types which came from the Caribou mining region of British Columbia are in my possession, as are those of most of the other North American species of the genus.
(17)Argynnis hesperis, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♁ (Hesperis).
Butterfly.—The male on the upper side of the wings is fulvous, shaded with dark fuscous for a short distance from the base. The black spots of the median band are rather broad, and seem to coalesce through dark markings along the nervules. The under side of the fore wings is pale ferruginous, tinged with a little buff at the tips, which, together with the outer margin, are somewhat heavily clouded with dark ferruginous. The under side of the hind wings is dark ferruginous, with a narrow buff submarginal band, which in some specimens is almost lost. The female is paler than the male in the ground-color of the upper side, the black markings are heavier, the marginal lines fuse, as do also the sagittate marginal markings, leaving the marginal spots between them, which are quite light in color, deeply bordered on all sides by black. The under side is like that of the male, but darker and richer in color. In neither sex are the light spots marked with silver; they are opaque, yellowish-white. Expanse, 2.25-2.40 inches.
Caterpillar, etc.—The life-history remains to be learned.
This insect is not uncommon among the mountains of Colorado.
(18)Argynnis hippolyta, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 10, ♂ (Hippolyta).
Plate XII.
Butterfly.—The male is fulvous upon the upper side, all thedark markings being heavy and black, and the basal areas of the wings clouded with fuscous, this dark clouding on the hind wings reaching down and nearly covering the inner angle. The fore wings on the under side are buff, laved with pale red at the base, marked with ferruginous on the outer margin and about the subapical spots. The submarginal and subapical spots are silvered, especially the latter. The hind wings are deep ferruginous, mottled with buff. The submarginal band is buff, narrow, and dusted with more or less ferruginous. All the spots are well silvered. The female has the basal area of the fore wings bright pinkish-fulvous, and the belt of the secondaries almost lost in the deep ground-color.
(19)Argynnis bremneri, Edwards, Plate X, Fig. 7, ♂ (Bremner's Silver-spot).
Butterfly.—The male on the upper side is bright fulvous. The black markings, especially those about the middle of the wing, are heavy. Both wings at the base are clouded with fuscous, the under side of the primaries red toward the base, buff on the apical area; the subapical and the upper marginal spots well silvered; the hind wings with the inner two thirds more or less deeply ferruginous, a little mottled with buff, very rarely encroached upon by the dark color of the inner area, except occasionally near the anal angle. Expanse, ♂, 2.40 inches; ♁, 2.70 inches.
Early Stages.—The early stages have not as yet been described.
This species is found in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and in the southern portions of British Columbia and Vancouver's Island.
(20)Argynnis zerene, Boisduval, Plate XIV, Fig. 9, ♂,under side(Zerene).
Butterfly.—The male on the upper side is reddish-fulvous, with rather heavy black markings, the mesial band of spots being confluent. The under side of the fore wings is reddish, inclining to pink, with the apex laved with buff. The hind wings have the ground-color purplish-gray, mottled on the inner two thirds with ferruginous. The spots are not silvered, but are a delicate gray color. The female is colored like the male, but the red at the base of the fore wings in this sex is much deeper, and theyellow at the apex of the primaries contrasts much more strongly. The spots on the under side in the female sex are frequently well silvered, though in many specimens they are colored exactly as in the male sex. Expanse of wing, ♂, 2.17 inches; ♁, 2.50 inches.
Early Stages.—The early stages of this species have not as yet been ascertained.
This beautiful butterfly, which is somewhat inclined to variation, is found in northern California, being quite common about Mount Shasta. It is also found in Oregon and Nevada. One of the varietal forms was namedArgynnis purpurescensby the late Henry Edwards, because of the decided purplish tint which prevails on the under side of the secondaries, extending over the entire surface of the hind wings and covering likewise the apex of the fore wings. This purplish-brown is very marked in specimens collected about the town of Soda Springs, in northern California.
(21)Argynnis monticola, Behr, Plate XIII, Fig. 7, ♂,under side; Fig. 8, ♂; Plate XIV, Fig. 17, ♁ (Behr's Fritillary).
