Plate XI. fig. 1, 2. ♂.—Plate XII. fig. 1, 2. ♀.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Bombycidæ, Steph.
Genus. Saturnia, Schrank. Attacus, Germar. Phalæna (Attacus), Linn.
Saturnia Promethea. Alis subfalcatis, maris fuscis, fœminæ ferrugineis, fasciâ tenui undatâ communi pallidâ margine griseo, anticis utrinque ocello atro. (Expans. Alar. 4 unc. ♂. 4 unc. 3 lin. ♀.)
Syn. Phalæna (Attacus) Promethea, Drury, App. vol. 2. Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 411. No. 12. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2403. 464. Cram. Ins. tab. 75. A. B. ♂. 76. A. B. ♀. Abbot & Smith Ins. Georgia, 1. tab. 46. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 27. 12. Pal. Bauv. Ins. d'Afr. et d'Amer. Lep. pl. 21.
Habitat: New York, Virginia, Georgia.
Male.—Upper Side. Antennæ strongly pectinated, dark brown. Head, thorax, and abdomen the same. Anterior wings very dark chocolate, hooked at the tips; having a margin of light hair colour running along the external edges from the tips to the lower corners, through the middle of which runs a narrow black serpentine line like a hair, dividing the margin into two shades, the external one being darkest; near the tips is a black spot like an eye, partly surrounded by a blue iris; a narrow waved line of a light hair colour begins at the anterior edge, about one-third from the tips, and, crossing both the anterior and posterior wings, ends about half an inch below the body. Posterior wings of the same colour as the anterior, having a hair-coloured margin running round them; being also divided in the middle by a waved narrow line, above which are several dark-coloured spots and marks.
Under Side. Breast, legs, and abdomen of a beautiful dark chocolate colour. Anterior wings at the base dark chocolate, with a small single spot in the middle of each; about a third part of these wings, next the external edges, is hair-coloured, appearing next the chocolate part to be thickly powdered with grey, so as to form a margin along the chocolate part of that colour. The black eye, and hair-coloured margin, as on the upper side. The middle of the posterior wings fine chocolate, surrounded, except at the abdominal edges, with hair colour, and like the superior finely powdered and verged with grey; about the middle of the chocolate field is a small transverse white streak; the hair-coloured margin less distinct. Margins of all the wings entire.
Female.—Upper Side. Antennæ brown and pectinated. Thorax and abdomen red brown. Anterior wings dark red next the body, from whence a narrow light-coloured bar begins at the anterior edge, and running towards the posterior suddenly turns off and ends at the body, forming an obtuse angle; another light-coloured waved bar crosses the wings, ending on the abdominal edges a little below the body; the inner side of this bar is a dark chocolate, and between it and the angle of the first bar is placed a light-coloured triangular mark; near the tips is placed a small black eye, partly surrounded by a blue iris; along the external margins of all the wings runs a dark buff edge, through the middle of which runs a small narrow line; the space between this margin and the waved bar is of a dark red, finely powdered next the bar with grey. Posterior wings, within the waved bar, dark brown chocolate; the hairs along the abdominal edges greyish; and on the middle of the chocolate ground is a light-coloured triangular mark; several submarginal red spots of different sizes, with a small narrow irregular line running between them and the cilia; the space between this margin and the waved bar is dark red, that next the bar is powdered as it were very thickly with small grey spots like dust.
Under Side. Breast, legs, and abdomen dark red, the sides streaked with white. Anterior wings having only two divisions, separated by the waved bar mentioned above: the inner division of a fine bright chocolate, whereon the small triangular marks are faintly seen; the external division as on the upper side, but with the markings more distinct. Posterior wings with the part answering to the dark brown chocolate being of a fine dark red, verged with black and white, and surrounded entirely, except the abdominal edges, by the grey powdered field. Margins entire.
