The butterfly guide

by W. J. Holland

Genus PARAMECERA Butler

There is only one species in this genus thus far known. The insect closely resembles those of the genus Satyrus, but may readily be told apart by the patch of heavy, dark, raised scales in the region of the median nervules of the fore wing. On the under side the insect is paler, ruddy, and the fore wings have a large pupilled eye-spot, followed by a blind, much smaller eye-spot at the apex. The hind wing has a pale mesial band bordered by darker lines and a submarginal row of eye-spots.

(1) Paramecera xicaque (Reakirt), [Plate LXXII], Fig. 2, ♂ (Reakirt’s Satyr).

The insect has an expanse of wing varying from 1.35-1.75 inch. It is not uncommon in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

Genus ŒNEIS Hübner
(The Arctics).

PL. LXXIV

Medium-sized butterflies, above some shade of light or dark brown; below marbled and mottled, often with a dark median band crossing both wings. The fringes are brown checkered with white. They live in the cold north or on the tops of high mountains. One of the best-known species is the White Mountain Butterfly, O. semidea, which exists on the summit of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. The eggs are ovate-spheroid, ribbed, and are laid on dry grasses near the spot where grass will grow in the following spring. The caterpillars, when mature, are cylindrical, tapering from the middle both ways, pale green or brown, with darker longitudinal stripes, feeding on grasses. The chrysalids are stout, a little angulated, and are formed, unattached, under stones or at the roots of grass in a slight depression where the caterpillar has deposited a few threads of silk.

There are a score or more of species in our fauna, of which most occur on the tops of high northern mountains or near the Arctic Circle.

PL. LXXV

(1) Œneis jutta (Hübner), [Plate LXXIV], Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀ (The Nova Scotian).

This species, found also in Europe, is one of the most conspicuous of its tribe. It is not uncommon in the State of Maine, ranging northward from Bangor through Nova Scotia, thence westward to Ottawa and the Hudson Bay country. Expanse 1.80-2.10 inches.

(2) Œneis semidea (Say), [Plate LXXV], Fig. 1, ♀ (The White Mountain Butterfly).

The wings are very thin and semi-translucent. Restricted to the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, and some of the alpine peaks in the Rocky Mountains. It is also found in Labrador, and no doubt in corresponding latitudes about Hudson Bay and westward. Expanse 1.75 inch.

PL. LXXVI

(3) Œneis katahdin Newcomb, [Plate LXXV], Fig. 2, ♂ (The Katahdin Butterfly).

Closely allied to the preceding species, from which it may be distinguished by its paler wings and the irregular dark band on the under side of the hind wings about their middle. Expanse 1.75 inch.

This insect in recent years has been found to inhabit the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine.

(4) Œneis macouni (Edwards), [Plate LXXVI], ♂. Type (Macoun’s Arctic).

More like O. jutta in the form of the wings, but differs in coloration. It belongs to a group of species included in this genus, most of which are found in the region of the Rocky Mountains, which are larger and yellower on the upper side of the wings than the two preceding species. Expanse 2.00-2.25 inches.

Not uncommon about Lake Nipigon, north of Lake Superior.

Subfamily LIBYTHEINÆ
(The Snout-butterflies).

These insects may readily be distinguished from all others by their long projecting palpi, and by the fact that the males have only four feet adapted to walking while the females have six, a fact which seems to ally them to the Erycinidæ. On the other hand, the chrysalis is pendent as in the Nymphalidæ. There is but one genus of the group represented in our faunal region.

Genus LIBYTHEA Fabricius
(The Snout-butterflies).

PL. LXXVII

Small butterflies, the palpi enormously produced in comparison with other butterflies. The fore wings are strongly excavated on the outer margin, and produced at the end of the lower radial. The hind wing is upwardly lobed at the base, excised before the outer angle, and the outer margin is somewhat scalloped. The egg is ovoid, nearly twice as high as wide, ribbed, every other rib being higher than the one beside it and increasing in height toward the top. The caterpillar has a small head, overarched by the anterior swollen segments; it lives upon the hackberry ( Celtis). The chrysalis has the abdomen conical, the head pointed, with two raised ridges running from the head on either side to the middle of the first segment of the abdomen; between these ridges is a low tubercle.

There are numerous species found in all parts of the world, but only three occur within our limits. Of these we figure the one which is most widely distributed.

(1) Libythea bachmani Kirtland, [Plate LXXVII], ♂ (The Common Snout-butterfly).

The figure we give will enable the student to immediately recognize the insect.

It ranges from New England and Ontario southward and westward over the whole country as far as Arizona and northern Mexico.

Family ERYCINIDÆ
(The Metal-marks).

