Chapter IV: Introduction (2)

_1. Leptocircus Curius._ _2. Thais Medesicaste._
1 Java. 2 Europe &c.

_Lizars sc._]

LEPTOCIRCUS CURIUS.

PLATE V. Fig. 1.

_Swainson’s Zoolog. Illus._ 2d series, Pl. 106.--_Boisduv. Spec. gener._ 380.--Pap. Curius, _Fabr._--_Donov. Insects of India._--Erycina Curius, _Godart, Ency. Meth._

This genus was first proposed by Mr. Swainson for the reception of a remarkable insect from Siam and Java, to which various situations had been assigned by different naturalists. In external aspect it has all the appearance of an _Erycina_, but, on examining the disposition of the nervures of the wings, the form of the palpi and antennæ, together with the structure of the feet, which are all complete in both sexes, its close affinity to the true _Papiliones_ becomes apparent. The head and body are very thick; abdomen short; eyes large and salient; palpi very short, the articulations very indistinct; antennæ rather long, thickening at the extremity into a club which is slightly curved upwards. The anterior wings are nearly hyaline, and have the discoidal cell closed; the posterior folded longitudinally, and each drawn out into a very long tail curved at the extremity. The expansion of the wings, in the only known species, is about an inch and a half; the inner half of the superior pair black, traversed in the middle by a pretty broad green band; the exterior portion, consisting of a large triangular space, transparent, with the nervures and external border black. The inferior wings are black, edged externally with white, and having a central blue band in continuation of the anterior one. On the under side, the base of all the wings is whitish, and the abdominal margin of the under pair is marked with three curved white streaks: abdomen whitish beneath, and having a double row of black dots on each side. In the female the bands on the wings are white.

A few years ago this curious butterfly was to be found in very few cabinets, but it is now received not unfrequently.

THAIS MEDESICASTE.

PLATE V. Fig. 2.

_Godart’s Pap. de France_, ii. Pl. 3, fig. 3, 4.--Pap. Medesicaste, _Hubn. Pap._ 124, fig. 632.--Pap. Rumina, _Hubn._ Pl. 394, 395.--Thais Honnoratii, _Boisd. Icon._ Pl. 3, fig. 3-5, var.

The genus Thais is confined to the southern countries of Europe, the north of Africa, and Asia Minor. All the species are of moderate size, and may at once be known by the peculiar design of the colouring of the wings, which are always yellow spotted with red and black, and bordered externally with a dark festooned line. The palpi are composed of three nearly equal articulations, and rise conspicuously above the head; the antennæ rather short and terminating in a club slightly curved upwards. The body is slender, and the abdominal margin of the hinder pair of wings is curved downwards as if to leave room for the movements of the abdomen. The caterpillars are short and cylindrical, covered with fleshy spines and short hairs, the first segment provided with a fleshy bifurcated tentaculum. They live solitarily or in small groups on the _Aristolochia_, and obviously bear a considerable analogy, as well as the perfect insect, to _Parnassius_. The chrysalis is cylindrico-conic, somewhat angular in front.

The species represented on the annexed plate may possibly be a variety of _T. Rumina_. Surface pale ochreous yellow, with a black marginal band divided on the upper wings by a series of eight or nine yellow spots; along the costal margin are several black irregular transverse bands, some of them inclosing rounded red spots; inferior wings with a black festooned line along the exterior border; towards the base are always three red spots, one near the abdominal margin, another in the upper part of the discoidal cell, and a third near the anterior edge, usually united in the form of a transverse band with that in the cell. Body blackish, marked with rows of fulvous spots.

The caterpillar lives on the _Aristolochia pistolochia_. Sometimes the colour is reddish-yellow, at other times brown or dull yellowish-green, with numerous rows of black lines often interrupted; the body bearing six rows of fleshy spines, of an orange yellow hue, and ciliated with black at the extremity.

The insect is found in Languedoc, in the neighbourhood of Digne, &c.

GENUS PIERIS.

According to the definition which it has been found necessary to give to this genus in general works on the lepidoptera, it includes a very extensive range of species, and may be said to be represented in this country by the white butterflies, which British authors generally place in the genus _Pontia_. In this extended acceptation, however, it comprehends individuals somewhat diversified in appearance, and which may be assumed as the types of particular groups or sub-divisions, perhaps of sufficient importance ultimately to become genera, if a corresponding dissimilarity be found to characterise their different states and metamorphoses. The antennæ are of moderate length or slightly elongated, the articulations pretty distinct, the club obconic and compressed; palpi thickly covered with fascicles of long hairs, the terminal joint at least as long as the penultimate: wings of ordinary size, the discoidal cell closed; the under pair partially embracing the abdomen: eyes naked, head rather small.

The caterpillar is elongated, and nearly cylindrical, pubescent, and marked with longitudinal rays; the head small and rounded. Chrysalis terminating in a single conical point anteriorly, attached by the tail and a medial band.

Not fewer than one hundred and sixty-six different kinds of butterflies are referred to this genus. “They are diffused,” says Dr. Boisduval, “nearly over the whole globe, but are particularly abundant in the intertropical countries of the old continent. Considering the extent of the New World, it produces comparatively few species. The most remarkable inhabit Africa, the Indian continent and Archipelago, and New Holland. Such of the caterpillars as are known, feed almost exclusively on the _cruciferæ_, _residaceæ_, _tropioliæ_, and _caparideæ_. Our _P. Cratægi_ is the only one in Europe which lives on trees; but it is probable that many exotic kinds are of the same habits. The prevailing colour among these lepidoptera is white, more or less pure, with a black border, variable in width, but seldom wanting. There are likewise species in which the ground colour is yellow or even orange, while in others it is blackish or blue, &c. The inferior face of the posterior wings generally differs considerably from the upper, and is often very agreeably varied with brilliant colours. The sexual differences, in certain species, are very conspicuous, particularly on the surface; in others, they are much less so, the females being distinguished from the males only by a somewhat wider border, or by having the upper wings more rounded at the apex[32].”