The transformations to which Lepidopterous insects are subject are amongst the most remarkable phenomena of insect life. In the different states to which each is liable, a series of changes is exhibited which has been compared, by an admired writer, to what might be supposed to be undergone by an animal which for the first five years of its life, exhibited the form of a serpent, which then penetrated into the earth, spun for itself a silken coffin, contracting itself into a limbless form resembling, more than any thing else, an Egyptian mummy; and which, lastly, after remaining in this state for a length of time, burst into the air a winged bird. Of these states, it may well be conceived, that the second requires, from its inactivity and helplessness, a secure retreat, where, removed and secure from the attack of its enemies, it can rest its appointed period during which the organs of flight acquire their full development. We accordingly find that the varied manner in which the caterpillars of the different species prepare their retreats, affords one of the most interesting branches of investigation in the natural history of the Lepidoptera. And in this respect, the species now under consideration certainly exhibits one of the most interesting manœuvres hitherto recorded amongst the insect tribes, and which is described by Mr. Peale in his beautiful "Lepidoptera Americana."[2] This moth is very abundant in the vicinity of Philadelphia, at least, judging from the number of cocoons seen hanging from the branches of the Sassafras (Laurus Sassafras), and Spice-wood (L. Benzoin); and which, by an ordinary observer, would be readily mistaken for withered leaves which had withstood the blasts of winter. After the caterpillar has attained its full size, and lost the voracious appetite which had hitherto been its predominant character, it begins its preparation for the great transformation it has to undergo, by selecting a perfect leaf, the upper surface of which it covers with a fine light yellowish brown silk, extending this coating with great skill and foresight, over the footstalk of the leaf, and attaching it firmly to the branch, so as to secure the leaf from being separated by any accident. This preliminary operation having been accomplished, the caterpillar next draws the edges of the leaf together, thus forming a perfect external covering or mantle, in which it spins a fine strong and durable cocoon of fine silk. In this habitation the little architect passes the winter secure from birds and other enemies. As soon as the cocoon has been completed, the caterpillar sheds its skin, and is transformed into a chrysalis. At first the leaf enveloping the cocoon remains green, but soon changes to a red or brown, when it becomes brittle, and is gradually carried away by the winds and storms of winter, until, finally, nothing remains except the cocoon itself, which is firmly suspended by the silk which once covered the footstalk of the leaf.
Mr. Abbot states that the caterpillar also feeds upon the Snowdrop-tree (Halesia tetraptera, Linn.) Poplar, Bay, &c. Some individuals spin up in May, and the moth appears in June; others, as above described, pass the winter in the chrysalis state.
Plate XI. fig. 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Arctiidæ, Steph.
Genus. Callimorpha? Latr. Zygæna p. Fabr. Phalæna (Bombyx), Drury.
Callimorpha Famula. Alis albis, dimidio apicali margineque externo nigris, anticarum maculâ ovali obliquâ albâ, collo fulvo. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc.)
Syn. Phalæna (Bombyx spiriling.) Famula, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Calabar, in the Bight of Benin, Africa.
Upper Side. Antennæ long and pectinated. Thorax spiral. Neck orange-coloured. Thorax and abdomen dusky grey. Anterior wings about half way from the tips black, but at the base are of a pellucid white; being surrounded along the anterior edge and part of the posterior with black; an oblong white spot is placed near the tips on the black part. Posterior wings black and white; the white entirely surrounded by the black, which on the anterior and abdominal edges is very narrow.
Under Side. Palpi orange-coloured, black at the tips. Neck, breast, and sides orange. Feet black. Thighs white. Abdomen white, annulated with dusky grey. Anterior wings as on the upper side, the black parts being of a russet hue. Posterior wings differ a little, the white part running down to the middle of the external edges, with a white spot at the upper corners. Margins of the wings entire.
Plate XI. fig. 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Bombycidæ, Steph.
Genus. Odonestis? Germar. Phalæna (Noctua), Drury.
Odonestis? Servula. Alis luteis, maculâ parva discoidali marginibusque externis tenuè fuscis. (Expans. Alar. 4 unc.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) Servula. Drury, Append. vol. 2.
Habitat: Madras.
Upper Side. Antennæ slightly pectinated. Tongue short. Head, thorax, and abdomen light yellowish sand-coloured. Wings yellow buff-coloured; the anterior having a small brown spot in the middle of each, and the external edges margined with brown. Posterior wings having a brown patch in the middle of each, with the external edges of the same colour.
Under Side. Breast, legs, abdomen, and wings buff-coloured, immaculate. Margins of the wings entire.
Plate XII. fig. 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Noctuidæ.