This is a great family of small or rather less than medium-sized butterflies, which is found in both the eastern and western hemispheres, but is mostly confined to the American tropics, where there are known to be about a thousand species, some of them remarkably beautiful in their colors and markings. The males have the fore legs aborted as in the case of the Nymphalidæ, while the females have six legs for walking. In this respect they resemble the Lycænidæ. The chrysalids are not pendent as are those of all the insects which we have hitherto described in this book, but are held in place by a silken girdle, and are closely appressed to the supporting surface. The strongest mark of distinction from other butterflies is the fact that the precostal vein of the hind wing is located on the extreme inner margin of the wing and sends out a little free hook, very much as is the case in many of the moths. The antennæ are very long and slender, distinctly knobbed at the end. Many genera have the peculiarity when alighting of not folding their wings, but carrying them flat, and they have also the habit of hiding under leaves, like moths. Most of the species found in our region occur in the Southwestern States, two alone are found in the Eastern States.

Genus CHARIS Hübner
(The Metal-marks).

PL. LXXVIII

There are nearly fifty species of this genus found in the American tropics. There are but two species in the eastern parts of the United States, and two others in California. The figures we give will enable any one to tell apart the two species found in the Atlantic region.

(1) Charis cænius (Linnæus), [Plate LXXVIII], Fig. 3, ♂ (The Little Metal-mark).

Very small, brighter red on the under side than on upper. Wings both above and below spotted with small steely-blue metallic markings. Common in Florida, ranging northward to Virginia and westward to Texas. Expanse 0.75 inch.

(2) Charis borealis (Grote & Robinson), [Plate LXXVIII], Fig. 4, ♂ (The Northern Metal-mark).

Larger than the preceding species. Upper side sooty brown marked with blacker spots and a marginal and submarginal row of coppery red spots. On the under side the wings are light red with a multitude of small black spots arranged in transverse rows. The metallic spots of the upper side reappear below. Expanse 1.15 inch.

Range from New York to Illinois and Michigan and south to the Carolinas. Rare.

Genus APODEMIA Felder
(The Mormons).

There are about ten species of this genus confined mainly to the Southwestern States and northern Mexico. Some, like the one we figure, are quite small, others are larger, spreading as much as 1.50 inch. They are rather gayly colored, usually with the wings on the upper side checkered or spotted with red, black, and white, and lighter on the under side. None of them have metallic markings on either side.

(1) Apodemia palmeri (Edwards), [Plate LXXVIII], Fig. 2, ♂ (Palmer’s Mormon).

One of the smallest species of the genus, mouse-gray, spotted with white above; on the under side whitish gray, laved with pale red at the base of the fore wings, the spots of the upper side reappearing on this side. Expanse 0.75-0.95 inch.

Ranges from Utah to Mexico.

Genus POLYSTIGMA Salvin & Godman

There is thus far but one species known to belong to this genus, which is marked off from all others by the fact that the males have normally developed fore legs as well as the females, and thus are the “exception” in the family, “which proves the rule.”

(1) Polystigma nais (Edwards), [Plate LXXVIII], Fig. 1, ♂, Type (The Many-spot).

The lower side of the wings is pale red mottled with buff on the hind wings; the marks of the upper side reappear below and stand out boldly upon the paler ground. Expanse 1.00-1.25 inch.

P. nais occurs from Colorado to Mexico, east of the Rocky Mountains.

Family LYCÆNIDÆ
(The Hair-streaks, Coppers, and Blues).

Small butterflies. The males have the first pair of legs more or less aborted, and not adapted to walking. Many of the genera are brilliantly blue on the upper side of the wings, others are coppery red. In Africa there are numerous genera which mimic other butterflies in the form and color of their wings. The eggs are turban-shaped adorned with ridges, minute eminences, and networks of raised lines. Under the microscope some of them look like sea-urchins after the spines have fallen off. The caterpillars are slug-shaped, flat; and while most of them feed on vegetable matter a few feed on scale-insects and aphids, and some on the larvæ of ants. The latter are African and Oriental forms. The chrysalids are attached to the place where the caterpillar has pupated by a cincture or girdle.

The family is very large and is represented in all parts of the world, but there are probably more species in the American tropics than in any other quarter of the globe, unless it be in the Malaysian Archipelago and New Guinea, from which a host of species have been described in recent years.

A multitude of refinements in classification have been invented by recent authors and a lot of generic names have been proposed which in this book we shall in part ignore, as they are based upon such slight points that nobody but a man armed with a big microscope can make them out. They puzzle common people, and this book is for laymen and not for the supertechnical.

Genus EUMÆUS Hübner
(The Blue-spots).

PL. LXXIX

Medium-sized or small. Dark in color, with the borders on the upper and lower sides and the hind wings below beautifully adorned with spots of metallic blue or green. There are three species in the genus, two of which occur in our territory, E. atala, which we figure, and E. minyas, which may be distinguished from the former by its larger size.

(1) Eumæus atala (Poey), [Plate LXXIX], Fig. 1, ♂, under side (The Florida Blue-spot).

The figure accurately represents the lower side of this charming insect. Expanse 1.65-1.75 inch.

It is common in southern Florida and Cuba. The other species, E. minyas, which is much larger and equally beautifully marked, is found in southern Texas and thence ranges southward into Brazil.

