The butterfly guide

Butterflies generally of medium size, obscure in color, their wings, especially on the under side, ornamented with dark eye-like spots, pupilled in the centre with a light point and ringed around with one or more circles of lighter color. They have a weak flight, dancing about in the herbage and often hiding among grasses and weeds. Most of them are forest-loving, but some live on the summits of bleak and cold mountains, others on the verge of arctic snows, and some on the prairies. Veins of the fore wings generally greatly swollen at the base, thus enabling them to be distinguished from almost all other butterflies. Eggs subspherical, somewhat higher than broad, ribbed on the sides, particularly at the apex, and rounded at the base. Caterpillars, when they emerge from the egg, have their heads much bigger in diameter than the rest of the body, but as they mature they lose this feature, and generally taper from the middle of the body in either direction. Anal pro-legs bifurcating, thus readily distinguished from all other caterpillars, except those of the genus Chlorippe. They feed upon grasses and sedges, concealing themselves in the daytime and coming forth to feed at night. Chrysalids short and stout, plain both in color and outline.

There are about sixty species of Satyrinæ in the region with which this manual deals, falling into ten genera. We shall only deal with the commoner species.

This is a large genus, especially well represented in Asia and the Indo-Malayan region. Dr. S. H. Scudder set apart the two species we have in our fauna from the Asiatic forms, under the new name Enodia, but I have never been able to see any good reason for this, and keep the generic name as it has long stood. The creation of new genera upon the basis of slight differences is to be deprecated and avoided.

(1) Debis portlandia (Fabricius), Plate LIX, ♂ (The Pearly Eye).

The butterfly which is well depicted in our figure has a series of beautiful ocelli on the under side. There is no great difference between the sexes. In the Northern States it is single-brooded, in the South it is double-brooded. Expanse of wing 1.75-2.00 inches.

The caterpillar feeds on grasses. The insect ranges from Maine to the Gulf, and westward to the Rocky Mountains.

(2) Debis creola Skinner, Plate LX, ♂ (The Creole).

Easily distinguished from the foregoing by the elongated patches of dark raised scales upon the fore wings. Expanse 2.25 inches. The specimen figured is a paratype received from the author of the species.

Ranges from Florida to Mexico along the Gulf.

This genus was erected by its author to receive the single species, which we figure. As there is no likelihood of mistaking it for anything else, we forego a long generic description.

(1) Satyrodes canthus (Boisduval & Leconte), Plate LXI, ♀ (The Grass-nymph).

The butterfly always haunts meadows and hides among tufts of tall grass in moist places. It is quite common in New England and Canada, and is found in the cool regions of the Appalachian uplift as far south as North Carolina. It has a peculiar jerking flight, and is easily captured. Expanse 1.65-1.90 inch.

The caterpillar feeds on grasses, and its early stages and transformations have often been described.

Small butterflies, rather obscure in color. Both fore and hind wings evenly rounded; the fore wings with the costal and median veins much swollen at the base. Antennæ short without a distinctly defined club. Egg globular marked with polygonal cells. Caterpillar with a large head, bifid above, and produced as two cones thickly studded with little raised projections. Chrysalis comparatively long, pointed at the head, with a blunt tubercle on the thorax; green.

Some writers maintain that this genus is identical with the genus Euptychia Hübner, which contains over one hundred species, principally found in the American tropics. Seven species are found in our region, of which we shall delineate five.

(1) Neonympha gemma (Hübner), Plate LXII, Fig. 1, ♂, under side (The Gemmed Brown).

The upper side of the wings are mouse-colored, with a couple of twinned dark spots on the outer margin of the hind wings. On the under side the wings are reddish gray, marked with irregular rusty lines, and at the point where the dark spots appear upon the upper side there is a row of silvery spots. Expanse 1.25-1.35 inch.

Ranges from West Virginia to Mexico.

(2) Neonympha phocion (Fabricius), Plate LXII, Fig. 2, ♀ (The Georgian Satyr).

A trifle larger than the preceding species, which it closely resembles above, but from which it may at once be distinguished by the form of the markings of the lower side of the hind wings, which are depicted in our illustration. Expanse 1.25-1.45 inch.

Ranges from southern New Jersey to the Gulf as far west as Texas. Very common in Georgia.

(3) Neonympha eurytus (Fabricius), Plate LXIII, ♂ (The Little Wood-satyr).

Readily distinguished from the other species in our fauna by the two well-developed eye-spots on the fore wings, as well as on the hind wings on the upper side. Expanse 1.75 inch.

The caterpillar and chrysalis are pale brown, the latter marked with darker brown.