Butterfly.—This species is very closely allied to the preceding in some respects; the upper surface, however, of the wings in both sexes is brighter than inzerene, and the dark markings stand forth more clearly upon the lighter ground-color. The wings are not shaded with fuscous toward the base as much as inA. zerene.While the markings on the upper side are almost identical with those of Dr. Boisduval's species, they are much brighter and clearer, giving the insects quite a different aspect. On the under side the wings are colored as inzerene, the primaries in the male being ferruginous, laved with a little red toward the base, marked with purplish-gray toward the apex, the light spots near the end of the cell on this wing being pale buff. The hind wings are very uniformly purplish-gray, mottled with dark brown, the spots very little, if at all, silvered in the male. In the female the fore wings are bright red at the base, and the hind wings are colored as in the male; but all the spots in both the fore wings and hind wings are broadly and brightly silvered.
Early Stages.—The early stages have not been ascertained, and there remains something here for young entomologists to accomplish.
This species is quite common in the same localities as the last,and some authors are inclined to regard it as being a mere variety, which is a belief that can only be verified by careful breeding from the egg.
(22)Argynnis rhodope, Edwards, Plate XI, Fig. 6, ♁,under side(Rhodope).
Butterfly.—In the male sex the upper side is bright fulvous, with both wings on the inner half heavily clouded with dark fuscous. The black markings are very heavy and confluent. The outer border is solid black, very slightly, if at all, interrupted by a narrow marginal brown line, in this respect resemblingA. atlantis.On the under side the fore wings are dark ferruginous, on the outer margin rich dark brown. Between the spots at the end of the cell and the nervules below the apex are some clear, bright straw-yellow spots. The upper spots of the marginal series are silvered. The hind wings are dark reddish-brown, very slightly paler on the line of the marginal band. The spots are pale straw-yellow, except those of the marginal series, which are distinctly silvered. The female on the upper side is of a lighter and brighter red, with the markings dark and heavy as in the male sex. On the under side the markings in the female do not differ from those in the male, except that the primaries on the inner half and at the base are bright pinkish-red. Expanse, ♂, 2.20 inches; ♁, 2.40 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This striking species has been heretofore only found in British Columbia.
(23)Argynnis behrensi, Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 10, ♂,under side,(Behrens' Fritillary).
Butterfly.—The male on the upper side is dull fulvous, clouded with fuscous at the base, the black markings much narrower and lighter than in the preceding species. The primaries on the under side are pale fulvous, clouded with dark brown at the apex. The subapical spots and the upper spots of the marginal series on this wing are well silvered. The hind wings on the under side are deep reddish-brown, with the marginal band only faintly indicated. All the spots are distinctly well silvered. The female does not differ materially from the male, except in the larger size and the somewhat paler ground-color of the upper side of the wings. On the under side the wings are exactly as in the male, with the marginal band even less distinct than in that sex.
Early Stages.—Not yet ascertained.
The type specimens upon which the foregoing description is founded came from Mendocino, in California.
(24)Argynnis halcyone,, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♂,under side,(Halcyone).
Butterfly, ♂.—The primaries are produced and relatively narrower than in the preceding species, fulvous on the upper side, with the black markings distinct, the mesial band of the secondaries confluent. The fore wings on the under side are pale fulvous, reddish at the base, pale buff at the end of the cell and on the costal margin before the apex. The subapical spots and the pale spots of the marginal series are very little silvered. The hind wings have the inner two thirds deep reddish-brown, slightly mottled with buff. The marginal band is buff, and all the spots are well silvered.
♁.—The female, which is considerably larger than the male, is marked much as in that sex; but all the black markings are heavier, and on the under side of the primaries the base and inner margin are laved with red. The marginal band on the hind wings is not as distinct in this sex as in the male, in many specimens being somewhat obscured by olive-brown. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♁, 2.90-3.10 inches.
Early Stages.—Not known.
This species, which is still rare in collections, is found in southern Colorado and the adjacent parts of Utah and Arizona.
(25)Argynnis chitone, Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 16, ♁ (Chitone).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings on the upper side are dull fulvous, greatly obscured by brown at the base of the wings. The dark spots and markings are not heavy. The fore wings on the under side are yellowish-fulvous at the base and on the inner half of the wing; the apical patch and the nervules on the apical area are heavy ferruginous; the marginal spots are buff, with no silver. The hind wings on the under side are light ferruginous, mottled with buff; the belt is broad, clear buff; the outer margin is brown. All the spots are small and imperfectly silvered.
♁.—The female is nearly the same shade as the male, with the marginal spots on the under side always silvered, the remainder without silver, or only now and then with a few silvery scales. Expanse, 2.25-2.50 inches.
