PYRAMEIS ATALANTA.
Plate III.—Fig. 7.
This richly-coloured butterfly, known in England as the Red Admiral, is very rare in the Canary Islands. The ground-colour of the upper surface of the fore-wings is a velvety black, shading off to brown at the base. A bright red oblique band crosses the wings, and four large oblong white spots, with four or five smaller ones, are grouped on the apex. These again are bordered by several faint blue spots, quite at the tip. The hind-wings are blackish brown, with a broad red margin, in which are four black dots, and some blue spots are marked on the lower angle of the wings. On the underside the fore-wings are black, with several steely blue lines, the red band across the centre being clearly defined. The apex of the wings is brownish yellow, marked with white. The hind-wings are most beautifully variegated with steely blue, black, and buff. The antennæ are long and slender, abruptly forming a knot at the end, which is tipped with white. The larva is dusky green in colour, with a yellow line running down its back and sides; it is sparingly coloured with short stubby hairs, and is found gregariously on the nettle-leaf. Gold spots are freely sprinkled over the brown chrysalis. The caterpillar stage lasts five or six weeks, the butterfly appearing in another three or four. The larva suspends itself by the tail, often wrapping itself in a nettle-leaf, on which it feeds. If the pupa is gathered from the nettles for breeding, it should be fastened in the cage in the same position, head downwards. Disappointment is often experienced in the number of butterflies that emerge from the chrysalis state, so many being attacked by ants, &c.
The caterpillars are found gregariously with the Callirhoe, which is the commonest species of Pyrameis found in the Islands. Among many reared, three only proved to be Atalanta butterflies. It is found in Teneriffe from January to June.