Ranges from New England and Ontario to Georgia and westward to Kansas and Texas.

(4) Neonympha sosybius (Fabricius), Plate LXIV, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Carolinian Satyr).

Upper side unspotted dark mouse-gray. On the under side the wings are paler, crossed by three lines, one defining the basal, the second the median area, and the third just before the outer margin. Between the last two are rows of ocelli, which are obscure, except the first on the fore wing and the second and last two on the hind wing. Expanse 1.25-1.50 inch.

Ranges from the latitude of New Jersey southward through the lower half of the Mississippi Valley to Mexico and Central America.

(5) Neonympha rubricata Edwards, Plate LXIV, Fig. 2, ♂. Type (The Red Satyr).

Most nearly related to N. sosybius, but readily distinguished by its much redder color, and by having but one eye-spot on the upper side of the fore wing. Expanse 1.40-1.75 inch.

Found in Texas, Arizona, Mexico, and Central America.

Small butterflies. Costal, median, and submedian veins of fore wing strongly swollen at base. Both wings evenly rounded on outer margin. Egg conical, rounded at the bottom, truncated, with low ribs and cross-lines near the top. The caterpillar has a globular head and cylindrical body, which tapers backward from about the middle, and on the last segment has two cone-like backward projections. Chrysalis straight ventrally, convex dorsally, with a rounded keeled eminence over the thorax, pointed at the end; green or drab, marked with darker spots.

The genus is found throughout the north temperate zone, and we have in our fauna a number of species and varieties, most of which are confined to the Pacific Coast and to Alaska.

(1) Cœnonympha ochracea Edwards, Plate LXV, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Ochre Ringlet).

Glossy ochreous yellow above, without dark markings except as those of lower side faintly show through. On under side the fore wing has an eye-spot near apex, and the hind wing has a submarginal row of incomplete eye-spots, which in some specimens is wanting. Ground-color of under side of fore wings as above; of hind wings gray, interrupted about middle by a lighter band, and lighter rays about the cell near base. Expanse 1.25-1.50 inch. Ranges from British Columbia to Arizona eastward to Kansas and Nebraska.

(2) Cœnonympha inornata Edwards, Plate LXV, Fig. 2, ♂ (The Plain Ringlet).

Reddish ochraceous on upper side with outer margin of fore wings and hind wings laved with darker. On the under side there is an ocellus near the apex of fore wing and on the hind wing, which is dark gray, a yellow curved mark beyond the cell and a couple of pale yellow spots near the anal angle. Expanse 1.25-1.50 inch.

Occurs in Montana, Minnesota, Ontario north of Lake Superior, thence eastward to Newfoundland.

Rather small butterflies, dark in color, with eye-spots on the wings, most numerous on the under side. Veins of fore wing thickened at base; lower radial in some cases projected inwardly into the cell at point of origin. Outer margin of both wings evenly rounded. Egg subconical, ribbed, the ribs often intersecting each other. Larva with globular head, body tapering backward, last segment bifurcate. Chrysalis convex dorsally and ventrally, humped on thorax, produced at head, light brown or ashen gray.

The genus is arctic and confined to the far north, or to the summits of high mountains, which have an arctic climate. There are many species in the northern hemisphere, of which we select two for representation.

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

Easily distinguished from all other species in our fauna by the plain dark wings streaked on the costa and suffused over the outer three fourths of the middle of the fore wings with dark red or maroon. Expanse 1.75-2.00 inches.

Habitat region of Hudson Bay, thence westward to Alaska and southward among snowy peaks of British Columbia. Probably found on high mountains of Idaho and Montana.

(2) Erebia epipsodea Butler, Plate LXVI, Fig. 2, ♂ (The Common Alpine).

The upper side is shown in our cut; the under side repeats the markings of the upper side more or less clearly, and besides has on the hind wing a broad, curved, median, blackish band. Expanse 1.75-2.10 inches.

Ranges from the alpine summits of New Mexico northward at suitable elevations to Alaska, where it is common.

Medium-sized butterflies, very dark in color, with eye-spots on fore wings, and hind wings bordered with brown. There is only one species found in our region, and a detailed account of its structure may therefore be spared.

(1) Gyrocheilus tritonia Edwards, Plate LXVII, ♂ (The Arizona Blackamoor).

Upper side shown in our figure. The under side is much the same, except that the submarginal band is purplish red sprinkled with white and dark brown scales, and has on the inner side a row of imperfectly developed eye-spots partially ringed about on the side of the base by yellow. Expanse 2.25-2.50 inches.