Plate XIII.
Early Stages.—Not ascertained.
This species occurs in southern Utah and Arizona.
(26)Argynnis platina,, Skinner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 7, ♂ (Skinner's Fritillary).
Butterfly, ♂.—The original description of this species, contained in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxix, p. 154, is as follows:
"♂.—Expands two and a half inches. Upper side: Rather light tawny or even light buff. Black markings dense and wide, with outer halves of wings looking rather clear or open, with rows of round spots not very large; marginal border light; bases of wings not much obscured. Under side: Superiors have the two subapical silver spots and silver spots on margin well defined; color of inner half of wing rosy. The silver spots on the inferiors are large and well defined, and placed on a very light greenish-gray ground. The intermediate buff band is well defined, comparatively wide, and very light in color. ♁.—The ground-color on the inferiors below is reddish-brown in the female."
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This species occurs in Utah and Idaho, and is possibly a varietal form ofA. coronis, specimens agreeing very nearly with the type figured in the plate being contained in the Edwards collection under the name ofA. coronis.
(27)Argynnis coronis, Behr, Plate XI, Fig. 10, ♂; Fig. 11, ♁ (Coronis).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings on the upper side are yellowish-brown, with but little brown obscuring the base. The dark markings are not heavy, but distinct. The fore wings on the under side are buff, with the basal area orange-fulvous. The subapical and submarginal spots are more or less imperfectly silvered. The hind wings are brown, mottled with reddish. The discal area is buff, and the belt is pale yellowish-buff. All the spots are large and well silvered on these wings.
♁.—The female is paler than the male, with the markings on the upper side a little heavier. The wings on the under side are much as in the male sex. Expanse, ♂, 2.10-2.50 inches; ♁, 2.50-3.00 inches.
Early Stages.—The early stages remain to be ascertained.
This species ranges from southern California northward to thesouthern part of British Columbia, and is found as far east as Utah.
(28)Argynnis snyderi, Skinner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 6, ♂ (Snyder's Fritillary).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings on the upper side are light tawny, but little obscured by fuscous at the base. The black markings are moderately heavy and very sharply defined against the lighter ground-color. The outer margin is distinctly but not heavily marked. On the under side of the fore wings there are two subapical and five marginal silver spots. The ground-color of the under side of the hind wings is grayish-green, with a narrow pale-buff marginal belt. The spots are large and well silvered.
♁.—The female is much like the male, but on the hind wings the ground-color from the base to the outer belt is brownish. Expanse, ♂, 3.00 inches; ♁, 3.30 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This species, which is very closely allied toA. coronis, is found in Utah.
(29)Argynnis callippe, Boisduval, Plate XI, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♁; Fig. 3, ♁,under side(Callippe).
Butterfly,.—This species may easily be recognized by the general obscuration of the basal area of the wings, the light-buff quadrate spots on the discal area of the fore wings, and the clear oval spots of the same color on the hind wings, as well as by the light triangular marginal spots, all standing out distinctly on the darker ground. The wings on the under side are quite pale buff, with the spots large and well silvered. Expanse, 2.30-3.00 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
Callippeis abundant in California.
(30)Argynnis nevadensis, Edwards, Plate X, Fig. 4, ♂,under side(The Nevada Fritillary).
Butterfly, ♂.—The ground-color is pale fulvous, but little obscured with fuscous at the base. The outer margins are heavily bordered with black. The dark markings of the discal area are not heavy. The fore wings on the under side are pale buff, the spots well silvered; the hind wings are greenish; the belt is narrow and clear, and the spots are large and well silvered.
♁.—The female is much like the male, but larger and paler. The outer margin of the fore wings in this sex is more heavilymarked with black, and the marginal spots are light buff in color. Expanse, ♂, 2.50-3.00 inches; ♁, 3.00-3.50 inches.
Early Stages.—These remain to be discovered.
This species is found in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, Nevada, Montana, and British America.
(31)Argynnis meadi, Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♂,under side(Mead's Silver-spot).
Butterfly.—This species is very closely allied to the preceding, of which it may be an extreme variation, characterized by the darker color of the fore wings on the upper side, the nervules being heavily bordered with blackish, and the deeper, more solid green of the under side of the wings. All the specimens I have seen are considerably smaller in size thanA. nevadensis.
Early Stages.—Wholly unknown.
