Butterfly.—No description of the upper side is needed, the figures in the plate being sufficient to enable identification. On the under side the primaries are fulvous on the costa at the base. The remainder of the primaries and the secondaries are dark ferruginous, with the light spots of the upper side all repeated greatly enlarged, pale, and standing out boldly upon the dark ground-color. The hind wings are pale brown on the inner margin. Expanse, ♂, 1.10 inch; ♁, 1.25 inch.
Early Stages.—These have been elaborately described by Scudder. The caterpillar feeds on grasses, making a tubular nest for itself among the leaves.
The insect ranges through southern Canada and New England to Pennsylvania, and westward to Wisconsin.
Genus ATALOPEDES, Scudder
Butterfly.—Antennæ short, less than half the length of the costa; club short, stout, crooked just at the end; the palpi as in the preceding genus. The cut shows the neuration. The only mark of distinction between this genus and the two genera that follow is found in the shape of the discal stigma on the wing of the male, which is described as follows by Dr. Scudder: "Discal stigma in male consisting of, first, a longitudinal streak at base of middle median interspace, of shining black, recurved rods; second, of a semilunar field of dead-black erect rods in the lowest median interspace, overhung above by long, curving scales; followed below by a short, small striga of shining black scales, and outside by a large field of erect, loosely compacted scales."
[a]Fig. 168.]—Neuration of the genus Atalopedes, enlarged.
Egg.—Hemispherical, covered with a network of delicate raised lines describing small polygons over the surface; minutely punctate.
Caterpillar.—Cylindrical, tapering backward and forward; head large; the neck less constricted than in the genus Eudamus or in the genus Thanaos; dark in color.
Chrysalis.—The chrysalis is slender, cylindrical, a little humped upon the thorax, with the tongue-sheath free and projecting to the end of the fifth abdominal segment.