Genus THECLA Fabricius
(The Hair-streaks).

Mostly small butterflies. On the upper side very often colored with iridescent blue, green, or purple, sometimes reddish or dark brown; on the under side marked with lines and spots variously arranged and often very strikingly colored. What has been said as to the eggs, larvæ, and chrysalids of the family apply as well to this as to many of the following genera, and need not be here repeated.

While students of this group have subdivided extensively, and with scientific propriety have erected a number of genera which are acceptable to specialists, there seems to the writer no need for going into these things in this book, as most of the distinctions drawn are too fine to be appreciated by any but specialists.

(1) Thecla halesus (Cramer), [Plate LXXIX], ♂ (The Great Purple Hair-streak).

The upper side is deep purplish blue, as shown in our figure; on the lower side the thorax is black spotted with white, the abdomen orange-red; the wings warm sepia spotted with crimson at their bases, in the males glossed with a stripe of metallic green on the fore wings, and in both sexes adorned at the anal angle by spots of metallic green, red, and iridescent blue. Expanse 1.35-1.50 inch.

Common in Central America and Mexico, ranging north through the hotter parts of the Gulf States, and has been recorded from southern Illinois. Occurs in southern California and Arizona. The larva feeds on mistletoe.

PL. LXXX

(2) Thecla m-album Boisduval & Leconte, [Plate LXXX], Fig. 1, ♂ (The White-M Hair-streak).

Smaller than the preceding species, bluer, and not inclined to greenish at base of wings on upper side; on under side fore wing crossed by a submarginal and a median line of white, continued on the hind wings, zigzagged at anal angle so as to look like an inverted M; near this is a rounded crimson patch; anal angle black glossed with blue. Expanse 1.35-1.45 inch.

Ranges from New Jersey and Wisconsin to Venezuela.

(3) Thecla crysalus Edwards, [Plate LXXX], Fig. 2, ♂ (The Colorado Hair-streak).

Upper side as in our figure, under side marked with white lines edged with brown. Orange spots of upper side reappear below, but at anal angle are transformed into red eye-spots pupilled with black and margined with metallic green. Expanse 1.50 inch.

Ranges from Colorado to eastern Arizona.

PL. LXXXI

(4) Thecla favonius Smith & Abbot, [Plate LXXXI], Fig. 1, ♂ (The Southern Hair-streak).

On the under side the wings are marked much as in T. m-album, but in the region of the median nervules is a rather broad transverse carmine streak inwardly edged with dark lines. Expanse 1.00-1.15 inch.

Found in the Gulf States and as far north as South Carolina.

(5) Thecla wittfeldi Edwards, [Plate LXXXI], Fig. 2, ♀, Type (Wittfeld’s Hair-streak).

On the lower side both wings are crossed beyond the middle by two parallel pale lines bordered with darker tints, and at the end of the cells have each a short whitish bar. The anal angle is adorned with blue scales, before which is a red eye-spot of large size, externally marked with black. Expanse 1.25-1.35 inch.

Found in the region of Indian River, Florida.

PL. LXXXII

(6) Thecla autolycus Edwards, [Plate LXXXII], Fig. 1, ♂ (The Texas Hair-streak).

The carmine spots on the under side of the wings are not arranged across the median nervules as in T. favonius, but are located in the vicinity of the anal angle crowning the black crescents near the inner end of the outer margin. Expanse 1.15-1.30 inch.

Ranges from Missouri and Kansas to Texas.

(7) Thecla melinus Hübner, [Plate LXXXII], Fig. 2, ♀ (The Common Hair-streak).

This common little butterfly may easily be recognized by its plain slaty upper surface, marked by a large black spot
crowned with crimson between the origin of the two tails on the hind wings. Expanse 1.10-1.20 inch.

The caterpillar feeds on hop vines. The insect is found throughout temperate North America, thence southward into Mexico and Central America on the highlands.

PL. LXXXIII

(8) Thecla grunus Boisduval, [Plate LXXXIII], Fig. 1, ♂ (Boisduval’s Hair-streak).

Wings on the upper side are as shown in our figure, but tawnier. On the under side the wings are pale tawny with transverse marginal and submarginal rows of small dark spots on both wings. Two or three of the marginal spots near the anal angle are conspicuously black crowned with a metallic green crescent. Expanse 1.10-1.20 inch.

The larva feeds upon the leaves of the live-oak ( Quercus chrysolepis). Found in California and Nevada.

(9) Thecla edwardsi Saunders, [Plate LXXXIII], Fig. 2, ♂ under side (Edwards’ Hair-streak).

Our figure shows the under side; on the upper side the wings are dark brown glossed with plumbeous, with a pale sex-mark on the fore wing of the male near the costa. Expanse 1.15 inch.

The caterpillar feeds upon the young leaves of various kinds of oak. The species ranges from Quebec westward to Colorado and is not uncommon in New England, New York, and western Pennsylvania.