Genus. Noctua, Auct. Subgenus. ——?
Noctua Anilis. Alis badio-fuscis; strigis duabus obliquis, externâ abbreviatâ, albis. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 6 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) Anilis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Virginia.
Upper Side. Antennæ small, filiform. Head, thorax, and abdomen dark hair-coloured. Wings dark hair-coloured. Anterior having a narrow white line crossing them, about the middle, from the anterior to the posterior edges; between this and the tips is another short white streak placed on the anterior edge. Posterior wings immaculate. Cilia ash-coloured.
Under Side. Palpi, breast, legs, and abdomen russet-coloured. Wings also russet-coloured, with some faint marks, occasioned by the white lines on the upper side appearing through. Margins of the wings entire.
Plate XII. fig. 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Arctiidæ, Steph.
Genus. Nemeophila, Stephens. Eyprepia p. Ochs. Chelonia p. God.
Nemeophila Figurata. Alis anticis nigris, fasciâ longitudinali duabus alteris convergentibus connexâ, albis, posticis sanguineis margine maculâque externâ nigris. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 6 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Bombyx) figurata, Drury, App. vol. 2. Pal. Bauv. Ins. d'Afr. et d'Amer. Lep. pl. 24. f. 4. ♀. (Alis posticis nigris puncto rufo.)
Habitat: Virginia.
Upper Side. Antennæ dark brown and pectinated. Thorax cream-coloured and black. Abdomen black, the sides red. Anterior wings black; having a cream-coloured line running from the shoulders, parallel to and at a small distance from the posterior edge, towards the lower corner; stopping at about one-third from the external edge, from whence near the end of this line arises two others, which run almost to the anterior edges. Posterior wings red in the middle; surrounded, except on the abdominal edges, by a broad black margin.
Under Side. Palpi hairy and black. Breast, legs, and abdomen black. Wings as on the other side; but the colours are not so bright and distinct. Margins of the wings entire.
Plate XIII. fig. 1.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Bombycidæ, Steph.
Genus. Saturnia, Schrank. Attacus, Germar. Phalæna (Attacus), Linn.
Saturnia Epimethea. Alis subfuscis strigâ communi subapicali albâ, posticis acutè angulatis, ocello disci fulvo margine nigro.
Syn. Phalæna (Attacus) Epimethea, Drury, Append. vol. 2. Fab. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 414. No. 23. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2404. 472. Cramer, Ins. 15. tab. 176. f. A. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 29. 21.
Habitat: New Calabar, Coast of Guinea.
Upper Side. Antennæ strongly pectinated; the extremities appearing like threads. Thorax light brown, tinged with red. Abdomen grey brown. Anterior wings light grey brown, tinged with red at the base; having a narrow dark-coloured bar verged with grey running from the anterior to the posterior edges, parallel and at a little distance from the external margin. Posterior wings grey brown, terminating behind in points like acute angles; a dark narrow bar, edged with white, crosses these wings from the upper corners to the abdominal edges, dividing them into two compartments; in the uppermost of which are placed two eyes, whose centres are yellow, surrounded with black irides edged with red, and which also are encircled with ash-coloured rings. Above these eyes the wings are dark-coloured, almost black; but next the body are of a reddish hue.
Under Side. Legs black. Thorax and abdomen same colour as on the upper side. Wings nearly the same colour as on the upper side; the bars being plain and distinct, but the eyes are not observable here.
Plate XIII. fig. 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Bombycidæ, Steph.
Genus. Dryocampa, Harris in Hitchcock's Report on the Geology, &c. of Massachusets (Amherst Mass. 1834. roy. 8vo.)
Dryocampa Virginiensis. Alis cervinis, anticis puncto parvo discoidali albo, fasciâque obliquâ pallidiori. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 7 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Bombyx) Virginiensis, Drury, Append. vol. 2.
Phalæna pellucida, Abbot & Smith Ins. Georg. t. 58?
Phalæna Astynome? Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 43. 73.
Habitat: Virginia.
Upper Side. Antennæ setaceous. Head, thorax, and abdomen dark orange. Wings faint fox-coloured; immaculate, except the anterior ones, which have a faint light spot on each, about a third of an inch from the shoulders, and a faint line which runs from the tips to the middle of the posterior edges.
