Chapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (6)

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This is a large genus of mostly tropical species, possessed of rather singular habits. The caterpillars in the early stages of their existence have much the same habits as the caterpillars of the genus _Basilarchia_, which have been already described. After passing the third moult they construct for themselves nests by weaving the edges of a leaf together, and thus conceal themselves from sight, emerging in the dusk to feed upon the food-plant. They live upon the _Euphorbiaceæ_, the _Lauraceæ_, and the _Piperaceæ_. The insects are double-brooded in the cooler regions of the North, and are probably many-brooded in the tropics.

(1) =Pyrrhanæa andria=, Scudder, Plate XXIV, Fig. 1, ♀ (The Goatweed Butterfly).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Solidly bright red above, the outer margins narrowly dusky on the borders. On the under side the wings are gray, dusted with brown scales, causing them to resemble the surface of a dried leaf.

♀.--The female has the upper side paler and marked by pale fulvous bands, as shown in the plate. Expanse, ♂, 2.50 inches; ♀, 3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--In Fig. 21, on p. 9, is a good representation of the mature caterpillar, the nest which it constructs for itself, and the chrysalis. A full account of the life-history may be found in the "Fifth Missouri Report" from the pen of the late C.V. Riley. The caterpillar feeds on _Croton capitatum_.

The insect ranges from Illinois and Nebraska to Texas.

(2) =Pyrrhanæa morrisoni=, Edwards, Plate XXIV, Fig. 2, ♀ (Morrison's Goatweed Butterfly).

_Butterfly_, ♂.--Much like _P. andria_, but more brilliantly and lustrously red on the upper side, and marked with paler macular bands like the female.

♀.--Differing from the female of _P. andria_ in the more macular, or spotted, arrangement of the light bands on the wings, as is well shown in the plate. Expanse, 2.25-2.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species occurs in Arizona and Mexico.

(3) =Pyrrhanæa portia=, Fabricius, Plate XXIV, Fig. 3, ♂ (Portia).

_Butterfly._--Splendid purplish-red on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are laved with bright yellow on the basal and inner marginal tracts, and the secondaries are dark brown, irrorated with blackish scales arranged in spots and striæ. Expanse, 2.75-3.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Portia_ occurs in the extreme southern part of Florida and in the Antilles.

Genus AGERONIA, Hübner

(The Calicoes)

_Butterfly._--The antennæ moderately long, delicate, terminated in a gradually thickened club. The eyes are naked; the palpi are compressed, only slightly porrect, not densely covered with scales. The neuration is alike in both sexes, the costal and the median veins greatly thickened toward the base. The first and second subcostals arise from before the end of the cell; the fourth and fifth subcostals arise from a common stem emitted from the third subcostal beyond the end of the cell. The cells in both the fore and hind wings are closed. The butterflies are of medium or large size, curiously marked with checkered spots, blue and white, with broad paler shades on the under side of the secondaries. They are rapid fliers and are said to alight on the trunks of trees with their wings expanded and their heads down. When flying they emit a clicking sound with their wings.

_Early Stages._--Very little is known of these.

The chrysalids are slender and have two ear-like tubercles on the head.

This genus is, strictly speaking, neotropical. About twenty-five species have been described from Central and South America, some of them being exceedingly beautiful and rich in color. The two species credited to our fauna are reported as being occasionally found in Texas. I have specimens of one of the species which certainly came from Texas. I cannot be so sure of the other.

(1) =Ageronia feronia=, Linnæus, Plate XXIV, Fig. 4, ♂ (The White-skirted Calico).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished from the only other species of the genus found in our fauna by the white ground-color of the under side of the hind wings. Expanse, 2.50 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This remarkable insect is said to be occasionally found in Texas.

(2) =Ageronia fornax=, Hübner, Plate XXIV, Fig. 5, ♂, _under side_ (The Orange-skirted Calico).

_Butterfly._--Closely resembling the preceding species on the upper side, but at once distinguished by the orange-yellow ground-color of the under side of the hind wing. Expanse, 2.60 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Like its congener, _A. fornax_ is reported only from the hotter parts of Texas.

Genus VICTORINA, Blanchard

(The Malachites)

_Butterfly._--Large butterflies, curiously and conspicuously marked with light-greenish spots upon a darker ground; wings upon the under side marbled with brown about the spots and having a satiny luster. The third median nervule of the fore wing is very strongly bowed upward. The cells of both wings are open. The hind wing is tailed at the end of the third median nervule. The two first subcostals arise before the end of the cell; the fourth and fifth spring from a common stem which is emitted from the third beyond the end of the cell, as the cut shows.

_Early Stages._--We know nothing of these.

This genus, in which are reckoned five species, all found in the tropics of the New World, is represented by but a single species in our fauna, which occurs in southwestern Texas and in Florida. It is very common in the West Indies and Central America.

(1) =Victorina steneles=, Linnæus, Plate XXIV, Fig. 6, ♂ (The Pearly Malachite).

This splendid insect is occasionally found in southern Florida and the extreme southern part of Texas. It is common throughout tropical America. Nothing has ever been written upon its early stages.