PIERIS EPICHARIS.

PLATE VI. Figs. 1 and 2.

_Godart, Boisd._--Pap. Hyparete, _Fabr._--Pap. Eucharis, _Drury’s Insect._ Pl. 10, fig. 5, 6.--_Cramer_, Pl. 201, fig. B, C ♂; Pl. 202, fig. C ♀.

This pretty insect belongs to a sub-division which inhabits the continent of India and the adjacent islands. The wings, which expand about three inches, are white, very faintly tinged with blue, with a broad black border, interrupted by a series of rather larger oval spots, the same as the ground colour on the upper wings, but flesh-colour on the under; the nervures, on the former, defined by a dilated black line: in the female, this is likewise the case with the inferior wings. Under side of the primary wings similar to the surface, except three marginal spots towards the apex, which are yellowish in the male and of a bright yellow in the female; secondary wings bright yellow beneath, the nervures black, and along the hinder border a row of large oval, or somewhat heart-shaped, scarlet spots, placed in a white circle; body whitish.

Common in Bengal, and many places in the more eastern parts of Asia.

PLATE 6.

_1. & 2. Pieris Epicharis._ _3. P. Philyra._
India. Amboina.

_Lizars sc._]

PIERIS PHILYRA.

PLATE VI. Fig. 3.

_Godart, Boisd._--Pap. Hyparete, _Cramer_, Pl. 210, fig. A, B, and Pl. 339, fig. E, F.

The figure above referred to represents the under side of the female of this handsome species. The male is of a bluish-white above, surrounded with a black external margin, and having a black patch on the tip of the anterior wings, divided by an arched row of white oval spots; the female nearly black above, the inner half of the wings dull white, the apex with white oval spots: on the under side both sexes are black, with the inner half of all the wings yellow, sprinkled with minute black points; the upper pair having a small white spot at the extremity of the discoidal cell, and a posterior row of yellow oval spots largest towards the anterior margin; the under pair with seven long wedge-shaped reddish-brown spots behind the middle, becoming somewhat lighter posteriorly, making the hinder part of the wing from the middle of the discoidal cell sometimes appear entirely of that colour, with dilated black nervures and a black border.

Inhabits Amboina, New Guinea, &c. _Pieris Plexaris_, described by Godart (_Encyc. Meth._ p. 151) from a figure in Donovan’s Insects of New Holland, is regarded by a recent author as a variety.

PIERIS BELISAMA.

PLATE VII. Fig. 1.

_Godart, Boisd._--Pap. Belisama, _Cramer_, Pl. 258, fig. A, B, C, D.

_P. Belisama_ is another of these handsome and warmly tinted species which abound in Eastern Asia and the adjacent islands. It is generally about a third larger than our common cabbage butterflies, but smaller examples frequently occur; the male yellowish-white above, with the whole of the outer angle and the costa of the anterior wings black; the limb of the hinder pair of the same colour. Female with the greater portion of the upper wings black, the remainder pale ochreous. Under side of the upper wings black in both sexes, with a group of yellow spots on the apex, and a small transverse whitish streak at the extremity of the discoidal cell; the same side of the under wings bright yellow, inclining to orange, with a black posterior border dentated on the inner side, and bearing a row of rounded yellow spots; at the base there is a transverse red stripe lying parallel with the margin; body whitish; antennæ black.

Occurs plentifully in Java, Amboina, Sumatra, &c.

PLATE 7.

_Lizars sc._

1. Java.
2. Cape.
3. Amboina.

_1. Pieris Belisama._
_2. Anthocharis Danai._
_3. Iphias Leucippe._]

GENUS ANTHOCHARIS.

A section of _Pieris_ has lately been established as a genus under the above name, founded, however, on characters not of a very decided description. The most important one perhaps is the shape of the chrysalis, which is boat-shaped, or equally attenuated to both extremities, somewhat arched, and without lateral points. The antennæ of the perfect insect are short, with the articulations distinctly marked, the club rather abrupt and forming an ovoid compressed mass. The common British species _Mancipium Cardamines_ is referred to it, and this insect may be regarded as a characteristic example of the kinds which it includes. Like the _Orange-tip_, the majority have a patch of bright red on the tips of the anterior wings, and the under side of the posterior is often beautifully marked with green and pearl white. Several other species, besides that just mentioned, are natives of Europe, but their principal resort seems to be the intertropical countries of Africa.

ANTHOCHARIS DANÆ.

PLATE VII. Fig. 2.

_Boisd._--Pap. Danæ, _Fabr., Donov. Insects of India_, Pl. 1, fig. 2.--Pap. Eborea, _Cramer_, Pl. 352, fig. C, D, E, F.--Pieris Danæ, _Godart_.--Pontia Danæ, _Horsfield, Insects of Ind. Comp._, p. 141, 68.

Surface of the male pure white; the upper wings having a large triangular patch of bright carmine at the extremity bounded on the inner side by a black oblique band, and narrowly margined with the same colour externally, where the nervures are likewise black; there is likewise a black point at the extremity of the discoidal cell: under wings with a black border, variable in breadth, and occasionally macular. Under side impure white, with a black streak at the extremity of all the discoidal cells, those on the hinder wings divided by a reddish brown point; the apex of the upper wings fulvous-red, divided by a curved row of blackish spots, continued across the under wings as far as the anal angle. The female differs from the male in having a large space at the base of the wings dusky, and the marginal hand wider, and better defined on its inner edge.

Males sometimes occur in which the marginal band is entirely wanting in the hinder wings.

Found in the East Indies, at the Cape of Good Hope, &c.