Under Side. Legs, sides, thorax, and abdomen dark orange. Wings with a faint narrow bar crossing them near their external edges, dividing the wings into two partitions; the lower ones being of the same colour as on the upper side, but those above the bar are of a yellowish fox-colour. Margins of the wings entire.
It is questionable whether this figure represents the Phalæna senatoria or pellucida of Abbot and Smith, by whom the transformations of both species have been illustrated; Smith citing Drury's figure with doubt, as belonging to pellucida. I have much pleasure in adopting the present well-marked genus proposed by Dr. Thaddeus W. Harris, one of the most distinguished American entomologists, in the appendix to the work above referred to; and respecting which I am indebted to that gentleman for the following communications:—"The male of Dryocampa senatoria, of Abbot and Smith, has the basal half of the antennæ pectinated on both sides, and the apex simple, as in Bombyx (Cerocampa, Kirby; Ceratocampa, Harris's Cat.) regalis and imperialis; and as they are described to be in the genus Zeuzera. The larvæ are naked, striped, rigid, with acute tubercles, and two thread-like horns on the second segment. They devour the leaves of forest trees, particularly oaks, and enter the earth to become pupæ. The edges of the segments of the pupæ are denticulated. On account of these peculiar characters, I have ventured to assign to this a new generical name; under which will be included also Bombyces pellucida, and Stigma, Fabr., figured in Abbot and Smith's Lepidopterous insects of Georgia; together with B. rubicunda, F. all of which are now found to inhabit Massachusets."
In addition to the characters mentioned by Dr. Harris, the peculiar form of the posterior wings of the males of these moths may also be noticed, and which are of a triangular form, somewhat like those of Erycina menetas (see vol. 3. pl. 8. fig. 3.), but extending to the extremity of the abdomen. This genus is not far removed, in its natural affinities, from that of Ceratocampa, (see vol. 1. pl. 9.)
Plate XIII. fig. 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Crepuscularia? Family: Sesiidæ, Steph.
Genus. Ægocera, Latr. Boisduval.
Ægocera Amabilis. Alis anticis rufis, maculis (nigro marginatis) margineque interno, albidis; posticis fulvis maculâ discoidali margineque postico nigris. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 6 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) Amabilis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Ægocera Amabilis, Boisduval Hist. Nat. Lepid. pl. 10. B. f. 6.
Habitat: Coast of Guinea.
Upper Side. Head brown. Antennæ filiform. Thorax and abdomen yellow brown. Superior wings fine darkish red, with several yellow spots thereon of different shapes, each encircled with black; the posterior and external edges having yellow margins. Posterior wings deep yellow, inclining to orange, with a black oval spot near the middle of each. Along the external edges is a black margin, reaching from the upper to the abdominal corners; the upper edge being scolloped.
Under Side. Legs, sides, thorax, and abdomen pale orange. Anterior wings entirely pale orange and dusky black, without any mixture of red, &c. Posterior wings as on the upper side; the colours being less distinct. Margins of the wings entire.
Plate XIII. fig. 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Noctuidæ, Stephens.
Genus. Triphæna, Ochs. Treit. Steph. Phalæna (Noctua), Linn. Drury.
Triphæna Materna. Alis anticis grisescentibus aut luteis, fusco irroratis et undulatis, posticis fulvis, maculâ margineque (albo punctato) atris.
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) Materna, Linn. Syst. Nat. II. 840. 117. Drury, App. vol. 2.
Noctua Materna, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 2. p. 16. No. 27. Gmel. Linn. S. N. 2533. 117. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 8. 259. 39.
Noctua hybrida, Fabr. Ent. Syst. 593. 11.
Habitat: Bengal.
Upper Side. Antennæ setaceous. Tongue spiral. Palpi yellow, blue at the tips. Head tinged with blue. Thorax olive. Abdomen yellow. Anterior wings light brown and shining; appearing of several colours according to the position they are held in. Posterior wings yellow, with a round black central spot. Margins black, beginning at the middle of the anterior edges, and ending at the abdominal corners where the margin is narrowest; having eight small white spots thereon, placed on the external edges.