FOSSIL INSECTS

Investigations within comparatively recent times have led to the discovery of a host of fossil insects. A few localities in Europe and in North America are rich in such remains, and the number of species that have been described amounts to several thousands. Strangely enough, some of these fossil insects are very closely allied in form to species that are living at the present time, showing the extreme antiquity of many of our genera. One of the comparatively recent discoveries has been the fossil remains of a butterfly which Dr. Scudder, who has described it, declares to be very near to the African _Libythea labdaca_, which differs in certain minor anatomical respects from the American Libytheas which are figured in this work; and Dr. Scudder has therefore proposed a new generic name, _Dichora_, meaning "an inhabitant of two lands," which he applies to the African species because related to the extinct American butterfly. The strange discoveries, which have been made by palæontologists as to the huge character of many of the mammals, birds, and reptiles which at one time tenanted the globe, are paralleled by recent discoveries made in insect-bearing strata in France. M. Charles Brongniart of the Paris Museum is preparing an account of the collection which he has made at Commentry, and among the creatures which he proposes to figure is an insect which is regarded by Brongniart as one of the forerunners of our dragon-flies, which had an expanse of wing of two feet, a veritable giant in the insect world.

Of fossil butterflies there have thus far been discovered sixteen species. Of these, six belong to the subfamily of the _Nymphalidæ_, and five of the six were found in the fossiliferous strata of Florissant, Colorado. Two species belong to the subfamily _Satyrinæ_, both occurring in deposits found in southern France, and representing genera more nearly allied to those now found in India and America than to the _Satyrinæ_ existing at the present time in Europe. One of the fossils to which reference has already been made belongs to the subfamily of the _Libytheinæ_. The remainder represent the subfamilies of the _Pierinæ_, the _Papilioninæ_, and the family _Hesperiidæ_.

It is remarkable that the butterflies which have been found in a fossil state show a very close affinity to genera existing at the present time, for the most part, in the warmer regions of the earth. Though ages have elapsed since their remains were embedded in the mud which became transformed into stone, the processes of life have not wrought any marked structural changes in the centuries which have fled. This fixity of type is certainly remarkable in creatures so lowly in their organization.

SUBFAMILY SATYRINÆ (THE SATYRS)

"Aught unsavory or unclean
Hath my insect never seen;
But violets and bilberry bells,
Maple-sap and daffodils,
Grass with green flag half-mast high,
Succory to match the sky,
Columbine with horn of honey,
Scented fern and agrimony,
Clover, catch-fly, adder's-tongue
And brier-roses dwelt among."

EMERSON.

The butterflies belonging to this subfamily are, for the most part, of medium size, and are generally obscure in color, being of some shade of brown or gray, though a few species within our territory are brightly colored. Gaily colored species belonging to this subfamily are more numerous in the tropics of both hemispheres. The wings are very generally ornamented, especially upon the under side, by eye-like spots, dark, pupiled in the center with a point of lighter color, and ringed around with one or more light circles. They are possessed of a weak flight, flitting and dancing about among herbage, and often hiding among the weeds and grasses. Most of them are forest-loving insects, though a few inhabit the cold and bleak summits of mountains and grassy patches near the margins of streams in the far North, while some are found on the treeless prairies of the West. In the warmer regions of the Gulf States a few species are found which have the habit of flitting about the grass of the roadsides and in open spaces about houses. The veins of the fore wings are generally greatly swollen at the base, enabling them thus to be quickly distinguished from all other butterflies of this family.

The eggs, so far as we have knowledge of them, are subspherical, somewhat higher than broad, generally ribbed along the sides, particularly near the apex, and rounded at the base, which is generally broader than the apex.

The caterpillars at the time of emergence from the egg have the head considerably larger than the remainder of the body; but when they have reached maturity they are cylindrical, tapering a little from the middle to either end. They are bifurcated at the anal extremity, a character which enables them to be distinguished at a glance from the larvæ of all other American butterflies except those of the genus _Chlorippe_. They are mostly pale green or light brown in color, ornamented with stripes along the sides. They feed upon grasses and sedges, lying in concealment during the daytime, and emerging at dusk to take their nourishment.

The chrysalids are rather stout in form, but little angulated, and without any marked prominences or projections. They are green or brown in color. Most of them are pendant, but a few forms pupate at the roots of grasses or under stones lying upon the ground.

The butterflies of this subfamily have been arranged, so far as they are represented in the faunal region of which this book treats, in nine genera, which include about sixty species. It is quite possible that a number of species still remain to be discovered and described, though it is also true that some of the so-called species are likely to prove in the end little more than local races or varieties.

Genus DEBIS, Westwood

(The Eyed Nymphs)

"The wild bee and the butterfly
Are bright and happy things to see,
Living beneath a summer sky."

ELIZA COOK.

_Butterfly._--Characterized by the stout but not greatly swollen costal vein of the fore wing, by the rather short costal vein of the hind wing, which terminates before quite reaching the outer angle, by the great length of the lower discocellular vein of the fore wing, and by the prolongation of the outer margin of the hind wing at the end of the third median nervule. The outer margin of the fore wing is either rounded or slightly excavated. The palpi are long and narrow, thickly clothed with hairs below; the antennæ are moderately long, gradually thickening toward the tip, without a well-marked club; the fore legs in both sexes greatly atrophied.

_Egg._--Flattened spheroidal, broadly truncated at the base, the surface smooth.

_Caterpillar._--Body long, slender, tapering from the middle; the head cleft, each half being produced upward as a conical horn; the anal segment provided with a pair of horns similar to those of the head, produced longitudinally backward.

_Chrysalis._--Strongly convex dorsally, concave ventrally, with a stout tubercular eminence on the thorax, without any other projecting tubercles or eminences; light green in color.

This genus is large, and is well represented in Asia and the Indo-Malayan region. I cannot see any good ground for generically separating the two species found in North America from their congeners of Asiatic countries, as has been done by some writers.

(1) =Debis portlandia=, Plate XVIII, Fig. 20, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 16, _larva_; Plate IV, Fig. 6, _chrysalis_ (The Pearly Eye).