(10) Thecla acadica Edwards, [Plate LXXXIII], Fig. 3, ♂ (The Acadian Hair-streak).

The wings on the under side are pale wood-brown, with a black bar at the end of the cells, and submarginal and median bands of small black spots surrounded with white; on the hind wings there is a submarginal row of red crescents, growing smaller from the anal angle toward the outer angle. Near the anal angle are two conspicuous black spots separated by a broad patch of bluish green scales. Expanse 1.15-1.25 inch.

The caterpillar feeds upon willows. The insect ranges from Quebec to Vancouver Island.

PL. LXXXIV

(11) Thecla calanus Hübner, [Plate LXXXIV], Fig. 1, ♂ (The Banded Hair-streak).

On the upper side resembling T. edwardsi, but warmer brown in color; on the under side wings are marked by fine white lines on the outer half, which are not broken as in T. edwardsi, but form continuous bands. Expanse 1.15 inch.

The larva feeds on oaks. The insect ranges from Quebec to Colorado and Texas, and is common in western Pennsylvania.

(12) Thecla liparops Boisduval & Leconte, [Plate LXXXIV], Fig. 2, ♀, under side (The Striped Hair-streak).

Dark brown on the upper side. On the under side the lines are arranged much as in T. edwardsi, but farther apart, quite narrow, and scarcely defining the darker bands between them. The spots at the anal angle are obscure and blackish. Expanse 1.15 inch.

The larva feeds on oaks, willows, wild plum, and many other plants. The insect ranges from Quebec through the northern Atlantic States as far west as Montana and Colorado, but is never common.

PL. LXXXV

(13) Thecla damon (Cramer), [Plate LXXXV], Fig. 2, ♂, under side; var. discoidalis Skinner, [Plate LXXXV], Fig. 1, ♂, upper side (Olive Hair-streak).

In our plate we have given in Fig. 1 a representation of the upper side of the form called discoidalis, which in the central part of the fore wing is broadly marked with reddish fulvous. In Fig. 2 we have a representation of the under side of typical T. damon. With the help of these figures the student may recognize both forms of the species.

The caterpillar feeds on the red cedar ( Juniperus virginiana). It is double-brooded in the North and triple-brooded in the South. The species ranges from Ontario to Texas over the whole eastern half of the United States.

(14) Thecla simæthis (Drury), [Plate LXXXV], Fig. 3, ♂ under side (The Brown-margined Hair-streak).

Closely resembling in many respects the preceding species, especially on the upper side, but the white band on the hind wings is straight and the outer margins are heavily marked with bright reddish brown. Expanse 0.85-1.00 inch.

This pretty species ranges from Texas well into South America.

(15) Thecla augustus Kirby, [Plate LXXXV], Fig. 4, ♀ (The Brown Elfin).

Brown above, paler below. The fore wings on the lower side are marked by a straight incomplete median band; the hind wings by an irregular curved median band. Back of these lines toward the base both wings are darker brown. Expanse 0.90 inch.

The insect is found in New England, thence northward and westward into the British possessions.

PL. LXXXVI

(16) Thecla niphon (Hübner), [Plate LXXXVI], Fig. 1, ♀, under side (The Banded Elfin).

Our cut gives an excellent idea of the markings of the under side. On the upper side the insect is plain reddish brown. Expanse 1.10 inch.

The caterpillars feed upon pines. The insect ranges from Nova Scotia to Colorado in the Northern States, and is only found in pine woods, but is never very abundant.

(17) Thecla irus (Godart), [Plate LXXXVI], Fig. 2, ♂ (The Hoary Elfin).

Grayish brown on the upper side, on the under side of the same color, but paler on the outer margins and darker toward the base; small crescents appear on the outer margins of the hind wings below, or they may be absent. Expanse 1.10 inch.

The larva feeds on young wild plums just after the petals of the flower have dropped away. The species ranges from the Atlantic to the Pacific in the latitude of New England.

(18) Thecla henrici Grote & Robinson, [Plate LXXXVI], Fig. 3, ♀ (Henry’s Hair-streak).

Very much like the preceding species, but with the outer half of the wings laved with reddish brown. The hind wings on the under side are blackish brown; on the basal half of the outer margin paler, the division between the dark and light shades being irregular and sharply defined. Expanse 1.00-1.10 inch.

This species, like the preceding, feeds on young plums. It ranges from Maine to West Virginia, and is not very common.

(19) Thecla læta Edwards, [Plate LXXXVI], Fig. 4, ♂ (Early Hair-streak).

Wings brown glossed with bright blue on the upper side; on the under side pale fawn, with a band of pale red spots on both wings about the middle, and a few similar spots on the outer and inner margins of the hind wings. Expanse 0.75-0.85 inch.

The species ranges from Quebec to southern New Jersey and westward and southward to West Virginia and Arizona. It is a rare species, and appears in the early spring.