GENUS IPHIAS, _Boisd._

The two conspicuous insects which at present compose this genus, were wont to be referred either to Pieris or Colias. They have certainly a close relation to both, as well as to _Anthocharis_, but the following characters seem to warrant their separation; antennæ long, gradually increasing into a club which is truncated at the extremity; palpi contiguous and compressed, thickly covered with scales cut of equal length, the terminal joint minute and truncated; head clothed with rather long projecting scaly hairs; thorax robust; abdomen much shorter than the inferior wings; wings very large and strong, the discoidal cell closed. The caterpillar is attenuated at both extremities and shagreened on the surface, the chrysalis much arched and fusiform at both ends.

IPHIAS LEUCIPPE.

PLATE VII. Fig. 3.

Pap. Leucippe, _Fabr. Cramer_, Pl. 36, fig. A, B, C.--_Donovan, Insects of India._--Pieris Leucippe, _Godart_.

One of the largest of the _Pierides_, frequently measuring upwards of four inches between the tips of the wings; anterior pair bright fulvous red, clouded at the base with greenish yellow, the nervures and all the exterior parts black, the female with a row of fulvous spots parallel with the external margin, and not far from it; posterior wings citron-yellow, having a dentated or macular black border in the female, usually preceded by a curved line of spots of the same colour; but in the male marked with only one or two black spots towards the external border. Under side deep fulvous in both sexes, sprinkled with black points and marked with short transverse dusky lines, which are greatly most numerous in the female; head and thorax brown; abdomen citron-yellow; antennæ black, the extremity of the club reddish.

It is a native of Amboina; we have seen no particular account of the caterpillar, but it is no doubt similar to that of _T. Glaucippe_, which is described by Dr. Horsfield as of a green colour with a white lateral ray. It feeds on a species of _Capparis_.

GENUS CALLIDRYAS.

This genus is composed of a selection of species from Colias, to which it bears a very close relation. It is not long since it was proposed by Dr Boisduval, who thinks that the following characters entitle it to this distinction. Palpi approximating and very much compressed, clothed with short hairs and dense scales, the terminal joint conical and much shorter than the preceding one; antennæ thickening gradually from the base to the apex, which is distinctly truncated; body robust, the abdomen much shorter than the inferior wings; the latter forming a groove which completely embraces the under side of the abdomen. The caterpillars are naked and somewhat attenuated at both extremities; the chrysalis arched, or boat shaped, with the extremities drawn out to a narrow point; always attached by the tail and a transverse band.

According to the manner in which they have been respectively constituted, _Callidryas_ therefore is best distinguished from Colias by the antennæ, which in the latter terminate in an obconical club; and from _Rhodocera_ (including _Gonopteryx_ of Dr. Leach), which has these organs likewise truncated, by the shape of the wings, which never present acute angular projections. The prevailing colour of the species is yellow, from deep orange to the palest sulphur yellow. The females are usually of a paler hue than the males, and the sexual differences are strongly marked in other particulars. On the under side of the wings there are almost invariably one or two small spots, near the middle, of a silvery or rusty-brown hue; these are either wanting or very minute in the males, while they are distinctly marked in the females. The former sex, in the majority of species, presents a very peculiar character in having the anterior edge of the under wings provided with a kind of pulverulent glandular sac, which varies much in size and colour in different species.

A great similarity prevails among the different species of _Callidryas_, and they are consequently difficult to determine. They inhabit the intertropical regions of the two continents.

CALLIDRYAS EUBULE.

PLATE VIII. Fig. 1.

Pap. Eubule, _Linn. Cramer_, Pl. 120, F, C.--Caterpillar, _Stoll’s Supp. to Cramer_, Pl. 3, fig. 1, A.--Callidryas Eubule, _Boisd. Species general_, i. 613.

This insect so closely resembles _C. Marcellina_ that it is possible they would still have continued to be confounded, as they were by the earlier entomologists, had not the different appearance of the caterpillar indicated their essential distinction. In the male the surface of the wings is a fine citron-yellow, with a narrow border of a deeper hue; the fringe of all the wings marked at remote intervals with small rust-coloured spots. Beneath the colour is red, or brownish-yellow; the upper wings with a double ferruginous spot at the extremity of the discoidal cell, and a brownish zig-zag ray towards the outer margin; the under wings likewise with two rounded discoidal spots, silvery in the centre, and surrounded by a rust-coloured ring; there are likewise several undulating brown lines running across the surface more or less distinctly defined. The female is bright yellow inclining to orange, the inferior wings much rounded, and having an orange-coloured fringe interrupted with transverse brown stripes. The position and appearance of the discoidal spots similar to what has been described in the male: the under side deep ochre yellow. Body yellow, with greenish hairs on the thorax; antennæ, and terminal joint of the palpi, rose-colour mixed with brown.

PLATE 8.

1. _Callidryus Eubule with Cater. & Chrysalis._ Brazil.
4. _Terias Mexico._ Mexico.

_Lizars sc._]

The caterpillar (Pl. VIII. fig. 2) is green, covered with small black granules, and having a yellow line along each side, surmounted by another of a blue colour. It feeds on the different kinds of _Cassia_. The chrysalis (Pl. VIII. fig. 3) is likewise green, changing ultimately to brown.

The butterfly is very common in Guiana, Brazil, and many other parts of America.

GENUS TERIAS.

We owe the establishment of this genus to Mr. Swainson. It includes a considerable number of species, the greater proportion of which have been but lately discovered. They are small insects, of delicate structure, and usually of a light yellow colour, with the apex of the upper wings deep black. The caterpillars, as far as we are acquainted with them, are attached to leguminous plants, and live between the tropics both of the old and new world. The most important generic characters are the following: antennæ of moderate length, the articulations pretty distinct, terminating in an ovoid or conical club, which is slightly curved downwards, and compressed laterally: palpi very short, the terminal joint half the length of the preceding one, naked, and a little salient; abdomen slender and compressed, nearly as long as the inferior wings; wings of delicate texture, the costal line a good deal arched towards the base. Caterpillars slender, linear, and pubescent; chrysalis a little arched, and somewhat compressed, terminating in a point anteriorly.

TERIAS MEXICANA.