_Butterfly._--The butterfly, the male of which is well depicted as to its upper side on the plate, does not differ greatly in the sexes. The hind wings on the under side are marked with a series of beautiful ocelli. In the North the insect is single-brooded; in the region of West Virginia and southward it is double-brooded. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--The illustrations give a good idea of the mature larva and the chrysalis. The caterpillar, like most of the _Satyrinæ_, feeds upon grasses.

The range of this pretty insect is extensive, it being found from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico, and westward to the Rocky Mountains.

(2) =Debis creola=, Skinner, Plate XVIII, Fig. 18, ♂; Fig. 19, ♀ (The Creole).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished from the preceding species by the elongated patches of dark raised scales upon the fore wings, situated on the interspaces between the median nervules. The female has more yellow upon the upper side of the fore wings than _D. portlandia_. Expanse, 2.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Creola_ ranges from Florida to Mexico along the Gulf.

Genus SATYRODES, Scudder

(The Grass-nymphs)

_Butterfly._--The head is moderately large; the eyes are not prominent, hairy; the antennæ are about half as long as the costa of the fore wing, not distinctly clubbed, gradually thickening toward the extremity. The palpi are slender, compressed, hairy below, with the last joint rather short and pointed. The fore and hind wings are evenly rounded on the outer margin. The costal vein of the fore wing is thickened, but not greatly swollen. The first and second subcostals are emitted well before the end of the cell, the third beyond it, and the fourth and fifth from a common stem, both terminating below the apex. The upper discocellular vein is wanting, and the upper radial, therefore, springs from the upper angle of the cell of the fore wing.

_Egg._--Flattened spheroidal, broader than high, flat at the base and rounded above.

_Caterpillar._--The head is full, the summit of either half produced upward and forward into a slender, conical horn. The body is nearly cylindrical, tapering backward, the last segment furnished with two pointed, backward projections, resembling the horns of the head.

_Chrysalis._--Relatively longer and more slender than in the preceding genus, with the thoracic prominence more acute and the head more sharply pointed.

This genus was erected to receive the single species which, until the present time, is its sole representative.

(1) =Satyrodes canthus=, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XXV, Fig. 1, ♂; Plate III, Fig. 9, _larva_; Plate IV, Fig. 9, _chrysalis_ (The Common Grass-nymph).

_Butterfly._--It always haunts meadows and hides among the tufts of tall grasses growing in moist places. It is rather common in New England and the Northern States generally. It is found in Canada and is reported from the cool upper mountain valleys in the Carolinas. It has a weak, jerking flight, and is easily taken when found. Expanse, 1.65-1.90 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have been well described by various writers. The caterpillar feeds upon grasses.

Genus NEONYMPHA, Westwood

(The Spangled Nymphs)

"Oh! the bonny, bonny dell, whaur the primroses won,
Luikin' oot o' their leaves like wee sons o' the sun;
Whaur the wild roses hing like flickers o' flame,
And fa' at the touch wi' a dainty shame;
Whaur the bee swings ower the white-clovery sod,
And the butterfly flits like a stray thoucht o' God."

MACDONALD.

_Butterfly._--Eyes hairy. The costal and median veins of the fore wings are much swollen at the base. The palpi are thin, compressed, thickly clothed below with long hairs. The antennæ are comparatively short, gradually thickening toward the outer extremity, and without a well-defined club. Both the fore wing and the hind wing have the outer margin evenly rounded.

_Egg._--Globular, flattened at the base, marked with irregular polygonal cells.

_Caterpillar._--The head is large, rounded, the two halves produced conically and studded with little conical papillæ. The last segment of the body is bifurcate.

_Chrysalis._--Relatively long, strongly produced at the vertex; elevated on the thorax into a blunt tubercular prominence; green in color.

This genus, which has by some writers been sunk into the genus _Euptychia_, Hübner, is quite extensive. Nearly two hundred species are included in _Euptychia_, which is enormously developed in the tropical regions of the New World. Seven species of _Neonympha_ are found within the region of which this book treats.

(1) =Neonympha gemma=, Hübner, Plate XXV, Fig. 2, ♂, _under side_ (The Gemmed Brown).

_Butterfly._--Upon the upper side the wings are pale mouse-gray, with a couple of twinned black spots on the outer margin of the hind wings. On the under side the wings are reddish-gray, marked with irregular ferruginous lines. Near the outer margin of the hind wings is a row of silvered spots, the spots corresponding in location to the dark marginal spots being expanded into a violet patch marked in the middle by a twinned black spot centered with silver. Expanse, 1.25-1.35 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have been beautifully described and figured by Edwards in the third volume of "The Butterflies of North America."

The egg is somewhat globular, rather higher than wide, flattened at the base, and marked with numerous shallow reticulated depressions. The caterpillar of the spring brood is pale green, of the fall brood pale brown, marked respectively with numerous longitudinal stripes of darker green or brown. It has two long, elevated, horn-like projections upon the head, and on the anal segment two similar projections pointing straight backward. The chrysalis is small, green, or brown, strongly bifid at the head. The caterpillar feeds on grasses.

The insect ranges from West Virginia to Mexico.

(2) =Neonympha henshawi=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 8, ♂ (Henshaw's Brown).

_Butterfly._--Much like _N. gemma_, but considerably larger and decidedly reddish upon the upper side of the wings. Expanse, 1.65 inch.

_Early Stages._--Mr. Edwards has figured the egg, which is different in shape from that of the preceding species, being broader than high, subglobular, flattened broadly at the base, green in color, and almost devoid of sculpturings upon its surface. Of the other stages we know nothing.