PL. LXXXVII

(20) Thecla dumetorum Boisduval, [Plate LXXXVII], Fig. 1, ♂, under side (The Green White-spotted Hair-streak).

Dark fawn above; on the outer third of the wings often shaded with reddish; on the under side both wings are green, the fore wings with a short band of white spots on the outer third; the hind wings with a white spot on the costa beyond the middle and two or three conspicuous white spots near the anal angle. Expanse 1.10 inch.

The eggs are laid on the buds of Hosackia argophylla. The insect ranges from Oregon and California eastward as far as Colorado.

(21) Thecla behri Edwards, [Plate LXXXVII], Fig. 2, ♂, under side (Behr’s Hair-streak).

On the upper side the wings are broadly reddish fulvous on the disk, with the costa and outer margins of both wings broadly dark brown or black. The under side is accurately shown in our cut, and therefore needs no description. Expanse 1.10 inch.

This species is also found in Oregon and California, and ranges as far east as Colorado.

(22) Thecla titus (Fabricius), [Plate LXXXVII], Fig. 3, ♂, under side (The Coral Hair-streak).

On the upper side uniformly gray-brown, although occasionally specimens of the female sex have a few red spots on the hind wing at the anal angle. On the under side the hind wings have a conspicuous submarginal band of coral-red spots, as shown in our cut. Expanse 1.30 inch.

The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the wild cherry and wild plum. The insect ranges from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains and from Maine to the latitude of northern Georgia.

(23) Thecla clytie Edwards, [Plate LXXXVII], Fig. 4, ♂ (Clytie).

The upper side of this pretty little insect is well delineated in our figure. On the lower side the wings are white, with the usual marginal and transverse markings quite small and faint. Expanse .90 inch. The species occurs in Texas, Arizona, and northern Mexico.

Genus FENISECA Grote
(The Harvester).

PL. LXXXVIII

Small, bright orange-yellow on the upper side, the costal and outer margin of the fore wings and the basal half of the hind wings dark brown. On the under side more or less mottled with gray and brown, the markings of the upper side reappearing. Egg sub-globular, much wider than high, marked with a multitude of fine and indistinct raised ridges disposed in the form of polygonal cells. Caterpillar slug-shaped, covered with bristling spines, upon which it gathers the scales of the mealy bugs upon which it feeds. Chrysalis brown in color, showing a remarkable likeness to the face of a monkey, a phenomenon which also appears in the case of its allies of the genus Spalgis found in Africa and Asia, as the writer has pointed out.

Only one species of the genus is known.

(1) Feniseca tarquinius (Fabricius), [Plate LXXXVIII], Fig. 1, ♂ (The Harvester).

There is considerable variation in the size of the dark markings on the upper side of the wings, and in some specimens they almost entirely disappear. Expanse 1.30 inch. Ranges from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas, and through Mississippi valley.

Genus CHRYSOPHANUS Doubleday
(The Coppers).

Small butterflies with the upper side of the wings some shade of coppery red or orange, often glossed with deep purple. On the under side the wings are marked with a multitude of spots and lines. Egg hemispherical, flattened on the base, pitted above with polygonal or circular depressions. Larva slug-shaped, thickest in the middle and tapering either way, head very small. Chrysalid rounded at either end, and supported by a silken girdle a little forward of the middle.

The genus is found in both hemispheres. There are over a dozen species in the United States, five of which we have selected for illustration.

PL. LXXXIX

(1) Chrysophanus xanthoides (Boisduval), [Plate LXXXVIII], Fig. 2, ♂ (The Great Copper).

This is the largest species of the genus in America. On the under side the wings are creamy white, and the spots of the upper side reappear as black markings, which show forth very distinctly on the lighter ground. Expanse 1.50-1.65 inch.

The species is confined to the western half of the continent.

(2) Chrysophanus hypophlæas (Boisduval), [Plate LXXXIX], Fig. 1, ♀ (The American Copper).

This is one of the commonest butterflies in the United States. Everybody has seen it flitting about upon lawns and in gardens. The figure we give is unmistakable. Expanse 1.00 inch.

The caterpillar feeds upon common sorrel ( Rumex acetosella). The insect ranges from Hudson Bay to the Gulf States, but does not invade the hot belt about the Gulf.

(3) Chrysophanus epixanthe (Boisduval & Leconte), [Plate LXXXIX], Fig. 2, ♂ (The Least Copper).

The smallest species in the genus, confined to the north. The male above has the wings fuscous, shot with violet, with a few red spots near the anal angle of the hind wings. The female is pale gray above, more profusely marked with dark spots than the male. Below the wings are pale gray sprinkled with bluish scales at the base, marked as above. Expanse 0.85-0.95 inch.

Common from Newfoundland to British Columbia, never south of New England.

(4) Chrysophanus thoë (Boisduval & Leconte), [Plate LXXXIX], Fig. 3, ♂ (The Bronze Copper).

