Plate XLVIII.

Genus OLIGORIA, Scudder

Butterfly.—The antennæ are as in the preceding genus; the palpi have the third joint minute and almost entirely concealed in the thick vestiture of the second joint. The neuration is represented in the cut.

Early Stages.—We know very little of these, and there is here a field for investigation.

Fig. 176.—Neuration of the genus Oligoria, enlarged.

(1) Oligoria maculata, Edwards, Plate XLVI, Fig. 35, ♂ (The Twin-spot).

Butterfly.—The upper side of the male is as shown in the plate. The female closely resembles the male, but the spots on the fore wing are larger. On the under side the wings are brown, almost as dark as on the upper side. The primaries are whitish near the outer angle. The spots of the upper side of the primaries are reproduced on the lower side. The hind wings have three conspicuous pearly-white spots about the middle, two located one on either side of the second median nervule, and one removed from these, located between the upper radial and the subcostal nervule. Expanse, ♂, 1.40 inch; ♁, 1.50 inch.

Early Stages.—But little is known of these.

This is a Southern species, found abundantly in Florida, and ranging northward into Georgia and the Carolinas. A specimen is reported to have been taken near Albany, New York, and diligent collecting may show that it has a far more northern range than has heretofore been supposed.

Genus POANES, Scudder

Butterfly.—The antennæ are short; the club is stout, bent, acuminate at the tip. The third joint of the palpi is slender, cylindrical, short. The neuration of the genus is shown in the cut.

Early Stages.—Nothing is known of these, and they await investigation.

(1) Poanes massasoit, Scudder, Plate XLVII, Fig. 21, ♂; Fig. 22, ♁ (The Mulberry-wing).

Butterfly.—The upper side of the wings in both sexes is correctly shown in the plate. On the under side the fore wings are black, with the costa and the outer margin bordered with reddish, with three small subapical light spots and two or three median spots. On the under side the hind wings are bright yellow, bordered on the costa and on the outer margin for part of their distance with reddish-brown. The female on the under side is more obscurely marked than the male, and the hind wings are more or less gray in many specimens, lacking the bright yellow which appears upon the wings of the male. There is considerable variation on the under side of the wings. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♁, 1.20 inch.

Fig. 177.—Neuration of the genus Poanes, enlarged.

Early Stages.—Not known.

The species ranges from New England westward as far as Nebraska, and its range does not appear to extend south of Pennsylvania, though it has been reported from Colorado, and even from northern Texas, in the West.

Genus PHYCANASSA, Scudder

Butterfly.—Antennæ short; club straight, with a small crook at the end. The palpi are as in the preceding genus, but a trifle longer. The neuration is shown in the cut, and is very much like that of the preceding genus.

Early Stages.—These are wholly unknown.

Fig. 178.—Neuration of the genus Phycanassa, enlarged.

(1) Phycanassa viator, Edwards, Plate XLVI, Fig. 14, ♂; Fig. 15, ♁ (The Broad-winged Skipper).

Butterfly.—Accurately delineated in the plate. On the under side the wings are as on the upper side, but paler, and the secondaries are traversed from the base to the middle of the outer margin by a pale light-colored longitudinal ray, which is more or less obscured in some specimens, especially of the female. The light spots of the upper side appear indistinctly on the under side. Expanse, ♂, 1.45 inch; ♁, 1.60 inch.

Early Stages.—Unknown.

It is not uncommon in the Gulf States, and has been found as far north as New Jersey, northern Illinois, and Wisconsin.

(2) Phycanassa howardi, Skinner, Plate XLVI, Fig. 38, ♂ (Howard's Skipper).

Butterfly.—The figure in the plate gives the upper side of the male, in which the discal streak is composed of light-colored scales of the same tint as the rest of the wing, in this respect resembling the allied P. aaroni. The under side of the wings is described by Dr. Skinner as follows: "Superiors with tawny central area and border same as upper side. There is a large triangular spot extending into the wing from the base. The tawny color above this spot is of a darker hue than that below and outside of it. Inferiors very light brown, generally with four or five very faint tawny spots in the central area." Expanse, ♂, 1.50 inch; ♁, 1.60 inch.

Early Stages.—Unknown.

The home of this species is Florida.

(3) Phycanassa aaroni, Skinner, Plate XLVI, Fig. 37, ♂ (Aaron's Skipper).

Butterfly.—This small species, the male of which is figured in the plate, may be easily recognized from the figure there given. On the under side the fore wings are black at the base; the middle area of the wing is tawny, paler than on the upper side, and bordered as above, but the border below is cinnamon-brown and not fuscous. The hind wings on the under side are uniformly light cinnamon-brown, without any spots. The female is like the male, but larger, the colors somewhat lighter and the markings not so well defined. Expanse, ♂, 1.00 inch; ♁, 1.25 inch.

Early Stages.—Unknown.

The specimens thus far contained in collections have all been taken about Cape May, in New Jersey, in the salt-marshes.

Genus ATRYTONE, Scudder

Butterfly.—The antennæ have a stout club, somewhat elongate, and furnished with a short crook at the end. The palpi are very much as in the preceding genus. The neuration is shown in the cut. There is no discal stigma on the fore wing of the male.