Henshaw's Butterfly ranges through southern Colorado into Mexico.

(3) =Neonympha phocion=, Fabricius, Plate XXV, Fig. 7, ♂, _under side_; Plate III, Fig. 8, _larva_; Plate IV, Figs. 10 and 11 (The Georgian Satyr).

_Butterfly._--The upper side is immaculate gray; beneath pale, with two ferruginous transverse lines. Between these lines is a ferruginous line on each wing, rudely describing a circle. In the circle on the fore wing are three or four eye-spots with a blue pupil and a yellow iris; in the circle on the hind wing are six eye-spots which are oblong and have the pupil oval. Expanse, 1.25 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have been fully described, and are not unlike those of other species of the genus. The caterpillar feeds on grasses.

The insect ranges from New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico as far west as Texas.

(4) =Neonympha eurytus=, Fabricius, Plate XXV, Fig. 4, ♂; Plate III, Figs. 3, 6, 10, 13, 14, _larva_; Plate IV, Fig. 28, _chrysalis_ (The Little Wood-satyr).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished from other species in our fauna by the presence of two more or less perfectly developed ocelli on the upper side of the fore wing and also of the hind wing. Expanse, 1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--This is a rather common butterfly, the larval stages of which have been fully described by various authors. The egg is even taller in proportion to its breadth than that of _N. gemma_, which it otherwise closely resembles in outline and sculpturing. The caterpillar is pale brown, conformed in general form to that of other species of the genus, but somewhat stouter. It feeds on grasses. The chrysalis is pale brown, mottled with darker brown.

The insect ranges through Canada and the United States to Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas.

(5) =Neonympha mitchelli=, French, Plate XXV, Fig. 6, ♂, _under side_ (Mitchell's Satyr).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished from the other species of the genus by the eye-spots on the under side of the wings, four on each of the primaries and six on each of the secondaries, arranged in a straight series on the outer third, well removed from the margin. These spots are black, ringed about with yellow and pupiled with blue.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The species is local, and thus far is recorded only from northern New Jersey, near Lake Hopatcong, and the State of Michigan. No doubt it occurs elsewhere, but has been overlooked by collectors.

(6) =Neonympha sosybius=, Fabricius, Plate XXV, Fig. 5, ♂, _under side_ (The Carolinian Satyr).

_Butterfly._--The upper surface is immaculate dark mouse-gray. On the under side the wings are paler, with three transverse undulatory lines, one defining the basal, the other the median area, and one just within the margin. Between the last two are rows of ocelli. The spots in these rows are obscure, except the first on the primaries and the second and last two on the secondaries, which are black, ringed about with yellow and pupiled with blue.

The female is like the male, but a trifle larger.

_Early Stages._--These have been described by Edwards, French, and Scudder, and do not differ strikingly from those of other species.

The species ranges from the latitude of New Jersey southward, throughout the southern half of the Mississippi Valley to Mexico and Central America.

(7) =Neonympha rubricata=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 3, ♂ (The Red Satyr).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished by its much redder color from all its congeners, among which it has its closest ally in _N. eurytus_. It has an eye-spot near the apex of the fore wing, and one near the anal angle of the hind wing. The basal area of the primaries beneath is bright reddish; the secondaries on this side are gray, crossed by two transverse lines as in the preceding species, and a double submarginal line. On the fore wings the double submarginal line is repeated, and in addition there is another line which runs upward from just before the inner angle to the costa, at about one third of its length from the apex. The eye-spots of the upper side reappear below, and in addition there is another near the outer angle of the secondaries, and a few silvery well-defined ocelli between the two on the secondaries.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The Red Satyr is found in Texas, Arizona, Mexico, and Central America.

Genus COENONYMPHA, Westwood

(The Ringlets)

"There is a differency between a grub and a butterfly; yet your
butterfly was a grub."--SHAKESPEARE.

_Butterfly._--Small butterflies. The costal, median, and submedian veins are all strongly swollen. The palpi are very heavily clothed with hairs, the last joint quite long and porrect. The antennæ are short, delicate, gradually but distinctly clubbed. The eyes are naked. Both wings on the outer margin are evenly rounded.

_Egg._--The egg is conical, truncated, flat on the top, rounded at the base, with the sides marked with numerous low, narrow ribs, between which are slight cross-lines, especially toward the apex.

_Caterpillar._--The head is globular; the body is cylindrical, tapering gradually backward, furnished in the last segment with two small horizontal cone-shaped projections.

_Chrysalis._--Ventrally straight, dorsally convex, strongly produced in a rounded, somewhat keeled eminence over the thorax; pointed at the end. Generally green or light drab in color, with dark markings on the sides of the wing-cases.

This genus is distributed throughout the temperate regions both of the Old and the New World, and includes in our fauna a number of forms, the most of which are peculiar to the Pacific coast.

(1) =Coenonympha california=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XXV, Fig. 14, ♀; form =galactinus=, Boisduval, Plate XXV, Fig. 9, ♂; form =eryngii=, Henry Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 10, ♂ (The California Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--This little species is to be distinguished from its near allies by its white color. The form _galactinus_ is the winter form; the form _california_ the summer form. The former is characterized by the darker color of the hind wings on the under side and the more prominent development of the marginal ocelli. The form _eryngii_ is simply a yellower form, with less dark shading on the under side.

_Early Stages._--These have been most carefully and beautifully worked out by Edwards, and the reader, for a full knowledge of them, may consult the splendid plate in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. iii.