PL. XC

The female differs from the male in having the fore wings bright coppery red, marked with a number of dark spots, three in the cell, one below it, and an irregular transverse band of them crossing the limbal area. The outer margin is heavily banded with fuscous. Below the fore wing is tawny red in both sexes, pale gray at the apex; the hind wings are bluish gray with a broad band of carmine on the outer margin. Both wings underneath profusely adorned with small black spots. Expanse 1.30-1.40 inch.

Ranges from Maine to Colorado, southward to northern Virginia.

(5) Chrysophanus helloides (Boisduval), [Plate XC], Fig. 1, ♂ (The Purplish Copper).

The male has the wings on the upper side broadly shot with iridescent purple; the female, which is larger than the male, has the wings red, with less iridescence. Below the fore wings in both sexes are pale red, the hind wings reddish gray with a marginal row of brick-red crescents. Expanse 1.15-1.30 inch.

Ranges from northern Illinois to British Columbia.

Genus LYCÆNA Fabricius
(The Blues).

The butterflies in this group are generally small, with the upper side of some shade of pale blue. On the under side the wings are paler in color, variously marked with spots and lines. The genus in recent years has been subdivided into smaller subgenera but as an ability to discriminate these involves a knowledge of minuter anatomical details, which is only possessed by specialists, the writer has not deemed it worth the while in a little manual like this to go deeply into these matters. The old name Lycæna, which has been in vogue for a century, and which is still applied to part of the group, is sufficiently characteristic. If we were reviewing all the species of the world, of which there are many hundreds in this assemblage of forms, we would be forced to use the minuter methods of classification. The eggs are turban-shaped; the caterpillars are slug-shaped, feeding on the petals and bracts of flowers or tender terminal leaves; the chrysalids are short, rounded at either end, supported by a silken girdle and closely appressed to the supporting surface.

(1) Lycæna couperi Grote, [Plate XC], Fig. 2, ♂, under side (Couper’s Blue).

On the upper side the wings of the male are pale shining blue with a narrow black border; of the female darker blue broadly margined with dusky. On the under side in both sexes the wings are brownish gray relieved with white spots, having dark pupils. Expanse 1.25 inch. It is a boreal form.

(2) Lycæna aster Edwards, [Plate XC], Fig. 3, ♂, under side (The Aster Blue).

On the upper side the male is pale lilac-blue, the female darker blue, with a submarginal row of paler blue spots on the margin of the hind wing. On the under side the fore wings have a dark bar at the end of the cell followed on the limbal area with a curved band of small dark spots. This style of decoration is repeated on the hind wings, and in addition there is a marginal band of pale yellow oval spots, each surrounded by a fine black encircling line. Expanse 0.95-1.00 inch. The insect is known thus far only from Newfoundland.

(3) Lycæna melissa Edwards, [Plate XC], Fig. 4, ♀ (The Orange-margined Blue).

The male on the upper side is pale blue, with a narrow black marginal line and white fringes. The female is brown or lilac-gray with a series of orange-red crescents on the outer margin of both wings. The wings below are stone-gray with the usual spots, but on the hind wings the orange crescents are oblong tipped inwardly with black and outwardly with metallic green. Expanse 0.90-1.15 inch.

Ranges from Arizona to Montana.

PL. XCI

(4) Lycæna scudderi Edwards, [Plate XCI], Fig. 1, ♂ (Scudder’s Blue).

Our figure gives a good idea of the upper side of the male, which is hard to discriminate from the same sex of L. melissa. The female is darker, and has only a few orange crescents on the outer margin of the hind wing on the upper side. On the under side the wings are shining white, the spots much reduced in size, the large orange spots found in L. melissa being replaced by little ochreous spots very obscurely tipped externally by a few greenish scales.

The caterpillar feeds on lupine and allied plants. The insect is very common in the basin of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. It abounds in central New York.

PL. XCII

(5) Lycæna pseudargiolus (Boisduval & Leconte), [Plate XCI], Fig. 2, ♂; Fig. 3, ♀. Form neglecta Edwards, [Plate XCI], Fig. 4, ♂; Fig. 5, ♀. Form lucia Kirby, [Plate XCII], Fig. 1, ♂, under side. Form marginata Edwards, [Plate XCII], Fig. 2, ♂, under side; Fig. 3, ♂, upper side. Form nigra Edwards, [Plate XCII], Fig. 4, ♀ (The Common Blue).

This insect which is very common and may be found upon the wing from early spring until late in the autumn illustrates in a remarkable manner the phenomenon of polymorphism; that is to say, it has a number of forms, some of which are seasonal, some of which are sexual, some of which are climatic. It is in fact only through the labors of the late William Henry Edwards that some of the mysteries were cleared up, he having by breeding established the fact that some of the so-called species could be raised from eggs derived from one common stock. The great series of specimens upon which his conclusions were founded are in the possession of the writer, and have from time to time been supplemented by a vast amount of other material all of which confirms his teachings.