This species or variety is found from Utah northward to the province of Alberta, in British America.
(32)Argynnis edwardsi, Reakirt, Plate XI, Fig. 4, ♂; Fig. 5, ♁ (Edwards' Fritillary).
Butterfly.—This beautiful insect is closely related to the Nevada Fritillary, from which it may be distinguished by the brighter color of the upper side, the heavier black borders, especially in the female sex, and the olive-brown color of the under side of the hind wings. The olivaceous of these wings greatly encroaches upon the marginal belt. Expanse, 3.00-3.25 inches.
Early Stages.—These have been carefully and minutely described by Edwards in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xx, p. 3. They are not unlike those ofA. atlantisin many respects.
This species is not uncommon in Colorado and Montana.
(33)Argynnis liliana, Henry Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 11, ♂ (Liliana).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings on the upper side are reddish-fulvous. The black markings and the spots are slight. The fore wings on the under side are yellowish-buff; the base and the hind margin to below the cell, brown, with buff on the median interspaces. The outer end of the cell is yellowish-buff. The subapical patch is brown, adorned by two or three well-silvered spots. The five upper marginal spots are well silvered. The hind wings are brown, but little mottled with buff. The spots are well silvered. The marginal belt is narrow, ochreous-brown.
♁.—The female is much paler than the male, and the marginalspots on both wings are much lighter. On the under side the wings are as in the male sex, with the basal area and the nervules of the fore wings red. Expanse, ♂, 2.20 inches; ♁, 2.35 inches.
Egg.—W.H. Edwards gives the following description: "Conoidal, truncated, depressed at summit, marked vertically by twenty-two or twenty-three ribs, which are as in other species of the genus; the outline of this egg is much as ineurynome, the base being broad, the top narrow, and the height not much more than the breadth; color yellow."
Caterpillar.—The same author has given us a description of the caterpillar immediately after hatching; but as the young larvæ were lost after being sent to Maine to be kept over winter we do not yet know the full life-history.
The range of this species is northern California and Utah, so far as is known at present.
(34)Argynnis rupestris, Behr, Plate XII, Fig. 8, ♂. Fig. 9, ♂,under side(The Cliff-dwelling Fritillary).
Butterfly, ♂.—The upper side of the fore wings is deep reddish-fulvous, with the black markings very heavy. The fore wings on the under side are buff, shaded with red at the base and on the inner margin. The spots are buff, without any silver. The hind wings are buff, mottled with cinnamon-red, sometimes dark, sometimes lighter. The marginal belt is narrow, buff, encroached upon by the darker color of the median area at the ends of the oval spots. None of the spots is silvered, except very lightly in exceptional cases.
♁.—The female is much like the male on the upper side, with the dark markings much heavier, the ground-color somewhat paler, and the marginal row of spots quite light. The wings on the under side are more brightly tinted than in the male, and the marginal spots are more or less silvered. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♁, 2.20 inches.
Early Stages.—Nothing is as yet known about the egg and larva.
This species is quite abundant at a considerable elevation upon Mount Shasta, Mount Bradley, and in the Weber Mountains in Utah.
(35)Argynnis laura, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♁ (Laura).
Butterfly, ♂.—The upper side is deep reddish-fulvous, withboth wings somewhat obscured at the base by fuscous. The black markings on the upper side of the wings are heavy; the outer margin is also heavily banded with dark brown, the marginal lines being fulvous. The four spots on the hind wings are lighter in color than the ground. The fore wings on the under side are reddish-orange, with the apex and the hind margin yellowish-buff. The apical and upper marginal spots are more or less well silvered. The hind wings are pale yellow, the marginal belt very broad and clear yellow. All the spots are large and well silvered.
♁.—The female is much paler than the male, but otherwise closely resembles that sex. Expanse, ♂, 2.20 inches; ♁, 2.35 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This species is found in northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada.
(36)Argynnis macaria, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 9, ♂ (Macaria).
Butterfly, ♂.—The upper side of the wings is yellowish-fulvous, the black markings very light. The fore wings on the under side are orange-red, at the apex yellowish-buff. The subapical upper marginal spots are lightly silvered. The hind wings are yellowish-buff on the outer third, mottled with brown on the basal and median areas. The marginal belt is clear buff. The spots are large and well silvered.