The species ranges from Vancouver's Island southward on the Pacific coast and eastward into Nevada.

(2) =Coenonympha elko=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 25, ♀, _under side_; Fig. 26, ♂ (The Elko Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--Yellow on both sides of the wings, the lower side paler than the upper, and the basal area lightly clouded with fuscous.

_Early Stages._--Undescribed.

This species is found in Nevada and Washington.

(3) =Coenonympha inornata=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 13, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 29, ♂ (The Plain Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--The wings on the upper side are ochreous-brown, lighter on the disk. The costal margin of the fore wings and the outer margin of both fore and hind wings are gray. The ocellus at the apex of the fore wings on the under side is faintly visible on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are colored as on the upper side as far as the termination of the discal area, which is marked by a narrow transverse band of pale yellow, followed by a conspicuous ocellus. The hind wings are gray, darkest toward the base, behind the irregular whitish transverse band which crosses the outer portion of the disk.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

The species occurs in Montana, Minnesota, British America, and Newfoundland. Newfoundland specimens, of which I possess a large series, are distinctly darker in color than those taken in the Northwest. Some recent writers are inclined to regard this as a variety of the European _C. typhon_. I am persuaded that they are mistaken.

(4) =Coenonympha ochracea=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♂, _under side_ (The Ochre Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--Glossy ochreous, yellow above, with no markings but those which show through from below. On the under side the wings are marked precisely as in the preceding species, except that there are two or three small rays on the secondaries near the base, one on the cell and one on either side of it, of the same tint as the discal transverse band, and in some specimens there is a series of incomplete marginal ocelli on the hind wings.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Ochracea_ ranges from British Columbia to Arizona, as far east as Kansas.

(5) =Coenonympha ampelos=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 21, ♂, _under side_; Fig. 30, ♂ (The Ringless Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--Distinguished from its allies by the total absence of ocelli on both wings, above and below. Otherwise the species is very near _ochracea_.

_Early Stages._--These have been described with minute accuracy by Edwards in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xix, p. 41.

_Ampelos_ occurs from Nevada and Montana westward to Vancouver's Island.

(6) =Coenonympha kodiak=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 22, ♀ (The Alaskan Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--Much darker both on the upper and under sides than _C. california_, which in many other respects it resembles. The figure in the plate is that of the type. It is as yet rare in collections.

_Early Stages._--Nothing is known of these. It is found in Alaska.

(7) =Coenonympha pamphiloides=, Reakirt, Plate XXV, Fig. 27, ♀, _under side_; Fig. 31, ♂ (The Utah Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--Rather larger than the other species of the genus found in North America. Easily distinguished by the marginal row of ocelli on the secondaries, which are always present, though often "blind," that is to say, without a distinct dark pupil. The author of the species named it from a supposed likeness to the European _C. pamphilus_. The resemblance is only superficial. _C. pamphilus_ is a much smaller insect and much more plainly marked, judging from the large series of specimens I have received from various European localities. _Pamphilus_ has no eye-spots on the hind wings. They are a conspicuous feature of _pamphiloides_, more so than in any other North American species except _C. haydeni_.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Habitat, Utah and California.

(8) =Coenonympha haydeni=, Plate XXV, Fig. 24, ♂, _under side_ (Hayden's Ringlet).

_Butterfly._--Dark immaculate mouse-gray on the upper side. On the under side the wings are pale hoary gray, with the hind wings adorned by a marginal series of small ocelli, black, ringed about with yellow and pupiled with pale blue.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Hayden's Ringlet is found in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Genus EREBIA, Dalman

(The Alpines)

"Then we gather, as we travel,
Bits of moss and dirty gravel,
And we chip off little specimens of stone;
And we carry home as prizes
Funny bugs of handy sizes,
Just to give the day a scientific tone."

CHARLES EDWARD CARRYL.

_Butterfly._--Medium-sized or small butterflies, dark in color, wings marked on the under side with eye-like spots; the antennæ short, with a gradually thickened club. The eyes are naked. The costal vein of the fore wing is generally strongly swollen at the base. The subcostal vein is five-branched; the first two nervules generally emitted before the end of the cell; the third nearer the fourth than the end of the cell; the fourth and fifth nervules spring from a common stem, the fourth terminating immediately on the apex. The lower radial is frequently projected inwardly into the cell from the point where it intersects the union of the middle and lower discocellular veins. The outer margins of both wings are evenly rounded.

_Egg._--Subconical, flattened at the base and at the top, the sides marked by numerous raised vertical ridges, which occasionally branch or intersect each other.

_Caterpillar._--The head is globular, the body cylindrical, tapering gradually backward from the head, the last segment slightly bifurcate.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is formed about the roots of grass and on the surface of the ground, either lying loosely there or surrounded by a few strands of silk. The chrysalis is convex, both ventrally and dorsally, humped on the thorax, produced at the head; all the projections well rounded. The chrysalids are generally some shade of light brown or ashen-gray, with darker stripes and spots. This genus is arctic, and only found in the cooler regions of the North or upon elevated mountain summits. A few species range downward to lower levels in more temperate climates, but these are exceptional cases.

(1) =Erebia discoidalis=, Kirby, Plate XXV, Fig. 19, ♂ (The Red-streaked Alpine).

_Butterfly._--Easily distinguished by the plain black wings, relieved by a reddish-brown shade on the disk of the primaries on the upper side.

_Early Stages._--Hitherto undescribed.

This species is found in the far North. My specimens came from the shores of Hudson Bay.

(2) =Erebia disa=, var. =mancinus=, Doubleday and Hewitson, Plate XXV, Fig. 23, ♂ (The Alaskan Alpine).