Under Side. Thorax, abdomen, and sides yellowish ash-coloured. Anterior wings yellow; tips brown, and separated from the yellow by a black streak running from the lower corner to the anterior edge. Posterior wings coloured as on the upper side; the black margin being rather fainter. Margins of the wings dentated.
Plate XIV. fig. 1.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Noctuidæ, Steph.
Genus. Erebus, Latr. Thysania, Dalm. Noctua, Fabr.
Erebus Fluctuosus. Alis fuscis, fasciâ communi pallidâ, marginibus latè nigris internè dentatis, anticis ocello magno auriformi. (Expans. Alar. 3 unc. 1½ lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Noctua) fluctuosa, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Sierra Leone.
Upper Side. Antennæ setaceous. Head and thorax brown. Tongue spiral. Wings dark hair-coloured, or russet brown; divided into two compartments by a clay-coloured line, which beginning at the anterior edges of the anterior near the middle, and crossing them and the posterior, meets at the extremity of the body: the inner compartment being brown, the outward one clay; which is again separated by an irregular waved line, beginning at the tips and ending at the abdominal corners. All the outward part is brown. Two black spots are placed on the anterior wings next the anterior edges, and near the middle.
Under Side. Palpi distinct, and like bristles at their extremities. Breast, legs, and wings light brown. A row of cream spots, angularly shaped, are placed along the wings; the outward part being furnished with about twenty-eight small cream spots irregularly placed. Margins of the posterior wings dentated, of the anterior entire.
According to Mr. Smeathman this species is easily disturbed during the day. It flies exceedingly rapid, and has a method of striking a leaf or bough at two or three feet distance from the place where it really settles. Whether this be done to break the violence of its motion, and enable it to settle without injury to its body; or for the purpose of deceiving its pursuers, is not easily ascertained; it has, however, the latter, and probably both effects; most of the locusts do this, for they certainly strike some branch with a good deal of violence just before they alight, the motion of which deceives the eyes and baffles the pursuer.
Plate XIV. fig. 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Geometridæ, Steph.
Genus. Geometra, Auct. Subgenus. ——?
Geometra Argentata. Alis pallidè griseis, anticis fasciis duabus, posticis unicâ flavis, utrinque argenteo-marginatis his ocello marginali obscuro. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Phalæna (Geometra) Argentata, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Jamaica.
Upper Side. Antennæ filiform. Body grey. Wings pale yellowish grey. A narrow yellow bar rises near the middle of the anterior wings, which, crossing them and the posterior, ends a little below the body on the abdominal edges; another small bar crosses the anterior wings near the shoulders, both of them being verged with silver. A small dark spot, surrounded with silver, is also placed close to the external edges of the posterior wings; and above it is a yellowish patch reaching to the upper corners.
Under Side. Wings pale light-coloured, almost white, immaculate. Margins of the wings entire.
Plate XIV. fig. 3.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Notodontidæ, Steph.
Genus. Petasia? Stephens. Phalæna (Noctua), Drury.
Petasia? Ministra. Alis anticis rufescenti-fulvis, strigis quinque transversis, posticis pallidioribus ♀. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc.)
Syn. Phalæna Noctua Ministra, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Phalæna Ministra, Abbot & Smith Ins. Georg. t. 81. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 69. 155.
Habitat: New York.
Upper Side. Antennæ filiform. Head and thorax reddish brown. Abdomen clay-coloured. Anterior wings brown orange, with five small dark lines crossing from the anterior to the posterior edges. Posterior wings clay-coloured, fringed with orange brown.
Under Side. Tongue indistinct. Breast and legs red brown. Abdomen and posterior wings clay-coloured. Anterior ones brown orange, without any marks or lines thereon. Wings a little dentated; especially in the anterior wings.
The larva of this insect is long, smooth, and shining, of a black colour, with eight longitudinal continuous yellow lines, with the base of the legs and a spot on the neck red. When alarmed it throws up its head and tail into the air. From the structure of the larva it is therefore nearly allied to Ptilophora and Petasia, Steph., and not to the buff tip-moth (Pygæra bucephala). Its food, according to Abbot, consists of the Andromeda mariana, vulgarly called the male hackleberry, which grows round ponds and on the margins of running streams; it eats also several species of walnut and oak. One went into the ground on the 31st of July, and the moth came out the 23rd of August; another went in the 8th of June, and came forth the 3rd of July. They likewise sometimes go into the ground in autumn, and come out in the spring. The whole brood of caterpillars feed together in society. Abbot also states, that when they eat walnut leaves they are always black, with white hairs;[3] when their food is the oak, they are more yellow.