PLATE VIII. Fig. 4.

_Boisd. Spec. gen._ p. 655. Pl. iii. C, fig. 1.

This insect was discovered not long since in Mexico, and is considered rare. The colour of the surface is very bright citron-yellow, the upper wings with a broad black border externally, which ends in a quadrangular expansion a little before the middle of the internal margin. The under wings have the outer border prolonged into an acute angle, forming a kind of rudimentary tail, and the anterior half is widely bordered with black. The primary wings are pale citron-yellow on the under side, with a central black point, and have the outer border near the fringe tinged with red; the secondary pair yellow, speckled with ferruginous particles, and having a black point in the centre, the extreme angle marked with a ferruginous spot, and the posterior half with four or five other spots of the same colour, having sometimes a tendency to form an irregular transverse band. The above description applies to the male; the female has the surface of the wings whitish-yellow, with the black border broader, and the anterior margin of the secondary wings widely orange-yellow. The expansion varies from twenty to twenty three lines.

GENUS EUPLŒA.

This and several of the following genera may be readily distinguished from any of the preceding by having the anterior legs, in both sexes, short and imperfect, the tarsi not being distinguishable into five joints, but generally consisting of a single piece with several crowded spines at the extremity. In the present genus there is a slight indication of an articulated structure, but very indistinct, and there are scarcely any projecting points in the room of claws. The antennæ, which are placed very close to each other at the base, terminate in a pretty thick club elongated and somewhat curved. The palpi, which stand considerably apart from each other, are short, not rising above the head, densely clothed with hair-like scales which completely conceal the joints: of the latter the terminal one is minute and globular ending in a point, the second long and thick, the radical one about one-third its length. Outline of the upper wings triangular: claws simple. Chrysalis suspended by the tail, and never supported by a band round the middle.

PLATE 9.

_1. Euplœa Limniace._ E. Asia.
_2. ---- Plexippe._ China &c.

_Lizars sc._]

EUPLŒA LIMNIACE.

PLATE IX. Fig. 1.

Danais Limniace, _Godart_.--Pap. Limniace, _Cramer_, Pl. 59, fig. D, E.--Pap. Similis, _Fabr._

Expands nearly four inches; surface of the wings deep black, entirely covered with stripes and spots of shining light green, more or less mixed with white: towards the base of the wings the green colour is arranged in longitudinal stripes, externally in rounded spots, becoming smaller at the hinder margin where they form a regular row. The design on the under side is similar, but the ground colour of the under wings and a large space at the apex of the upper are pale brown, and the green marks are usually pale; the sinuosities fringed with white, the projections on the margin of the hinder wings forming a pretty acute angle; thorax and breast black, with numerous white points; abdomen yellowish beneath.

Rather extensively distributed over the eastern countries of Asia, and the adjacent islands.

EUPLŒA PLEXIPPE.

PLATE IX. Fig. 2.

Danais Plexippe, _Godart_.--Pap. Plexippus, _Linn., Fabr._--Pap. Genutia, _Cramer_, Pl. 206, fig. C, D.

This insect affords an example of a pretty extensive and beautiful group which is strikingly characterised by the prevalence of a peculiar colour and uniformity of design in the markings. The ground colour is a rich chestnut-brown, varying considerably in the intensity of the shade, the wings widely margined on the outside with black, more or less interrupted with white spots; the black colour sometimes running along the nervures in a broad stripe. They are common both to the old and new world, and many of them are very abundant. _E. Plexippe_ occurs in the East Indies and China, also in the islands of Java, Ceylon, &c. and often appears in great plenty The colour is light chestnut-brown, approaching to fulvous, the whole external border of the wings with a broad black band, dilated at the apex of the superior pair so as to occupy the whole angle; this band bears two rows of small unequal white spots, and the black space at the summit of the upper wings has a broad oblique band of pure white, angular on the edges, and formed by the confluence of five spots; between this and the middle of the costa is a small group of white spots: all the nervures black and dilated. The under side differs in having the space between the white patch at the apex of the upper wings and the external margin ashy-brown; in having the ground colour of the inferior-wings pale fulvous, and the nervures of the same wings narrowly edged with white. The abdomen is nearly of the same colour as the wings; the thorax, breast, and head black, punctured with white; antennæ black, the extremity of the club rust-red.

GENUS IDEA.

The above genus is of very limited extent, comprehending only four species. They are, however, somewhat remarkable insects, both on account of their size, and the manner in which their colours are distributed. The wings are slightly transparent and of a greyish white, with black stripes running along all the nervures, and occasionally forming blotches on the surface. The nearest approach to this mode of colouring among other tribes is presented by certain species of Euplœa, and particularly by _Pap. dissimilis_, which on this account, has been termed the Idea-likeness butterfly. The most conspicuous of its generic characters are the slenderness of the antennæ, which are so slightly thickened towards the apex as to appear nearly filiform, and the elongated oval form of the wings: in other respects Idea nearly conforms to the genera with which it is associated. The palpi have the terminal joint minute and conical, the second long and thickest in the middle, the radical one net half its length. The tarsal division of the anterior legs is dilated, and furnished with two or three unequal spines.

PLATE 10.

_1. Idea Agelia._ _2. Idea Daos._
Java. Borneo

_Lizars sc._]

IDEA AGELIA.

PLATE X. Fig. 1.

Pap. Idea, _Linn. Fabr. Cramer_, Pl. 193, fig. 1, A, B, and pl. 362, fig. D.--_Donovan’s Insects of India._

Varying in size from upwards of six inches across the wings to nearly four and a half. The surface is of a greyish white, with the nervures and posterior border black; the latter sinuated internally, and divided by a series of large spots of a whitish colour, and generally an oval shape; between each of the nervures, and beyond the middle of the wing, is a longitudinal black stripe: the primary wings are moreover marked rather before the middle with four irregular black spots, the anterior one on the costa, the other three forming an abbreviated arched band. The under side does not differ materially from the upper, but the black stripes are rather broader, and there is a large irregular patch in the discoidal cell. The body is whitish with a black line along the back, the thorax having two black central lines and two short transverse ones at their extremity: the breast is marked with oblique black lines, and a row of dusky points runs along each side of the abdomen: antennæ black.