_Butterfly._--The wings are dark brown on the upper side. On the outer third below the apex are three or four black ocelli, broadly ringed with red and pupiled with white. The upper ocellus is generally bipupiled, that is to say, the black spot is twinned, and there are two small light spots in it. On the under side the fore wings are as on the upper side. The hind wings are broadly sown with gray scales, giving them a hoary appearance. The base is more or less gray, and there is a broad, regularly curved mesial band of dark gray, which in some specimens is very distinct, in others more or less obsolete. The female does not differ from the male, except that the ocelli on the fore wings are larger and more conspicuous.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species is found in Alaska and on the mountains of British Columbia.

(3) =Erebia callias=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 20, ♂ (The Colorado Alpine).

_Butterfly._--Pale brown on the upper side, with a more or less indistinctly defined broad transverse band of reddish on the outer third of the fore wings. At the apical end of this band are two black ocelli, pupiled with white. The fore wings on the under side are reddish, with the costa and outer margin grayish. The ocelli on this side are as on the upper side. The hind wings are gray, dusted with brown scales and crossed by narrow, irregular, dark-brown subbasal, median, and submarginal lines.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

This species is not uncommon on the high mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. It is regarded as a variety of the European _E. tyndarus_, Esper, by many. All the specimens of _tyndarus_ in my collection, and there are many, lack the ocelli on the fore wing, or they are very feebly indicated on the under side. Otherwise the two forms agree pretty closely.

(4) =Erebia epipsodea=, Plate XXV, Fig. 28, ♂ (The Common Alpine).

_Butterfly._--The wings are dark brown on the upper side, with four or five black ocelli, pupiled with white and broadly surrounded by red near the outer margin of the fore wings, and with three or four similar ocelli located on the upper side of the hind wings. The spots on the upper side reappear on the under side, and in addition the hind wings are covered by a broad curved median blackish band.

_Early Stages._--These have been carefully described by Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. iii, and by H.H. Lyman in the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xxviii, p. 274. The caterpillar feeds on grasses.

The species ranges from New Mexico (at high elevations) northward to Alaska. It is common on the mountains of British Columbia.

(5) =Erebia sofia= Strecker (=ethela=, Edwards), Plate XXV, Fig. 18, ♀ (Sofia).

_Butterfly._--Dark brown on the upper side, with an even submarginal band of red spots on the primaries, and five similar spots on the secondaries, the last two of the latter somewhat distant from each other and from the first three, which are nearer the outer angle. On the under side the primaries are reddish, with the submarginal band as on the upper side, but paler. On the secondaries, which are a little paler below than above, the spots of the upper side are repeated, but they are yellowish-white, standing forth conspicuously upon the darker ground-color.

_Early Stages._--Hitherto undescribed.

_Sofia_ has been found at Fort Churchill in British America, in the Yellowstone National Park, and in a few localities in Colorado. It is still rare in collections. The figure in the plate is that of the female type of Edwards' _ethela_, _ethela_ being a synonym for _sofia_.

(6) =Erebia magdalena=, Strecker, Plate XXV, Fig. 17, ♂ (Magdalena).

_Butterfly._--Uniformly dark blackish-brown on both sides of the wings, with no spots or markings.

_Early Stages._--These have been partially described and figured by Edwards.

This species has thus far been found only in Colorado at an elevation of from ten to twelve thousand feet above sea-level.

There are two or three other species of this obscure genus, but they are rare boreal insects, of which little is as yet known.

Genus GEIROCHEILUS, Butler

_Butterfly._--Medium-sized butterflies, dark in color, with light eye-like spots on the primaries and brown borders on the secondaries. The antennæ are short, with a gradually tapering club; the palpi are long, slender, compressed, well clothed with scales on the lower surface. The costa of the fore wings is strongly arched, the outer margin evenly rounded, the outer margin of the hind wings regularly scalloped. The costal vein of the primaries is somewhat thickly swollen at the base.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

(1) =Geirocheilus tritonia=, Edwards, Plate XVIII, Fig. 21, ♂ (Tritonia).

_Butterfly._--The wings of the upper side are dark brown, with a submarginal row of white-centered ocelli below the apex of the primaries. The secondaries are marked with a submarginal band of red. On the under side the fore wings are as on the upper side. The hind wings have the submarginal band purplish-red, irrorated with whitish and dark-brown scales, on the inner edge relieved by a number of imperfectly developed ocelli, which are partially ringed about on the side of the base by pale yellow.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Tritonia_ occurs in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

Genus NEOMINOIS, Scudder

_Butterfly._--Medium-sized, with the costa and inner margin of the fore wing straight, the outer margin of the same wing evenly rounded. The hind wings have the outer margin evenly rounded, and the costal margin quite strongly produced, or bent at an angle, just above the origin of the costal vein. The inner margin is straight. The costal vein of the fore wing is slightly swollen. The costal margin at the extremity of the second costal nervule is slightly bent inward; the upper discocellular vein is wanting; the lower radial vein is emitted from the lower discocellular a little below the point at which it unites with the middle discocellular. The middle discocellular of the hind wing appears as an inward continuation of the lower radial for some distance, when it bends upward suddenly to the origin of the upper radial. The head is small; the antennæ are short, with a thin, gradually developed club; the palpi are slender, compressed, well clothed with long hairs below.

_Egg._--The egg is somewhat barrel-shaped, broader at the base than at the top, with the summit rounded. The sides are ornamented with fourteen or fifteen vertical raised ridges, which are quite broad, and sometimes fork or run into each other. On the sides these ridges seem to be regularly excised at their bases, and between them on the surface are many horizontal raised cross-lines, giving the depressed surface the appearance of being filled with shallow cells.

