PLATE V.

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CYNTHIA HUNTERA.

Plate V. fig. 1.

Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: NymphalidÆ, Swains.

Genus. Cynthia, Fabr. Stephens. Vanessa p. Latr. et God. Papilio (Nymph. Gemmat.), Drury, Fabricius.

Cynthia Huntera. Alis subangulatis dentatis fulvis, nigro variegatis; anticis apice productis albo maculatis; posticis infra ad basin griseo reticulatis, ad extimum ocellis duobus magnis notatis. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 9 lin.)

Syn. Papilio (Nymph.) Huntera, Fab. Syst. Ent. p. 499. No. 240. Herbst. Pap. t. 178. f. 5. 6. t. 179. f. 1. 2. Abbot and Smith, Ins. Georgia, vol. 1. tab. 9.

Papilio (Nymph. Gemm.) Cardui Virginiensis, Drury, App. v. 2.

Papilio Iole, Cramer, Pap. 1. pl. 12. f. E. F.

Papilio Bella Donna Virginiana, Petiv. Gaz. Dec. 4. tab. 33. fig. 5.

Habitat: New York, Maryland, Virginia (Drury). Brazil to Georgia (Enc. MÉth.).

Upper Side. The base of the wings tawny orange; the anterior, dentated and angulated; the tips and external edges are brownish black, on which are five white spots near the external angle, the largest being round. The remainder of the wings is of a fine orange brown, with several black marks thereon, near the anterior edges. The posterior wings are a little dentated, and of a brown orange colour like the anterior, having five black spots placed near the external edge of each, two of which being larger than the rest have blue centres, below these is a black border, with a row of brown-orange crescents running along the middle. The cilia is black and white.

Under Side. The anterior wings at the base are greyish, beyond which they are beautifully adorned with rose-coloured and black marks, having three white spots on each near the external edge, with several clouds and marks of different colours placed at the tips and anterior edges. The posterior wings are of a beautiful agate colour, with many lines and narrow bars branching from, and intersecting one another under different directions (like lines in a map), so as to form spots and clouds of different shapes. Each wing has two eyes placed near the external edge, one larger than the other, the pupils being of a blueish hue and the irides black, the small one having a yellow circle within it; below these, a purple line runs parallel with, and near to the external edge.

The caterpillar of this insect is described by Drury as being green, with black rings round the body, and as feeding about New York upon the wild balsams, appearing about the latter end of July, or beginning of August. Once in about five or six years they are exceedingly plentiful, at other times very scarce; a peculiarity also noticed in the very nearly allied European species, Cynthia Cardui (the Painted lady), of which species, indeed, Drury appears to have regarded it as a geographical variety.

The caterpillar, according to Abbot, is of a brown colour, with the incisions, and a lateral line yellow; it has also two dorsal lines, formed of alternately white and red points; the head is black, and the spines, with which the body is armed, are of the prevalent colour of the surface. It feeds upon the Gnaphalum obtusifolium. The chrysalis is rather yellow, with black spots, and is assumed towards the end of April or beginning of May. The butterfly appears at the end of about ten days. It continues breeding during the summer, and is very commonly seen sucking up moisture from damp places near houses. The caterpillar folds and spins the leaves together, in the same manner as the English Painted lady, Cynthia Cardui.

PIERIS (THESTIAS) PYRENE?

Plate V. fig. 2.

Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: PapilionidÆ, Leach.

Genus. Pieris, Schrank, Latr. et God. Pontia, p. Ochsenh. Horsfield. Papilio (Danai Candidi), Linn. Drury. Thestias, Boisduv. Teracolus, Swains.

Pieris (Thestias) Pyrene. "Alis flavis primoribus apice (medio fulvo) nigris, subtus nebuloso maculatis. Habitat in China." Lin. loc. cit. infra. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 9 lin.)

Syn. Papilio (Dan. Candid.) Pyrene, Linn. Syst. Nat. 2. 762. 86? Latr. et God. Enc. MÉth. ix. 120.

P. Evippe, Lin. var. teste. Drury, App. vol. 2.

Pap. (Dan. Cand.) Sesia, Fab. Ent. Syst. III. 1. 203. 636.

Thestias Pirene, Boisd. Hist. Nat. Lep. 1. p. 593. No. 3.

Habitat: China (Drury). Asia (Linn.).

Upper Side. The anterior wings near the base are of a brimstone colour; the tips and external edges being of a dark brown, nearly black, surrounding a large patch of a fine orange. The posterior are of brimstone colour, with a border round their edges of dark brown. The male has not this border.

Under Side. Black; all the wings brimstone, without any marks, spots, or clouds whatever in the female, the male having its under side of a brighter yellow, with several reddish-brown spots on the inferior wings.

There is the greatest confusion respecting the specific names of this, and several nearly allied species, which would be very difficult to unravel. Drury considered this insect as a variety of Evippe, whilst Fabricius, Latrielle, and Godart, give it as identical with the LinnÆan Pyrene, which opinion I have adopted, although I am by no means certain as to the identity of the species; the under side of the wings offering no trace of the central discoidal black spot existing in that species. M. Boisduval has not diminished the confusion, in his work just published, by giving a species from Guinea, under the name of Evippe (which LinnÆus states is from China), with the erroneous observation, "Il est probable que les anciens auteurs auront confondu sous le nom d'Evippe trois ou quatre espÈces Africaines."—Hist. Nat. LÉpid. 1. p. 574.

CYNTHIA LAOMEDIA.

Plate V. fig. 3.

Order: Lepidoptera. Section: Diurna. Family: NymphalidÆ, Swains.

Genus. Cynthia, Fab. Vanessa p. Latr. et God. Papilio (Nymph. Gemmat.), Linn. Drury.

Cynthia Laomedia. Alis dentatis cinerascentibus lineis fuscis transversis undulatis ocellisque (quibusdam coecis) serie postic digestis; anticarum sex, posticarum quinque. (Expans. Alar. 2 unc. 9 lin.)

Syn. Papilio (Nymph. Gemmat.) Laomedia, Linn. Syst. Nat. 2. 772. No. 145. Fabricius, Ent. Syst. III. 1. p. 98. No. 302. Cramer, pl. 8. f. 10. Herbst. Pap. tab. 174. f. 1. 2.

Habitat: China (Drury). East India (Linn.). Java (Enc. MÉth.).

Upper Side. The wings are of a greyish purple and a little dentated. The anterior have on each four irregular black lines, running from the anterior edge near the body half way cross the wings, and six eyes on each, near the external edge, whose irides are white, some of which are oval, and one, being larger than the rest, is filled up with black and red; some are very faint. The posterior wings have six oval eyes on each, with white irides; three of which are more distinct than the rest, two of them being filled up with red and black. Two dark irregular lines run along and near to their external edges.

Under Side. The wings are rather paler than on the upper side. A small irregular line begins about the middle of the anterior edge of the superior wings, and running cross them and the inferior ones, meets below the body. The anterior wings have a distinct dark spot, and also a faint one. The posterior ones have two distinct red and black spots, and another very faint.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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