The insect is a native of Java, Amboina, and other Asiatic islands.

IDEA DAOS.

PLATE X. Fig. 2.

_Boisd. Spec. gen._ Pl. 24, fig. 3.

This delicate and handsome species is much the smallest, the expansion of the wings not being quite four inches. The ground colour is dusky white, with two remote rows of rounded spots, another at the extremity of the discoidal cell, and several smaller ones on the costa beyond the middle. The abdomen is entirely whitish, the thorax with two connivent black rays on the back and numerous black spots anteriorly: antennæ black.

It is said by Dr. Boisduval, to whose excellent work we are indebted for a knowledge of it, to be a native of Borneo.

GENUS HELICONIA.

This beautiful genus is easily recognized by its peculiar aspect, as well as by the more precise characters which it affords. The anterior wings are long, narrow, and entire, and the hinder pair often recede considerably from the abdomen, which is long and slender. The breadth of the insect, therefore, when flying, always greatly exceeds its length. No lepidopterous insect is ever entirely without scales, but in a section of this group, they are so few and minute as to leave the wings perfectly transparent. The palpi rise obviously above the head; the second joint is greatly longer than the first, and has a long tuft of hair near the apex, the terminal one is also a good deal produced. The antennæ are, at least, double the length of the head and thorax, and thicken gradually at the extremity. The anterior tarsus is considerably dilated and slightly dentated; claws simple. Such of the caterpillars as have been described, differ remarkably from each other, and some of them seem to have no analogy with those of the neighbouring groups. This discrepancy, in connexion with some others in the perfect insects, has already led to the separation of certain groups from _Heliconia_ as it was formerly constituted. The larva of _H. Euterpe_ is robust and depressed, with a series of long fleshy lobes on each side; that of _H. Calliope_ short and cylindrical, clothed with slender spines and tufts of hair: these species form the genus _Nerias_, although they are too dissimilar to be associated with propriety. Others are smooth (_H. Psidii_), and some are covered with very long white hairs (_H. Ricini_). In these circumstances, it is not likely that a natural arrangement of this pretty group will be effected until we become better acquainted with the caterpillars, very few of which have hitherto been examined. Chrysalis invariably suspended by the tail only.

These insects, as has been already mentioned, are confined to America and the West India Islands, the larva subsisting on the different kinds of _Passifloræ_, a beautiful tribe of plants well known to be likewise peculiar to the new world. They seem to be represented in India, as Dr. Horsfield remarks, by the genera _Euplœa_ and _Idea_.

PLATE 11.

_1. Heliconia Erato._ _2. H. Cynisca._
_3. H. Sylvana._

1 Surinam.
2 Guiana.
3 Surinam.

_Lizars sc._]

HELICONIA ERATO.

PLATE XI. Fig. 1.

_Godart._--Pap. Erato, _Linn._--Heb. Ricini (Mas.), _Fabr._---Pap. Amathusia, _Cramer_, Pl. 177, fig. F.

Extent of the wings about three inches; the ground colour deep black. Upper wings with three diverging rays of deep red at the base, the inferior one longest and extending rather beyond the middle; not far from the extremity of these rays there is a large discoidal patch of sulphur-yellow, unequally divided into two parts by a black bifurcated nervure; beyond this, near the apex, is a series of contiguous spots of the same colour, varying from two to five. Under wings with six deep red rays extending from the base towards the hinder margin, and behind the place where these terminate, an arched row of small blue spots. The colour beneath is dark brown; the upper wings marked nearly as on the surface, except that the costa at the base is alone tinged with red; under wings with eight diverging pale-red lines, and a row of whitish marks parallel with the hinder margin. Body black; the sides of the thorax and abdomen marked with small yellow spots. In the beautiful variety figured, the red lines on the secondary wings, as well as the discoidal nervure, are bordered with a narrow stripe of shining blue.

This species is a native of Surinam, where it occurs not unfrequently.

HELICONIA CYNISCA.

PLATE XI. Fig. 2.

_Godart._--Pap. Ricini (Fem.), _Linn._--H. Erato, _Fabr._--Pap. Vesta, _Cramer_, Pl. 119, fig. A.

This species presents a considerable similarity to the preceding, both in size and distribution of colours. The surface is deep black; a large portion at the base of the anterior wings fulvous-red, traversed by three black nervures; near the middle a large spot of sulphur-yellow, and beyond it a circular series of smaller unequal spots of the same colour. The under wings have from five to seven red stripes, extending in a radiated form from the base towards the hinder margin. Beneath the design is similar, but the ground colour inclines to brown, and one of the yellow spots on the superior wings is prolonged nearly to the base. The body is black, the sides of the thorax spotted with yellow, and the breast marked with transverse lines of the same colour; there is likewise a yellow line along the under side of the abdomen.

The above description applies to the most ordinary form of this insect, but it is liable to a good deal of variation. It occurs in Guiana.

HELICONIA SYLYANA.

PLATE XI. Fig. 3.

_Godart._--Pap. Sylvana, _Cramer_, Pl. 364, C, D.--_Herbst., Pap._ tab. xvii. fig. 1, 2.

This handsome species measures upwards of three inches and a quarter between the tips of the wings; the latter are very much rounded, entire on the edges, and the hinder pair diverge widely from the abdomen; the superior fulvous from the base to the middle, with the costa, a slender streak at the base, and a central kidney-shaped spot, black; beyond this a pretty wide oblique band of sulphur yellow; the space between this band and the apex deep black, with eight unequal spots of dull yellow, slightly transparent, disposed in two irregular transverse bands, and two or three small white points at the apex. Inferior wings likewise with the inner half fulvous, the outer half black, emitting narrow stripes internally, one of which reaches nearly to the base, dividing the wing into two portions; towards the hinder margin are a few yellow spots: body cinereous, with a yellow longitudinal line on each side, and a similarly coloured band along the belly; antennæ reddish-brown, dusky at the base.