The forms lucia and marginata are winter forms, coming from chrysalids which have endured the long cold of the winter months and are the first to appear in spring. They are the only forms which occur in the far north near the Arctic Circle.

The forms pseudargiolus and neglecta are summer forms of the second and third generations, produced from eggs laid by lucia and marginata. Nigra is a dimorphic female form belonging to the summer broods and is melanic; that is to say, it is a form in which dark color prevails. Students of biology recognize a tendency in some animals to become black, while there is also a tendency to become white, or to produce albinoes. These tendencies in opposite directions in color are often observed in butterflies, and the melanic female of the species under consideration illustrates it. There is still another form, piasus, which occurs in Arizona and Mexico, and is climatic, or due to the influence of environment.

The winter forms are dwarfed and darkly marked on the under side as our figures show; the summer forms are larger, pale on the under side and dark on the outer borders above.

The species has a range in the expanse of wing of from 0.85-1.25 inch.

It occurs from Alaska to Florida, and from Anticosti to northern Mexico.

PL. XCIII

(6) Lycæna amyntula Boisduval, [Plate XCIII], Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀ (The Western Tailed Blue).

Male pale blue on upper side; female darker, the hind wings with a submarginal row of orange crescents pupilled with black. Expanse 1.00-1.25 inch.

Ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific in British America and southward as far as Colorado.

(7) Lycæna comyntas (Godart), [Plate XCIII], Fig. 3, ♂; Fig. 4, ♀ (The Eastern Tailed Blue).

Somewhat closely resembling the preceding, but appreciably smaller. Expanse 1.00-1.10 inch.

Ranges from the Saskatchewan to Costa Rica, and from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains.

(8) Lycæna isophthalma Herrich-Schäffer, [Plate XCIII], Fig. 5, ♀ (The Dwarf Blue).

Light brown above in both sexes, with a row of dark spots on outer margin of hind wings; below pale brown profusely marked by light spots and bands, the dark marginal spots of the upper side reappearing, and defined by circlets of metallic scales. Expanse 0.75 inch.

Found in the Gulf States and the Antilles.

(9) Lycæna exilis Boisduval, [Plate XCIII], Fig. 6, ♂ (The Pygmy Blue).

The smallest of North American butterflies, closely resembling the foregoing, but distinguished by the white spot on fringe near inner angle of fore wing, and the white fringes of the same wing near apex. Expanse 0.65 inch.

The Pygmy occurs in the Gulf States and in tropical America.

(10) Lycæna theona Lucas, [Plate XCIII], Fig. 7, ♀ (The West Indian Blue).

Male shining lavender-blue; this color also glosses the dark outer borders of the wings; female white, with outer borders heavily blackish; fore wings shot with shining sky-blue at base. Hind wings near anal angle have conspicuous eye-spots both above and below. Expanse 0.80 inch.

Occurs in the Gulf States and throughout the tropics of the New World.

PL. XCIV

(11) Lycæna acmon Doubleday & Hewitson, [Plate XCIV], Fig. 1, ♂ (Red-margined Blue).

In many respects resembling L. melissa, but somewhat smaller. Male on upper side brighter blue, and female not as brown as L. melissa, though darker than the male, her wings broadly shot with violet-blue. In both sexes a broad deep red submarginal band on hind wings, marked with black spots. Expanse 0.85-1.10 inch.

Ranges from Arizona to Washington and Montana. The larva feeds on Hosackia.

(12) Lycæna ammon Lucas, [Plate XCIV], Fig. 2, ♀, under side (The Indian River Blue).

Male brilliant lilac-blue on upper side; female violet-blue with wide black borders on fore wings, and one or two conspicuous eye-spots near anal angle of hind wings, each surmounted by a carmine crescent. Expanse 0.95-1.10 inch.

Not uncommon in southern Florida; abundant in the Antilles and tropical America.

(13) Lycæna marina Reakirt, [Plate XCIV], Fig. 4, ♀ (The Marine Blue).

Male on upper side pale dusky lilac, the dark bands of the under side showing through on upper side. Female dark brown above, with wings at base shot with lilac-blue; the dark bands on the disk are prominent in this sex, especially on fore wings. Expanse 1.10 inch.

Occurs in Texas, Arizona, southern California, and southward. The larva feeds on alfalfa and allied plants.

(14) Lycæna lygdamus (Doubleday), [Plate XCIV], Fig. 3, ♂ (The Silvery Blue).

The upper side is well shown in our illustration. The under side is pale chocolate-brown, having on both wings a submarginal band of black spots encircled with white, similar spots at the end of the cells, and one or two also on the costa of the hind wing. Expanse 0.85-1.00 inch.

Ranges from Michigan to Georgia.

(15) Lycæna heteronea Boisduval, [Plate XCIV], Fig. 5, ♂; Fig. 6, ♀ (The Varied Blue).

The largest species of the genus. Male blue, female brown; the markings on upper side of latter recalling the female of the genus Chrysophanus. Expanse 1.25-1.40 inch. Below the wings are white marked with faint brown spots on the hind wings and more distinct spots on the fore wings.