Egg.—The egg is hemispherical, somewhat broadly flattened at the apex, covered with small cells, the inner surface of which is marked with minute punctulations.

Caterpillar.—The caterpillar feeds upon common grasses, making a loose nest of silk for itself at the point where the leaf joins the stem. The head is small; the body is cylindrical, thick, tapering abruptly at either end.

Chrysalis.—Covered with delicate hair; the tongue-case free.

Fig. 179.—Neuration of the genus Atrytone, enlarged.

(1) Atrytone vitellius, Smith and Abbot, Plate XLVI, Fig. 6, ♂ (The Iowa Skipper).

Butterfly.—The male on the upper side is as shown in the plate. The female on the upper side has the hind wings almost entirely fuscous, very slightly yellowish about the middle of the disk. The fore wings have the inner and outer margins more broadly bordered with fuscous than the male, and through the middle of the cell there runs a dark ray. On the under side the wings are bright pale yellow, with the inner margin of the primaries clouded with brown. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♁, 1.45 inch.

Early Stages.—Very little is known of these.

The species ranges through the Gulf States, and northward in the valley of the Mississippi as far as Nebraska and Iowa. It seems to be quite common in Nebraska, and probably has a wider distribution than is reported.

(2) Atrytone zabulon, Boisduval and Leconte, Plate XLVII, Fig. 37, ♂; Fig. 38, ♁ (The Hobomok Skipper).

Butterfly.—The upper side of both sexes is shown in the plate. The color on the disk of the wings is, however, a little too red. On the under side the wings are bright yellow, with the bases and the outer margin bordered with dark brown. Expanse, ♂, 1.25 inch; ♁, 1.50 inch.

Early Stages.—The caterpillar feeds upon grasses. The life-history has been described with minute accuracy by Dr. Scudder.

The species ranges from New England to Georgia, and westward to the Great Plains. It is very common in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the valley of the Ohio.

Dimorphic var. pocahontas, Scudder, Plate XLVII, Fig. 39, ♁. This is a melanic, or black, female variety of zabulon, which is not uncommon. It is remarkable because of the white spots on the primaries and the dark color of the under side of the wings.

(3) Atrytone taxiles, Edwards, Plate XLVII, Fig. 31, ♂; Fig. 32, ♁ (Taxiles).

Butterfly.—The fore wings on the under side of the male are bright yellow, black at the base, slightly clouded on the outer margin with pale brown. The hind wings on the under side in this sex are still paler yellow, margined externally with pale brown, and crossed near the base and on the disk by irregular bands of pale brown. In the female sex the fore wings on the under side are fulvous, marked much as in the male, but darker, especially toward the apex, where the subapical spots and two small pale spots beyond the end of the cell near the outer margin interrupt the brown color. The hind wings on the under side are pale ferruginous, crossed by bands of lighter spots, and mottled with darker brown. Expanse, ♂, 1.45 inch; ♁, 1.50 inch.

Early Stages.—Unknown.

The range of this species is from Colorado and Nevada to Arizona.

(4) Atrytone delaware, Edwards, Plate XLVI, Fig. 24, ♂; Fig. 25, ♁ (The Delaware Skipper).

Butterfly.—No description of the upper side of the wings is necessary. On the under side the wings are bright orange-red, clouded with black at the base and on the outer angle of the fore wings. Expanse, ♂, 1.25-1.35 inch; ♁, 1.35-1.50 inch.

Early Stages.—Very little is known of these.

The butterfly is found from southern New England and northern New York as far south as Florida and Texas, ranging west to the Yellowstone and southern Colorado.

(5) Atrytone melane, Edwards, Plate XLVI, Fig. 7, ♂; Fig. 8, ♁ (The Umber Skipper).

Butterfly.—The male on the upper side somewhat resembles A. zabulon, var. pocahontas; the female likewise closely resembles specimens of this variety. The wings on the under side are ferruginous, clouded with blackish toward the base of the inner angle, the light spots of the upper side being repeated. The hind wings on the under side are reddish, with a broad irregular curved median band of pale-yellow spots. In the female the band of spots is far more obscure. Expanse, ♂, 1.30 inch; ♁, 1.50 inch.

Early Stages.—Unknown.

The insect is found in southern California.

Genus LEREMA, Scudder

Butterfly.—The antennæ are as in the preceding genus; the palpi have the third joint erect, short, conical. The neuration is represented in the cut. The male has a linear glandular streak on the upper side of the fore wing.

Egg.—Hemispherical, covered with more or less regularly pentagonal cells.

Caterpillar.—The caterpillar feeds upon grasses. The body is slender, tapering forward and backward; the head is small.

Chrysalis.—The chrysalis is slender, smooth, with a tapering conical projection at the head, and the tongue-case long and free, reaching almost to the end of the abdomen.

Fig. 180.—Neuration of the genus Lerema, enlarged.

(1) Lerema accius, Smith and Abbot, Plate XLVIII, Fig. 8, ♂; Plate VI, Fig. 46, chrysalis (Accius).