♁.—The female is paler than the male. On the upper side of the hind wings the second row of silver spots is indicated by spots much paler than the ground. The black markings are lighter than in the male. Expanse, ♂, 2.00 inches; ♁, 2.20 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This species, which is somewhat likeA. coronis, but smaller, and brighter fulvous, is found in California, but is still quite rare in collections.
(37)Argynnis semiramis, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 2, ♂,under side; Fig. 3, ♁ (Semiramis).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings are bright fulvous on the upper side, with the black markings much as inA. adiante, slight on the fore wings and even slighter on the hind wings. The under side of the fore wings is cinnamon-red at the base and on the inner half of the wing, beyond this buff. The apical patch and the outermargin are brown. The upper marginal spots and two spots on the subapical patch are well silvered. The hind wings are rusty-brown from the base to the second row of spots, mottled with lighter brown. The marginal belt is clear brownish-buff. All the spots are well silvered.
♁.—The female on the upper side is colored like the male, with the dark markings somewhat heavier. On the under side the fore wings are laved over almost their entire surface with red, the upper angle of the cell alone being buff. The hind wings are in many specimens fawn-colored throughout, except that the marginal band is paler. In a few specimens the ground is darker and the band more distinct. All the spots are well silvered. Expanse, ♂, 2.60 inches; ♁, 2.75-3.00 inches.
Early Stages.—The life-history of this butterfly has not been ascertained.
The species appears to be very common at San Bernardino, California, and vicinity, and resemblesA. adianteon the upper side andA. coronisupon the lower side.
(38)Argynnis inornata, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 10, ♁,under side(The Plain Fritillary).
Butterfly, ♂.—This species resemblesA. rupestrisin its markings, but is somewhat paler, the black margins are heavy and the black markings on the disk comparatively light; the base of the wings is obscured with fuscous. On the under side the fore wings are cinnamon-brown, with the apical area buff. The hind wings are reddish-brown, with the marginal band clear buff. All the spots are buff, and completely devoid of silvery scales.
♁.—Paler than the male on the upper side. The fore wings on the under side are orange-fulvous; the hind wings are pale greenish-brown, mottled with buff. In some specimens a few silver scales are found on the submarginal spots. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♁, 2.70 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This butterfly, which is as yet not very common in collections, is found in California and Nevada.
(39)Argynnis atossa, Edwards, Plate XIII, Fig. 12, ♂ (Atossa).
Plate XIV.
Butterfly, ♂.—The upper side is bright yellowish-fulvous, with the wings at the base slightly dusted with brown. The margins of both wings are bordered by a single line, there being no trace of the outer line usually found in other species of the genus. Thedark markings of the outer margin are almost entirely absent, and those of the discal and basil areas very greatly reduced. On the under side both wings are very pale, the spots entirely without silver, in some specimens even their location being but faintly indicated. The fore wings at the base and on the inner margin are laved with bright red.
♂.—The female resembles the male, except that the red on the under side of the fore wings is in many specimens very bright and fiery. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♁, 2.75-3.00 inches.
Early Stages.—Entirely unknown.
This butterfly, which is still rare in collections, has been taken in southern California. It may be an extreme variation of the next species,A. adiante, Boisduval.
(40)Argynnis adiante, Boisduval, Plate XIV, Fig. 4, ♁ (Adiante).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings on the upper side are bright fulvous; the black markings are slight. The fore wings on the under side are pale buff, much lighter at the apex, laved with orange-red at the base. The hind wings are pale buff, clouded with fawn color on the basal and discal areas. All the spots which are generally silvered in other species are in this species wholly devoid of silvery scales.
♁.—The female is like the male, but the black markings on the upper side are heavier, and the basal area and inner half of the primaries are laved with brighter and deeper red. Expanse, ♂, 2.30-2.40 inches; ♁, 2.30-2.60 inches.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This species is found in southern California, and is somewhat local in its habits, hitherto having been taken only in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
(41)Argynnis artonis, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 13, ♂,under side(Artonis).
Butterfly, ♂.—Closely resemblingA. eurynome, Edwards, from which species it may be at once distinguished by the entire absence of silvery scales upon the under side of the wings, and also by the fact that the silver spots on the under side of the hind wings are not compressed and elongated as much as ineurynome, and by the further fact that all the dark marginal markings of the under side are obliterated.