Ranges from Colorado to California at suitable elevations among the mountains.

Family PAPILIONIDÆ
(The Swallow-tails and Allies).

The butterflies of this group are provided in both sexes with six legs adapted to walking. The internal vein of the hind wing is wanting, its place being taken by the submedian. Caterpillars elongate, and in the genus Papilio provided with osmateria or protrusive forking scent-organs, which, when excited, they thrust forth from the pouch back of the head in which they usually lie concealed. Chrysalids in all the genera more or less elongate, attached at anal extremity to a button of silk, and held in place by a silk girdle, but never closely appressed to the supporting surface as is the case in the Erycinidæ and Lycænidæ.

Subfamily PIERINÆ
(The Yellows, Sulphurs, and Whites).

For the most part small or medium-sized butterflies, white or yellow in color, with dark marginal markings. The eggs are spindle-shaped, marked with vertical ridges and horizontal cross-lines. The caterpillars are cylindrical, relatively long, generally green in color, with longitudinal stripes. The chrysalids are more or less pointed at the head, with the wing-cases greatly developed on the ventral side, forming a more or less keel-shaped projection upon this surface.

The subfamily is very large, and is well represented in the tropics of both the eastern and western hemispheres. Certain genera are also widely distributed in the colder regions of both the north and the south, among them the genus Colias, species of which occur from Greenland to Patagonia and from the North Cape to the Cape of Good Hope.

Genus TACHYRIS Wallace
(The Florida White).

PL. XCV

There are about seventy species in this genus, all of which are found in the Old World, except the one which occurs in our fauna, and which has a very wide range throughout the tropics of the New World.

(1) Tachyris ilaire (Godart), [Plate XCV], Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀. Our plate gives such an excellent reproduction of the upper side of the wings of this species that no formal description seems necessary. A melanic form of the female sometimes occurs in which the wings are almost wholly dull blackish on both sides. Normally the under side of the wings in the female is pearly white marked with bright orange at base of fore wings. Expanse 2.50-2.75 inches.

Occurs in southern Florida and throughout tropical America.

Genus PIERIS Schrank
(The Whites).

Medium-sized butterflies, generally white in color, marked on both upper and under sides with darker lines and spots. Antennæ clubbed; palpi short, compressed, with the last joint short and pointed. Eggs spindle-shaped, with vertical raised ridges. Caterpillar elongate, head hemispherical, feeding upon cruciferous plants. Chrysalis attached by anal extremity and held in place by a silk girdle; concave on the ventral side, convex on the dorsal side, with a hump-like or keel-shaped eminence on the thorax. Head conical.

An extensive genus, confined principally to the northern hemisphere.

PL. XCVI

(1) Pieris monuste (Linnæus), [Plate XCVI], Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀ (The Great Southern White).

Our figure gives a perfect idea of the upper side of the wings. Hind wing on under side grayish saffron, crossed by a poorly defined pale brown transverse band of spots, the veins pale brown, between them pale brown rays on the interspaces. Expanse 1.65-2.35 inches.

Has a wide range in tropical America. Common in the Gulf States.

PL. XCVII

(2) Pieris protodice Boisduval & Leconte, [Plate XCVII], Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀ (The Common White).

Our illustration of both sexes obviates the necessity for a description. Expanse 1.90-2.15 inches.

Ranges from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, and from southern Canada to the Gulf States.

PL. XCVIII

(3) Pieris napi (Linnæus), variety oleracea (Harris), [Plate XCVIII], Fig. 1, ♂; variety pallida Scudder, [Plate XCVIII], Fig. 2, ♂; variety bryoniæ (Ochsenheimer), [Plate XCVIII], Fig. 3, ♀ (The Mustard White). (See [p. 174.])

Occurs throughout temperate and boreal North America, ranging well up to the Arctic Circle; also occurs in the eastern hemisphere, ranging from north Africa to the North Cape, and all over temperate and subarctic Asia. There are a multitude of forms which have been named and described; we give but three of those found in America. Oleracea is a winter form; pallida is the common form; and bryoniæ is a subarctic form found in Alaska, Siberia, and the Alps in Europe.

PL. XCIX

The species ranges from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Alaska to the northern boundaries of the Gulf States. Expanse 1.50-2.00 inches.

(4) Pieris rapæ (Linnæus), [Plate XCIX], Fig. 1, ♂; Fig. 2, ♀ (The Cabbage Butterfly). (See [p. 174.])

This excessively common insect has been in comparatively recent years introduced from Europe. It first appeared about Quebec in 1860; since then it has come to occupy the continent, and wherever cabbages are grown hundreds of these butterflies may be seen. The loss to gardeners which it causes is estimated to run into millions of dollars annually. It feeds on all the Cruciferæ. The multiplication of P. rapæ has been followed by the partial extinction of our native Pierids just as our birds have disappeared before the English Sparrow. Expanse 2.00 inches.