Plate XIV. fig. 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Pyralidæ, Leach.
Genus. Hydrocampa? Latr. Cataclysta, Hübn. Steph. Phalæna (Pyralis), Drury.
Hydrocampa? Nivalis. Alis margaritaceo-albis, ciliâ anticarum fuscâ.
Syn. Phalæna (Pyralis) Nivalis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: New England.
Upper Side. Antennæ filiform and brown. Head, thorax, abdomen, and wings white. The latter of a fine glossy hue, and immaculate. Cilia of the anterior wings brown.
Under Side. Tongue spiral. All the parts on this side are of the same white glossy colour as on the upper.
Plate XIV. fig. 5.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Nocturna. Family: Arctiidæ, Steph.
Genus. Liparis? Ochs. Phalæna (bombyx), Drury.
Liparis? Rivulosa. Alis fuscis, strigis transversis undulatis pallidioribus et obscurioribus, anticis fasciâ latâ centrali alterâque basali badiis. (Expans. Alar. 3 unc.)
Syn. Phalæna (Bombyx) rivulosa, Drury, App. vol. 2. Oliv. Enc. Méth. 5. 38. 54. (Bombyx r.)
Habitat: Surinam.
Upper Side. Antennæ pectinated. Head, thorax, abdomen, and wings pale reddish brown, or fawn-coloured. The latter with several indented and waved lines, some being darker and some lighter than the general colour of the wings. On the anterior is a large chocolate patch, situated on the middle of the wings, and joining to the anterior edge; between which and the shoulders is another that is much smaller.
Under Side. Tongue obsolete. Palpi, breast, abdomen, and wings brown, as on the upper side; the latter immaculate, except a dark patch on each wing near the shoulders. Margins of the wings slightly dentated.
Plate XV. fig. 1, 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: Nymphalidæ, Swains.
Genus. Nymphalis, Latr. God. Papilio (Dan. Festivi), Linn. Drury.
Nymphalis Medon. Alis dentatis, supra fuscis; anticis utrinque fasciâ obliquâ luteâ, apice albo; posticis fasciâ violaceo-cœrulescenti, singulis subtùs punctis tribus. (Expans. Alar. 3 unc. 7 lin.)
Syn. Papilio (Nymph.) Erithonius, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 82. No. 255. Latr. & God. Enc. Méth. ix. p. 390. No. 142. (Nymphalis Er.)
Papilio (Dan. Festivi) Eupalus, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 48. No. 148.
Papilio Harpalyce, Cram. pl. 145. fig. D. E.
Papilio (Equ. Achiv.) Medon, Drury, App. vol. 2. (Exclus. Syn. Linn. & Fabr.)
Habitat: Sierra Leone.
Upper Side. Antennæ black, lighter at the tips. Head black. Thorax and abdomen dark brown. Anterior wings dark red brown, tipped with white; but next the shoulders of a purplish hue, with a dark yellow streak near the tips, extending obliquely from the anterior towards the external edge. Posterior wings also red brown; but towards the middle and shoulders of a purplish blue, which they reflect more or less according to the position they are held in.
Under Side. Palpi and breast yellow. Anterior wings olive brown, tipped with white; but along the external edges of a hazel colour, and near the shoulders having three round black spots on each. Posterior wings similar to the anterior, being of a brown olive, variegated, and clouded, with three small spots placed near the shoulders, as in the superior ones. All the wings are a little dentated.
There are several African species closely allied to the present insect, which was regarded by Drury as the Medon of Linnæus. I have followed the Encyclopédie Méthodique in rejecting this reference; although it will be seen that the Linnæan description of that insect, "alis supra nigris primoribus fascia lutea apiceque albo; posticis disco cœrulescentibus," does not disagree with the character of this insect.