♁.—The female does not differ materially from the male, exceptthat the dark markings on the upper side are all much heavier, standing out very distinctly upon the paler ground, and the marginal spots within the lunules are very light in color and relatively large. On the under side the fore wings are laved with red, very much as in the female ofA. adiante.Expanse, ♂, 1.75-2.00 inches; ♁, 2.00-2.15 inches.
Early Stages.—These still remain to be ascertained.
This interesting butterfly, which seems to indicate a transition between the butterflies of the Adiante-group and those of the Eurynome-group, has been found in Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
(42)Argynnis clio, Edwards, Plate XIV, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♁; Fig. 7, ♂,under side(Clio).
Butterfly.—Closely resemblingA. eurynomeandA. artonis. Likeartonis, the spots on the under side of the wing are without silver. The female very closely resembles the female ofartonis, and in fact I am unable to distinguish the types of the females of the two species by any marks which seem to be satisfactory. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♁, 1.75-1.90 inch.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This species, which is as yet comparatively rare in collections, is found in Montana and the province of Alberta, in British America, at a considerable elevation.
(43)Argynnis opis, Plate XIV, Fig. 8, ♂,under side(Opis).
Butterfly.—This species, which apparently belongs to the Eurynome-group, appears by the location of its markings to be closely related toeurynome, but on the upper side the wings of both the male and female are more heavily obscured with fuscous at the base; the dark markings are heavier than ineurynome, and in both sexes it is smaller in size, being the smallest of all the species of the genus thus far found in North America. The spots on the under side of the wings are none of them silvered. Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♁, 1.60 inch.
Early Stages.—Nothing is known of these.
The types came from Bald Mountain, in the Caribou mining district of British Columbia.
(44)Argynnis bischoffi, Edwards, Plate XI, Fig. 7, ♂ (Bischoff's Fritillary).
Butterfly, ♂.—The fore wings on the upper side are bright reddish-fulvous, the base of the primaries and the inner half of thesecondaries being heavily obscured by blackish, so as to conceal the markings. Both wings have moderately heavy black marginal borders. The other markings are as inA. eurynome. On the under side the fore wings are buff, laved with reddish at the base. The hind wings are pale buff, with the basal and discal areas mottled with green. The marginal belt is clear buff. In some specimens the spots on the under side are not silvered; in others they are well silvered.
♁.—The female on the upper side is very pale buff, slightly laved with fulvous on the outer margin of both wings. All the markings are heavy; the margins of both wings are solid black, the spots within the lunules being pale and almost white. The fore wings at the base and the inner half of the hind wings are almost solid black. On the under side the wings are very much as in the male, and the same variation as to the silvering of the spots is found. Expanse, ♂, 1.80 inch; ♁, 1.90 inch.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
The types of this genus came from Sitka, in Alaska. It may be an extreme boreal variation ofA. eurynome.
(45)Argynnis eurynome, Edwards, Plate XII, Fig. 7, ♂; Plate XIV, Fig. 14, ♁; Fig. 15, ♂,under side(Eurynome).
Butterfly, ♂.—The wings on the upper side are bright yellowish-fulvous, but little obscured at the base. The outer margins are edged by two fine lines which are occasionally confluent. The under side of the fore wings is pale buff, laved with cinnamon-brown at the base and along the nervules; the spots on the margin and in the apical area are well silvered. The hind wings on the under side are buff, with the basal and discal areas mottled with pale brown or pale olive-green. The marginal belt is broad and clear buff; all the spots are well silvered.
♁.—The female is like the male, but paler, with the dark markings, especially those of the margin, heavier. The marginal spots inclosed by the lunules are much paler than the ground-color, and in many specimens almost white. On the under side the wings in this sex are like those of the male, but the fore wings are more heavily laved with cinnamon-brown at the base. Expanse, ♂, 1.70-2.00 inches; ♁, 2.00 inches.
Early Stages.—Mr. Edwards, in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. ii, has given us a beautiful figure of the egg of this species. Of the other stages we have no knowledge.
A. eurynomeis a very common butterfly in Colorado, Montana, and British America, and is the representative of a considerable group, to which the four preceding species belong, if, indeed, they are not local races or climatic varieties ofeurynome, a fact which can be demonstrated only by the careful breeding of specimens from various localities. There is a fine field here for study and experiment.
(46)Argynnis montivaga, Behr, Plate X, Fig. 5, ♂,under side(Montivaga).