A native of Surinam.

PLATE 12.

_Lizars sc._

_1. 2. Heliconia flora._
_3. ------ diaphana._
_4. Acræa Pasiphæ._

1 & 2 from Surinam. 3 Jamaica. 4 Africa.]

HELICONIA FLORA.

PLATE XII. Figs. 1 and 2.

_Godart._--Pap. Flora, _Cramer_, Pl. 257, fig. B, C

The above plate affords examples of that division of the Heliconian butterflies, in which the greater proportion of the wings is denuded of scales and transparent. _H. Flora_ of Cramer very closely resembles _H. Ægle_ (Fabr.), and may possibly prove a mere variety of that species. It expands nearly two inches. The upper wings are black with two transparent bands, that next the base very large, lying parallel with the costa as far as the middle, and then descending obliquely towards the posterior angle, divided by a transverse black stripe, and a longitudinal nervure of the same colour; the second band macular, and placed near the apex. The under wings are transparent, the whole of the outer border surrounded by a black stripe, which is divided towards the angle by a fulvous line; the nervures black. Under side similar in design to the upper, but the whole of the outer border of the wings surrounded by a rust-coloured line, and the extreme edge marked with a few very small white points. Body cinereous above and greyish beneath; antennæ black.

The caterpillar probably resembles that of _H. Ægle_, represented by Madam Merian, which is brown, clothed with hairs, and feeds on the _Sophora_. Both species are found in Surinam.

HELICONIA DIAPHANA.

PLATE XII. Fig. 3.

_Godart._--Pap. Diaphana, _Fabr., Cramer_, Pl. 231, fig. C, and Pl. 315, fig. D, E--_Drury’s Exot. Insects_, ii. Pl. 7, fig. 3.

About the size of the preceding, but the wings narrower and wholly transparent, with the outer margin and nervures brownish-black. On the upper wings, rather beyond the middle, there is a black abbreviated transverse band, placed somewhat obliquely, and preceded by a small white spot on the costa. On the under side the marginal band is not so dark as above, and there is frequently a series of small white spots on the hinder edge of the posterior wings; in the latter also, the anterior edge is tinged with sulphur yellow. Body black above and grey beneath, with white points on the head; antennæ black.

The marginal band varies in breadth, and in the secondary wings it is sometimes longitudinally divided by a narrow line of rust-red.

Occurs in Jamaica, Brazil, Virginia, &c.

GENUS ACRÆA.

The insects of this genus are generally below the middle size, and of a brownish-red colour, variously striped and spotted with black. With the exception of a small division, which ought probably to be referred to another genus, they are natives of the old world, principally of the western coasts of Africa. The palpi are slender and nearly cylindrical, the terminal joint minute, forming a kind of nipple on the apex of the second which is very long; antennæ rather short and terminating somewhat suddenly in a club; anterior tarsus spatulate, scarcely toothed at the extremity; internal edge of the inferior wings not embracing the abdomen. The caterpillars are either spiny, like those of _Argynnis_, or covered with rigid hairs, but we are yet acquainted with very few of them. The chrysalis is suspended by the tail.

ACRÆA PASIPHÆ.

PLATE XII. Fig. 4.

_Godart._--Helic. Pasiphæ, _Fabr._--Pap. Media, _Cramer_, Pl. 81, fig. C, D.

Surface of the wings white, with a slight tinge of blue, a large space at the base, and the nervures brown; the whole of the middle portion clouded with black spots of various dimensions, and the extremity bordered with a rather wide black band, sinuated on the inner side. The under side is paler and has the marginal band interrupted by a row of small greyish-blue quadrangular spots preceded by a reddish macular line. Body black above, variegated with white marks on the back, and yellowish beneath.

Found in Guinea, and other countries on the west coast of Africa.

GENUS CETHOSIA.

This genus includes several pretty large and showy insects, several of which, have some resemblance, in the wide expansion of their wings compared with their limited breadth in the direction of the body, to the genera immediately preceding, while others shew a decided affinity to _Argynnis_. The greater part of them are natives of America, but others occur in the eastern countries of the old world. The palpi are contiguous below, but diverge at the extremity, and terminate in a slender acicular joint; antennæ with an oblong club; inferior wings embracing the abdomen; claws simple. The caterpillars appear to be generally spiny, and to resemble those of _Argynnis_.

PLATE 15.

_Cethosia Dido._
Brazil.

_Lizars sc._]

CETHOSIA DIDO.

PLATE XIII.

Ceth. Dido. _Fabr._--Pap. Dido, _Linn._--_Marian’s Surin. Insects_, Pl. 2, (with Caterpillar).--_Cramer_, Pl. 196, fig. E, F.

This species expands about four inches; the ground colour of the surface is black, variously interrupted with stripes and patches of green. On the upper wings a longitudinal stripe of that colour extends from the base to the extremity of the discoidal cell; beyond which there is a transverse series of large contiguous spots, and two or three small insulated ones. The inferior wings have two transverse green bands, one of them broad and continuous placed near the base, and terminating nearly in a point towards the outer margin; the other consisting of six or seven orbicular spots, and placed nearly midway between the former band and the hinder extremity. The under side differs considerably from the upper, the ground colour being blackish-brown, while all the green parts are bordered with pearl-white, and along the posterior margin there is a series of white lunules, each of them divided by a brown nervure; near the origin of the secondary wings a small longitudinal red line is likewise observable. The body is blackish above and grey beneath, the thorax marked with a few reddish points.

The caterpillar has been figured by Madam Merian. She represents it as bearing several rows of short spines, rising in a radiated manner from a tubercle, and two very long caudal appendages. It is of a green colour, having a red and white ray along each side of the body.