_Caterpillar._--The mature caterpillar has the head globular, the body cylindrical, gradually tapering backward, and provided with two very short conical anal horns.

_Chrysalis._--The chrysalis is formed under the surface of the earth; it is rounded, somewhat carinate, or keel-shaped, where the wing-cases unite on the ventral side. The head is rounded, the thorax strongly arched, the dorsal side of the abdomen very convex. On either side of the head are small clusters of fine processes shaped somewhat like an Indian club, the thickened part studded with little spur-like projections. These can only be seen under the microscope.

But two species of the genus are known within our faunal limits.

(1) =Neominois ridingsi=, Edwards, Plate XXV, Fig. 15, ♂ (Ridings' Satyr).

_Butterfly._--The upper side is well depicted in the plate. The under side is paler than the upper side, and the basal and median areas of both wings are profusely mottled with narrow pale-brown striæ, the secondaries crossed by a darker mesial band, the outer margin of which is sharply indented. Expanse, 1.50 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have been beautifully ascertained, described, and figured by Edwards in the third volume of "The Butterflies of North America." The egg, larva, and chrysalis agree with the generic description already given, which is based upon the researches of Edwards.

It is found in the Mountain States of the Pacific coast.

(2) =Neominois dionysius=, Scudder, Plate XXV, Fig. 16, ♂ (Scudder's Satyr).

_Butterfly._--Distinguished from the preceding species by the larger and paler submarginal markings on the upper side of the wings and the pale color of the basal tract in both wings. On the under side the median band of the secondaries is narrower and more irregularly curved than in _ridingsi_, with the dentations of the outer margin more sharply produced. Expanse, 1.90 inch.

_Early Stages._--Nothing has been written on the early stages, but no doubt they agree closely with those of the other species.

It is found in Utah, Colorado, and Arizona.

"Hast thou heard the butterflies,
What they say betwixt their wings?"

TENNYSON, _Adeline_.

Genus SATYRUS, Westwood

(The Wood-nymphs)

"Fluttering, like some vain, painted butterfly,
From glade to glade along the forest path."

ARNOLD, _Light of Asia_.

_Butterfly._--Butterflies of medium size, their wings marked with eye-like spots, or ocelli. Upon the upper surface they are generally obscurely colored of some shade of gray or brown, occasionally marked with bands of yellow. On the under side the wings are generally beautifully striated and spotted, with the eye-like spots more prominent. The costal vein at the base is greatly swollen; the median and submedian veins less so. The first and second subcostal nervules arise very near the end of the cell, slightly before it. The outer margin of the fore wing is evenly rounded; the outer margin of the hind wing somewhat scalloped; the head small, the eyes of moderate size, full, naked; the antennæ gradually thickening to a broadly rounded club, which is slightly depressed; the palpi slender, compressed, profusely clothed beneath with long hairs. The fore legs are very small.

_Egg._--Short, barrel-shaped, greatly diminishing in size on the upper half; truncated at the summit; the sides furnished with a large number of vertical ribs, not very high, with numerous delicate cross-lines between them. At the summit the ribs are connected by a waved, raised elevation.

_Caterpillar._--Head globular; body cylindrical, tapering from the middle forward and backward; provided with short and slender diverging anal horns.

_Chrysalis._--Shaped very much as in the genus _Debis_, from which it is hardly distinguishable. Generally green in color.

This genus includes numerous species which are more or less subject to varietal modifications. In the following pages I have treated as species a number of forms which by some writers are reckoned as mere varieties. Whether the view of those who regard these forms in the light of varieties is correct is not perfectly plain to me, and we cannot be sure until more extensive experiments in breeding have been carried out.

(1) =Satyrus pegala=, Fabricius, Plate XXVI, Fig. 18, ♀, _under side_ (The Southern Wood-nymph).

_Butterfly._--The largest species of the genus in our fauna, easily recognized by the broad yellow submarginal band on the primaries, marked with a single eye-spot in the male and two eye-spots in the female. The plate gives a correct idea of the under side of the wings. Expanse, 2.75 inches.

_Early Stages._--These have only been partially ascertained. The caterpillar, like all others of the genus, feeds on grasses.

This insect is found in the Gulf States and as far north as New Jersey, and is probably only a large Southern form of the next species.

(2) =Satyrus alope=, Fabricius, Plate XXVI, Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀; Plate III, Fig. 18, _larva_ (The Common Wood-nymph).

_Butterfly._--Closely resembling the preceding species, but only two thirds of its size. The figures in our plate give a correct idea of its appearance. The number of the ocelli is not constant, and occasionally specimens occur in which they are almost wanting. Several varietal forms have been described: _S. maritima_, from Long Island and Martha's Vineyard, in which the wings are smaller, the band inclined to orange-yellow, and the upper side of the wings is darker than in the typical form; and _S. texana_, from the extreme South, in which the ground-color of the wings is paler brown, the yellow band ochreous, and the spots on the under side of the hind wings larger than in the other forms.

(_a_) =Satyrus alope=, form =nephele=, Kirby, Plate XXVI, Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♀, _under side_; Plate IV, Figs. 7, 8, _chrysalis_ (The Clouded Wood-nymph).

This varietal form of _S. alope_, long held to be a species, but now known to be a dimorphic variety, is characterized by the partial or entire suppression of the yellow band on the primaries and the tendency of the eye-spots to become obsolete. It is the Northern form of the species, and is found in Canada, New England, and on the continent generally, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, north of the latitude of central New York and southward on the mountain masses of the Appalachian ranges.