Occurs in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

For a detailed account of the structure and metamorphoses of these insects the reader is referred to “The Butterfly Book.” There are only two species found in our territory and we give figures of the upper side of both of them, so that the student will be able to recognize them when he gets them.

(1) Neominois ridingsi (Edwards), Plate LXVIII, Fig. 1, ♂. Type (Ridings’ Satyr).

The upper side is well shown in our figure. The under side is paler than the upper, and the basal and mesial areas are mottled with narrow pale brown streaks, while the hind wing is crossed about the middle by a dark band, the outer margin of which is sharply indented. Expanse 1.50 inch. Larva pupates under ground.

Inhabits the mountain states of the Pacific Coast.

(2) Neominois dionysius Scudder, Plate LXVIII, Fig. 2, ♂ (Scudder’s Satyr).

On the under side the mesial band of the hind wings is narrower and more irregularly curved than in the preceding species and the outer indentations are more strongly produced. Expanse 1.00 inch. Occurs in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.

Medium-sized or small butterflies. Wings marked with eye-spots, or ocelli. On upper side generally very obscurely colored with some shade of gray or brown, occasionally marked by yellow bands; under side frequently beautifully streaked and spotted, with the ocelli more prominent than on the upper side. The veins of the fore wing are much swollen at the base. The outer margin of the fore wing is evenly rounded, that of the hind wing somewhat scalloped. Egg barrel-shaped, truncated on top, ribbed on the sides, the ribs at the top connected by a waved, raised elevation. Caterpillar with globular head, cylindrical body, tapering both ways from the middle, and furnished with diverging anal horns. Chrysalis in form like those of many of the genera belonging to this subfamily; green in color. The genus is quite large, and many of the species are very variable.

(1) Satyrus pegala (Fabricius), Plate LXIX, ♀, under side (The Southern Wood-nymph).

Easily recognized by its large size, it being the largest species in our fauna, and by the broad subterminal yellow band on the fore wing marked in the male by one eye-spot, and in the female by two such spots. Expanse 2.75-3.00 inches.

Common in the Gulf States and occasionally occurring as far north as New Jersey.

(2) Satyrus alope (Fabricius), Plate LXX, ♀ (The Common Wood-nymph).

Closely resembling the preceding species, but only two thirds its size. The number of the ocelli is not constant, and some specimens lack them entirely. This is the form which is common on the Atlantic seaboard from New Jersey to New Hampshire, and westward to the Mississippi. Expanse 1.75-2.25 inches.

(3) Satyrus alope form nephele Kirby, Plate LXXI, Fig. 1, ♂ (The Clouded Wood-nymph).

This form, long held to be a valid species, has been ascertained by breeding to be a dimorphic variety characterized by the partial or entire suppression of the yellow band on the fore wings and the tendency of the eye-spots to disappear. It is a northern form, and is common in Canada, northern New England, and in corresponding latitudes from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Expanse 1.85-2.25 inches.

(4) Satyrus paulus Edwards, Plate LXXI, Fig. 2, ♂, Type, under side (The Small Wood-nymph).

Somewhat smaller than S. nephele. Upper side dark brown in both sexes; fore wings always with two ocelli, one near apex, the other near inner angle; hind wing with two ocelli near anal angle. Expanse 1.75-2.00 inches.

Occurs in California and Nevada.

(5) Satyrus meadi Edwards, Plate LXXII, Fig. 1, ♂ (Mead’s Satyr).

Readily distinguished from all others by the bright red on the limbal area above and below. Expanse 1.60-1.75 inch.

Ranges from Arizona to Montana in the region of the Rocky Mountains.

(6) Satyrus charon Edwards, Plate LXXIII, Fig. 1, ♂, Type (The Dark Wood-nymph).

The type of the species is darker on the under side of the wings than many specimens in the possession of the writer; the under side is in fact somewhat variable. There may or may not be ocelli on the under side. Mr. Edwards named the form without ocelli Satyrus silvestris, but this form is doubtlessly a good species. Both fore and hind wings on the under side are marked abundantly and evenly by little streaks darker in color than the ground, and are crossed on either side of the median area by dark lines, which sometimes are wanting, and are quite variable. Expanse 1.50-1.75 inch.

Ranges from British Columbia to New Mexico, and appears to be common, wherever it occurs.

(7) Satyrus sthenele Boisduval, Plate LXXIII, Fig. 2, ♂, under side (The Least Wood-nymph).

Quite small, on the upper side resembling S. charon, but very different on the under side. The distinguishing mark of the species is the dark, twice-strangulated band of the hind wings, bordered outwardly on either side by lighter shades. This is shown in our figure. Expanse 1.40-1.50 inch.

Found in California.

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.

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.

(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.

(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.