The insect is found in Brazil and Guiana.

PLATE 14.

_Cethosia Cyane._ Coast of Malabar.

_Lizars sc._]

CETHOSIA CYANE.

PLATE XIV.

Pap. Cyane, _Linn._--Cethosia Cyane, _Fabr. Godart._--Pap. Cyane, _Drury_, i pl. 4, fig. 1. var.

Extent of the wings nearly four inches, the length not much exceeding the breadth, the whole external margin deeply dentated and the notches margined with white. Upper wings fulvous towards the base and spotted with black; the external half brownish-black, traversed by an oblique white band, having two rounded black spots at its lower extremity; behind this are a few white marks in the shape of a horse-shoe, and a line of white lunules; and on the margin itself a narrow festooned white line. Surface of the secondary wings fulvous-yellow, with several irregular black spots near the base, and three regular transverse rows of black spots, the innermost formed of small rounded spots, the intermediate one of larger spots surrounded with white, and the external one of spots inclining to a crescent-shape; the hinder margin brownish- black with a festooned white line similar to that on the upper wings. The whole of the under side is reddish-yellow, with markings nearly corresponding to those on the surface, but on the anterior wings there are several abbreviated transverse yellow lines anteriorly, bordered with black; and the under wings are traversed by two yellow bands, bearing rows of black spots. The body is fulvous above, and spotted beneath with black.

Found on the coast of Malabar. Drury’s figure seems to represent a variety.

GENUS VANESSA.

The insects referred to this genus, which is well known as having many handsome representatives in Britain, are distributed over almost every quarter of the globe. Besides those which occur in this country, many others are found on the continent of Europe, and they are equally abundant in tropical regions. Contrary to what is observed in most other instances, the species inhabiting the latter are in general not superior in size or richness of colours to those of temperate latitudes; our own _V. Atalanta_ will contrast favourably with any of them. Among the few exceptions to this remark, in respect to size, may be mentioned _V. Arsinoe_ and the rare species figured on the adjoining plate. The latter is

VANESSA JULIANA.

PLATE XV. Fig. 1.

_Sodart._--Pap. N. Juliana, _Fabr._--Pap. Juliana, _Cramer_, Pl. 280, fig. A, B.--_Herbst. Pap._ Pl. 220, fig. 1, 2.

It is the largest of the Vanessæ, measuring nearly five inches across the upper wings. The surface is dull brown, with a broad common transverse band of greenish white, placed between the middle and the external margin of the wings. On the upper wings this band is composed of a double series of spots, the interior ones small and crescent-shaped, the exterior large and oval with a large black mark in the centre: on the under wings it is more continuous, with a row of white lunules externally, and two large ocelli, remote from each other, having a blue pupil and a yellow iris. The under side is much paler than the upper, and the band on the anterior wings is nearly as entire as in the posterior pair.

This conspicuous species is a native of the island of Amboina.

PLATE 15.

_1. Vanessa Juliana._
_2. V. Amathea._
_3. V. Orithya._

1 Amboyna. 2 Brazil. 3 China.

_Lizars sc._]

VANESSA AMATHEA.

PLATE XV. Fig. 2.

Pap. N. Amathea, _Linn. Fabr._--Pap. Amalthea, _Cramer_, Pl. 209, fig. A, B.

The surface of the wings in this pretty insect is dark brown approaching to black, with a broad band of deep red running across the centre of both wings, but scarcely reaching the anal angle, and bifid at its anterior extremity: beyond this on the anterior wings are two transverse rows of small white spots, both of them irregular; and on the hinder pair a single row-of similar spots: the notches on the margins of the wings are also whitish. The under side is much paler than the surface, but the markings are similar. Body dull black above; antennæ of the same colour, with the extremity of the club reddish. Expansion of the wings from two inches to two and a quarter.

A South American species, inhabiting Brazil, Guiana, &c.

VANESSA ORITHYA.

PLATE XV. Fig. 3.

_Godart._--Pap. N. Orithya, _Linn. Fabr._--_Roesel’s Beslust. Insect._ vol. iv. pl. 6, fig. 2.--Pap. Orithya, _Cramer_, Pl. 19, fig. C, D; Pl. 32, fig. E, F; Pl. 281, fig. E, F: Pl. 209, fig. A, B, C, D.

This very elegant species, which is a native of China and the island of Java, is subject to much variation in its colour and markings. In its most ordinary state the colour of the surface is velvet-black in the male and dark brown in the female, with two large ocelli on each wing having a violet-blue pupil and a yellowish-red iris. The costa of the primary wings is generally dull white, and towards the base are two or three transverse stripes alternately blue and tawny-yellow; towards the apex are three whitish bands, the interior one broadest, the middle one interrupted by the ocellus, the third narrow and lying along the external margin. The secondary wings are surrounded by a white band divided throughout its whole length by a double undulating black line; the space between this band and the middle of the wing bluish-green in the male, a colour which scarcely appears in the female, and the anterior portion generally black in the former sex. Under side pale, the transverse stripes much elongated and six in number; the under wings greyish-brown or greyish-white, with several obscure undulating lines towards the base, with a row of four or five unequal ocelli having a blue iris in the female, but almost obsolete in the male. Body black above, greyish beneath.

The figure represents a variety of the female, the same as that delineated by Cramer.

The caterpillar, beset with branched spines, is of a black colour with numerous scattered white points, and has a white line along each side above the legs, and two rows of yellowish brown spots.

CHARAXES JASIUS.

PLATE XVI.

_Ochsenheimer._--Pap. Jason, _Linn._--Pap. Jasius, _Fabr._--Esper. cater, and chrys.--Drury’s Insects, i. Pl. 1. fig. 1.--Pap. Jason. _Cramer_, Pl. 339, A, B.--Nymph. Jasius, _Godart_, _Latreille_.