Butterfly.—This species in both sexes very closely approximates the foregoing. The main points of distinction consist in the somewhat darker red of the upper side of the wings, the slightly heavier dark markings, and the absence on the under side, especially of the hind wings, of the olive-green shade which is characteristic of typical specimens ofA. eurynome.The mottling of the basal and median areas on this side is reddish-brown. The spots are more or less silvered on the under side. Expanse, ♂, 1.75 inch; ♁, 1.90 inch.
Early Stages.—Unknown.
This species is found in the Sierras of California and among the mountains of Nevada.
(47)Argynnis egleis, Boisduval, Plate XIII, Fig. 13, ♂; Fig. 14, ♁,under side; Fig. 15, ♁ (Egleis).
Butterfly, ♂.—The ground-color of the wings on the upper side is deep fulvous, with rather heavy black markings. The wings on the under side are pale fulvous, mottled with buff on the subapical interspaces of the fore wings. The basal and discal areas of the hind wings are mottled with brown, which in many specimens is of a distinctly purplish shade. In some specimens the inner half of the primaries is rather heavily laved with red. The spots on the under side are either silvered or without silver, in the latter case being pale buff.
♁.—The female is much like the male, but paler. The red on the under side of the primaries is deeper, and the purplish-brown on the inner surface of the secondaries is also darker. Expanse, ♂, 2.25 inches; ♁, 2.50 inches.
Early Stages.—These remain to be ascertained.
This is a common species in California and Nevada. For many years it has been placed in all catalogues at the end of the list of the species of this genus, where I also leave it, though tomy way of thinking its proper location is nearA. rupestris. It certainly reveals but small affinity to the species of the Eurynome group.
Besides the species ofArgynnisenumerated in the foregoing pages and delineated upon the plates, there are several others of more or less doubtful validity credited to our fauna, and a number of varieties which have received names. With all of these the more advanced student will become familiar as he prosecutes his researches, but it is not necessary to speak of them here.
A RACE AFTER A BUTTERFLY
There is much that is pleasing about "first things." I shall never forget the first dollar I earned; the first trout I took with my fly; the first muskalonge I gaffed beside my canoe on a still Canadian lake; the first voyage I made across the Atlantic. So I shall never forget my first capture of a female specimen ofArgynnis diana.
My home in my boyhood was in North Carolina, in the village of Salem, famous as one of the most successful of the settlements made by the Moravian Brethren under the lead of the good Count Zinzendorf, and well known throughout the Southern States as the seat of an excellent seminary for young ladies. The Civil War broke out, and the hopes cherished of sending me North to be educated were disappointed. I was left to pursue my studies under a tutor, and to roam the neighborhood in quest of insects, of which I gathered a large collection.
One day I spied upon a bed of verbenas a magnificent butterfly with broad expanse of wing and large blue spots upon the secondaries. In breathless haste I rushed into the house and got my net. To the joy of my heart, when I returned to the spot, the beauty was still hovering over the crimson blossoms. But, as I drew near with fell intent, it rose and sailed away. Across the garden, over the fence, across the churchyard, out into the street, with leisurely flight the coveted prize sped its way, while I quickly followed, net in hand. Once upon the dusty street, its flight was accelerated; my rapid walking was converted into a run. Down past the church and—horribile dictu!—past the boarding-school that pesky butterfly flew. I would rather havefaced a cannonade in those days than a bevy of boarding-school misses, but there was no alternative. There were the dreaded females at the windows (for it was Saturday, and vacation hour), and there was my butterfly. Sweating, blushing, inwardly anathematizing my luck, I rushed past the school, only to be overwhelmed with mortification by the rascally porter of the institution, who was sweeping the pavement, and who bawled out after me: "Oh, it's no use; you can't catch it! It's frightened; you're so ugly!" And now it began to rise in its flight. It was plainly my last chance, for it would in a moment be lost over the housetops. I made an upward leap, and by a fortunate sweep of the net succeeded in capturing my prize.
Many years later, after a long interval in which ornithology and botany had engrossed my mind to the exclusion of entomology, my boyish love for the butterflies was renewed, and I found out the name of the choice thing I had captured on that hot July day on the streets of Salem, and returned to North Carolina for the special purpose of collecting a quantity of these superb insects. My quest was entirely successful, though my specimens were not taken at Salem, but under the shadow of Mount Mitchell, in the flower-spangled valleys which lie at its feet.
Genus BRENTHIS, Hübner