According to Mr. Smeathman this species was taken at some distance inland upon the continent of Africa; adding, "there are several Papiliones nearly of this colour, that is to say, with the upper sides of the wings having a changeable purple, and the under sides being inclinable to green, sometimes with marks of the most beautiful crimson. The differences between them arise so gradually, that he thinks them varieties of the same species, some, apparently very different, being found coupled together. They are all found congregating in the paths, and in the thick shade of a forest, ten or a dozen in a circle round a little puddle or moist spot, and seem to like the most gloomy places."
Plate XV. fig. 3, 4.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: Hesperiidæ, Steph.
Genus. Hesperia, Latr. God. Papilio (Pleb. Urbic.) Linn. &c.
Hesperia Iphis. Alis supra viridi-atris; infra aureo-virescentibus venis margineque postico nigris, capite sanguineo. (Expans. Alar. 4 unc.)
Syn. Papilio (Pleb. Urb.) Iphis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Hesperia (Urb.) Jupiter, Fabr. Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 336. No. 279. Enc. Méth. ix. p. 733. (Hesperia J.)
Papilio Phidias, Cram. pl. 244. A. B.
Habitat: Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Anamaboe, and the Bight of Benin, on the Coast of Africa.
Upper Side. Antennæ thickest in the middle. Head scarlet. Thorax and abdomen black. All the wings green brassy-coloured, the nerves black, those parts that surround the body being of a raven black. The tips of the anterior wings orange-coloured.
Under Side. Palpi scarlet and hairy, the extremities being small and black. Breast, legs, sides, and abdomen black. Anus scarlet. Wings of a yellower brassy hue than on the upper side. Superior wings tipped with orange, but next the body greenish black; the same colour occupying the external edges of the posterior wings.
The male differs in having the upper side entirely of a fine raven black without the orange tips; the under side is also darker, and less brassy than the female.
Drury states, that when this insect is at rest it sits with its wings erect; and Mr. Smeathman considers it "very remarkable that this insect, which seems an intermediate species between Papilio and Phalæna, associates with the little assemblages of Nymphalis Erithonius, and is frequently seen sipping water with them."
Plate XVI. fig. 1, 2.
Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: Nymphalidæ, Swains.
Genus. Nymphalis, Latr. God. Papilio (Nymph. Phal.), Linn. Drury. Subgenus: Limenitis, Fabr. Steph. Naiades, Hübn.
Nymphalis (Limenitis) Sibilla. Alis subdentatis supra atro-cœruleis; fasciâ maculari albâ; posticis subtus basi cinereo-cœrulescente immaculatis. (Expans. Alar. 1 unc. 9 lin.)
Syn. Papilio Sibilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. ii. 781.
N. Camilla, Enc. Méth. ix. p. 408. and of the German Lepidopterists.
Papilio (Nymph.) Sibilla var. Drury.
Habitat: Smyrna (Drury).
Upper Side. Antennæ black. Head, thorax, and abdomen black. Between the eyes are four small white spots. Wings raven black, tinged with green. Anterior with ten white spots, of different sizes, placed in various parts; four being next the anterior edge, near the middle of the wings, and divided only by the nerves. Posterior with a row of long white spots, placed together, running from the middle of the anterior edges, and ending a little above the abdominal corners, divided by the nerves. A range of small black spots, edged with grey, runs parallel with the external edges of the wings, from the tips to the abdominal corners, where the last spot is encircled with orange.
Under Side. Palpi, legs, breast, and abdomen grey. Anterior wings, next the body, grey; the remaining parts being dusky olive, with some dark red streaks placed on various parts; the white spots being very distinct on this side. Posterior wings, at the base, light grey; extending almost to the row of white spots, which are seen on this side as well as on the upper. The remaining parts are dusky olive, with two rows of faint dark red spots running along the external edges. A range of small black spots runs parallel with the external edges of all the wings. All the wings are dentated.
There is a diversity of opinion amongst the German and English Lepidopterists, relative to the names of this species and the English White Admiral, to which latter Haworth, Stephens, &c. give the name of Camilla, but which Illiger, Hubner, &c. term Sibilla. I have adopted the former nomenclature, although it will be seen that the figure of Drury, which is the Sibilla of the English nomenclature, exhibits a red spot at the anal angle, which Curtis considers as the most satisfactory mark of distinction between the two species. (Brit. Ent. p. 124.)
Plate XVI. fig. 3, 4.