The genus _Charaxes_ was separated from _Nymphalis_ by Ochsenheimer for the reception of this butterfly, which may be regarded as the most beautiful inhabiting Europe. It varies in the expansion of the wings from three to four inches; the surface a rich silky brown, changing slightly with the light. Along the hinder margin of the primary wings there is a broad fulvous band, more or less sinuated on the inner side and narrowly edged with black externally, divided by eight nervures, which are dark brown ; rather beyond the middle of the wing, a transverse band of large fulvous continuous spots extends from the costa to the inner margin, and is sometimes continued for a short way on the secondary wings; the latter likewise with a posterior band, formed of contiguous spots of a fulvous colour, more or less tinged with green, preceded by a series of from five to seven bluish-green spots, commencing at the anal angle; the margin itself black, as well as the projecting angles, two of which are prolonged into tails. Beneath, the anterior portion of all the wings is rust-red, marked with spots and transverse stripes of olive-brown, encircled with white; beyond this there is a white band of a satiny lustre, bordered externally on the upper wings with dusky lunules; the space beyond these lunules is fulvous, traversed by a band of slate-grey, with a series of black spots, inclining to triangular, on the inner side of it. Beyond the white band on the secondary wings there is a row of ferruginous spots, succeeded by an olive-coloured space bearing a row of violet-blue points; the posterior band similar to that on the upper side. Head and thorax rust-brown; abdomen dull brown, with greyish hairs; antennæ black, proboscis shining rust-red.

PLATE 16.

_Charaxes Jasius._
S. Europe.

_Lizars sc_]

The female scarcely differs in appearance from the male, except in having the under side of the hinder wings finely sprinkled in the middle with blue points.

“The Jasius butterfly is one of the largest, rarest, and most beautiful of the European diurnal Lepidoptera. It occurs in the southern countries of France, for example, in the neighbourhood of Lyons, the Isles d’Hières, near Toulon and Montpellier; also in Italy, Sicily, Corsica, some parts of Northern Africa, and in Asia Minor. Lefebure de Cerisy of Toulon has payed considerable attention to the metamorphoses of this fine insect. The caterpillar, which in its early stage is green, becomes afterwards of a yellowish hue, and its skin is as it were shagreened and transversely plaited. Its head is singularly armed with four vertical yellow horns tipped with red, of which the two intermediate are the longest. A yellow line passes along each side of the body in the region of the stigmata, and the back is marked with four indistinct orange spots. The true feet are black, the membranous ones green. It feeds on the leaves of the strawberry tree, and never eats except during the night. Its habits are very lethargic. During day-light it remains fixed and motionless on its favourite plant, which it resembles in colour, and thus escapes observation. The chrysalis is smooth, thick, carinated, and of a coriaceous texture, the colour pale green. Two broods or flights of the perfect insect are produced each year, the first in June, the second in September. The caterpillars of the autumnal brood survive the winter, and are not transformed into chrysalids till the ensuing May. The perfect insects are then produced in about fifteen days. These speedily deposit their eggs, which are hatched in June, and after three months occupied in the usual transformations, the second flight appears in September, and continues the race in the manner above mentioned. In many parts of France the butterfly is named the _Pacha with two Tails_[33]”.

PLATE 17.

_1. Nymphalis Ethiocles. 2. 3. N. Tiridates._
Africa. Java.

_Lizars sc._]

NYMPHALIS ETHEOCLES.

PLATE XVII. Fig. 1.

Pap. Etheocles, _Fabr._--_Cramer_, Pl. 119, fig. D, E.--Nymph. Etheocles, _Godart_.

This and the following species present an outline very similar to that of _C. Jasius_, and they might even, without much impropriety, he referred to the same genus; but, as there are several points of difference, and as we are yet unacquainted with the caterpillars, it may he preferable in the mean time to allow them to remain in the situation they occupied in Latreille’s arrangement.

_N. Etheocles_ is a native of Africa, and is found chiefly on the coast of Guinea. It is nearly of the size of _C. Jasius_; the surface greenish-black, with a broad white band running obliquely across the middle of the wings; on the primary wings this band is divided into spots and contracted anteriorly, having a group of three or four small white spots on the inner side near its origin. Besides the white band, which is regular and continuous, the under wings have a row of white crescents parallel with the hinder border, succeeded by a black line, the border itself of a lighter green than the general ground colour, and having a few rust-coloured crescent-shaped marks. On the under side the prevailing colour is pale brown, somewhat glossy, with a white band similar to that described; three ocellated spots are observable at the base of the upper wings, and in the same situation on the other pair are three black transverse lines edged with blue. The internal angle of the superior wings bears a double black spot, and a series of violet lunules runs along the hinder border of the under wings; the border itself green marked with a row of black points.

NYMPHALIS TIRIDATES.

PLATE XVII. Fig. 2 and 3.

Pap. Tiridates, _Fabr. Cramer_, Pl. 161, fig. A, B; _Drury’s Insects_, iii. Pl. 23, fig. 1, 2; _Donov. Insects of India_, Part iii. Pl. 2, fig. 3.

Extent of the wings nearly four inches, the surface very dark blue approaching to black, the nervures brown; beyond the middle are two transverse rows of small round spots of pale blue, and along the hinder margin a series of small dull yellow crescents. The ground colour beneath is brownish-grey, somewhat glossy; the superior wings having a few transverse waved streaks of black edged with blue towards the base, then a few yellow streaks succeeded by a pretty regular row of yellow spots, and on the internal angle are two black spots, partially or wholly surrounded with blue and surmounted by yellow crescents: under wings marked in a manner somewhat similar to the upper pair at the base; the hinder margin with a continuous row of violet ocellated spots, preceded and followed by a row of yellow lunules; tails rather short and slender, brown; body dark brown above with four whitish points on the head, the under side inclining to yellow, antennæ black, the palpi yellow beneath.

Found in the islands of Java and Amboina.

PERIDROMIA ARETHUSA.

PLATE XVIII. Fig. 1, _Fem._