(_b_) =Satyrus alope=, form =olympus=, Edwards, Plate XXVI, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♀, _under side_ (Olympus).

This form of _S. alope_ is common in the region west of the Mississippi. The males are a trifle darker and the females a shade paler than in the form _nephele_, which they closely approximate, and from which it would almost be impossible to separate them without a knowledge of the country whence they come.

(_c_) =Satyrus alope=, form =ariane=, Boisduval, Plate XXVI, Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♀, _under side_ (Ariane).

In _ariane_ we have a decidedly dwarfed form, in which the males and the females are quite dark. The ocelli, though small, are persistent, well defined, rarely showing a tendency to disappear completely. This form is found in British America, Oregon, and the northwestern portion of the United States.

(_d_) =Satyrus baroni=, Plate XXVI, Fig. 15, ♂; Fig. 16, ♂, _under side_ (Baron's Satyr).

This is another form, dark on the upper side and reddish below, in which the ocelli on the under side show a tendency to become obsolete, and in some specimens are wholly wanting.

There are other varietal forms, one of which, named _boöpis_ by Behr, is commonly found on the Pacific coast in northern California, Oregon, and Washington, and the ocelli, while prominent on the upper side of the wings, are almost obsolete below.

_Early Stages._--The early stages of _S. alope_ (typical form) and its variety _nephele_ have been well described by several authors. The caterpillar feeds on grasses. There is, however, a fine field for the entomologist to work out the causes of the rather remarkable variation to which the species is subject.

(3) =Satyrus gabbi=, Edwards, Plate XXVI, Fig. 17, ♀, _under side_ (Gabb's Satyr).

_Butterfly._--The male is dark reddish-brown, the female pale fawn. The ocelli in both sexes are very well developed on both sides of the wings. The anal series on the secondaries consists of three spots, of which the one in the middle is always large. Expanse, 2.25 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

Gabb's Satyr is found in Oregon and Utah.

(4) =Satyrus meadi=, Plate XXVI, Fig. 13, ♀; Fig. 14, ♂, _under side_ (Mead's Satyr).

_Butterfly._--This well-marked species is comparatively small, and may easily be distinguished from all others by the bright red on the limbal area above and on the middle area of the primaries below. Expanse, 1.60-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have been described and figured by Edwards in "The Butterflies of North America," vol. iii. The caterpillar is green, marked by paler stripes and lozenge-shaped spots of pale green on the side. The chrysalis is pale green. The egg is pale saffron. The caterpillars feed on grass.

Mead's Satyr ranges through Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Arizona.

(5) =Satyrus paulus=, Edwards, Plate XXVI, Fig. 19, ♂, _under side_ (The Small Wood-nymph).

_Butterfly._--A little smaller than _S. nephele_, dark brown above in both sexes, the fore wings always with two pupilate ocelli, one near the apex, the other near the inner angle, most conspicuously developed in the female. The secondaries have one or two spots of the same kind near the anal angle. On the under side the wings are pale reddish-brown, abundantly marked by transverse striæ. The primaries are marked with gray at the apex and on the outer margin, and have a submarginal and submedian transverse ferruginous line, between which the ocelli are located. The secondaries are crossed by a broad darker median band defined inwardly and outwardly by narrow dark lines. The outer third is pale gray, mottled with darker spots and lines, and traversed by a dark ferruginous submarginal line. Expanse, 1.75-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--Unknown.

_Paulus_ occurs in California and Nevada. It has been regarded as a variety of _sthenele_ by some writers; but I am convinced of its distinctness, though there is considerable resemblance.

(6) =Satyrus charon=, Edwards, Plate XXVI, Fig. 11, ♂; Fig. 12, ♀ (The Dark Wood-nymph).

_Butterfly._--The male is dark in color; the female is paler. There are two eye-spots on the fore wings in the usual location, indistinct on the upper, distinct on the lower side of the wings. The under sides of the wings are variable. In the type they are dark; in other specimens they are paler. They may or may not have ocelli on the secondaries. The form with obsolescent ocelli has been named _silvestris_ by Edwards. Both the fore and hind wings are abundantly and evenly marked by little striæ, and crossed on either side of the median area by obscure, irregular, transverse dark lines, either one or both of which may be wanting in some specimens. Expanse, 1.50-1.75 inch.

_Early Stages._--These have been described and beautifully figured by Edwards in the third volume of his great work, to which the reader may refer. The caterpillar is green, cylindrical, tapering before and behind, marked with longitudinal pale-yellow lines. The chrysalis is green or black, striped with narrow white lines. The egg is somewhat firkin-shaped, flat at the top and base, vertically ribbed, and honey-yellow. The larva feeds on grasses.

_Charon_ is found in the Northwest, ranging from British Columbia as far as New Mexico.

(7) =Satyrus oetus=, Boisduval, Plate XXVI, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♂, _under side_ (Boisduval's Satyr).

_Butterfly._--Larger than _charon_, paler on the upper side, especially in the female sex, in which the outer third of the primaries is reddish-fawn. On the under side the secondaries of the male are without ocelli, or at most faint traces of ocelli appear. In the female the ocelli near the anal angle of the secondaries are usually well developed. Expanse, 1.60-2.00 inches.

_Early Stages._--These await description.

The species is found in northern California.

(8) =Satyrus sthenele=, Boisduval, Plate XXVI, Fig. 20, ♂, _under side_ (The Least Wood-nymph).

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The Butterfly BookChapter IV: Books About North American Butterflies (6)

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