Butterfly.—The male on the upper side is dark blackish-brown, with three small subapical spots, and one small spot below these, near the origin of the third median nervule. The female is exactly like the male, except that it has two spots, the larger one being placed below the small spot corresponding to the one on the fore wing of the male. The wings on the under side are dark fuscous, somewhat clouded with darker brown, the spots of the upper side reappearing on the under side. Expanse, ♂, 1.40 inch; ♁, 1.50 inch.

Early Stages.—Very little has been written upon the early stages.

The butterfly ranges from southern Connecticut to Florida, thence westward to Texas, and along the Gulf coast in Mexico.

(2) Lerema hianna, Scudder, Plate XLVI, Fig. 9, ♂; Fig. 10, ♁ (The Dusted Skipper).

Butterfly.—The upper side is accurately represented in the plate. The wings on the lower side are as on the upper side, a trifle paler and somewhat grayer on the outer margin. Expanse, ♂, 1.15 inch; ♁, 1.25 inch.

Early Stages.—Unknown.

It ranges through southern New England, westward to Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska, in a comparatively narrow strip of country.

(3) Lerema carolina, Skinner, Plate XLVI, Fig. 36, ♂ (The Carolina Skipper).

Butterfly.—On the upper side the butterfly is as represented in the plate. The spots are repeated on the under side of the fore wing, but less distinctly defined. The costa is edged with brownish-yellow. The hind wings on the under side are yellow, spotted with small dark-brown dots. Expanse, ♂, 1.00 inch. The female is unknown.

Early Stages.—Wholly unknown.

This species has thus far been found only in North Carolina, and is still extremely rare in collections. The figure in the plate represents the type. I have seen other specimens. I place it provisionally in the genus Lerema, though it undoubtedly does not belong here, and probably may represent a new genus. Lacking material for dissection, I content myself with this reference.

Genus MEGATHYMUS, Riley

Fig. 181.—Megathymus yuccæ, ♁.

This genus comprises butterflies having very stout bodies, broad wings, strongly clubbed antennæ, very minute palpi. The caterpillars are wood-boring in their habits, living in the pith and underground roots of different species of Yucca. The life-history of the species represented in the cuts has been well described by the late Professor C.V. Riley, and the student who is curious to know more about this remarkable insect will do well to consult the "Eighth Annual Report of the State Entomologist of Missouri" (p. 169), or the "Transactions of the St. Louis Academy of Science" (vol. iii, p. 323), in which, with great learning, the author has patiently set forth what is known in reference to the insect.

Fig. 182.—Megathymus yuccæ: a, egg, magnified; b, egg from which larva has escaped; bb, bbb, unhatched eggs, natural size; c, newly hatched larva, magnified; cc, larva, natural size; d, head, enlarged to show the mouth-parts; e, maxillary palpi; f, antenna; g, labial palpi; h, spinneret.

The genus Megathymus is referred by some writers to the Castniidæ, a genus of day-flying moths, which seem to connect the moths with the butterflies; but the consideration of the anatomical structure of this insect makes such a reference impossible. The genus properly represents a subfamily of the Hesperiidæ, which might be named the Megathyminæ. The species represented in our cuts is Megathymus yuccæ, Boisduval and Leconte. There are a number of other species of Megathymus that are found in our Southern States, principally in Texas and Arizona. They are interesting insects, the life-history of which is, however, in many cases obscure, as yet.

Fig. 183.—Chrysalis of Megathymus yuccæ.

Conclusion

We here bring to a conclusion our survey of the butterflies of North America. There are, in addition to the species that have been described and figured in the plates, about one hundred and twenty-five other species, principally Hesperiidæ, which have not been mentioned. The field of exploration has not by any means been exhausted, and there is no doubt that in the lapse of time a number of other species will be discovered to inhabit our faunal limits.

The writer of these pages would deem it a great privilege to aid those who are interested in the subject in naming and identifying any material which they may not be able to name and identify by the help of this book. In laying down his pen, at the end of what has been to him a pleasurable task, he again renews the hope that what he has written may tend to stimulate a deeper and more intelligent interest in the wonders of creative wisdom, and takes occasion to remind the reader that it is true, as was said by Fabricius, that nature is most to be admired in those works which are least—"Natura maxime miranda in minimis."

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE TO THE SECOND EDITION

The first edition of this book having been nearly exhausted in less than a month after publication, the author has not yet had opportunity to avail himself of the criticisms of scientific friends who are presumably looking for sins of omission and commission, of which it is sincerely hoped they will acquaint him when discovered. Thus far all criticisms have been of an approbatory character, and have only expressed pleasure.

The writer is indebted to Mr. Harrison G. Dyar, the Honorary Curator of the Department of Entomology in the United States National Museum, for reminding him of the fact, which he had carelessly overlooked, that the larva and chrysalis of Eumæus atala (see p. 237) have been fully described by Scudder, "Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History," vol. ii., p. 413, and by Schwartz, "Insect Life," vol. i., p. 39. The caterpillar is found abundantly upon the "coontie" (Zamia integrifolia, Willdenow), and the insect, according to Schwartz, fairly swarms in the pine-woods between the shores of Biscayne Bay and the Everglades.

INDEX