Fossil Butterflies: Memoirs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, I. — John Shaqi
Fossil Butterflies: Memoirs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, I.Scudder, Samuel Hubbard
Science
Fossil Butterflies: Memoirs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, I.
Scudder, Samuel Hubbard
Butterflies, Fossil
It should be borne in mind, however, that there are two distinct
criticisms by Lefebvre, to the second of which Boisduval only alludes
in the most general way, and does not meet, while Butler makes no
reference to it at all. As far as regards the position of the tail,
Lefebvre is unquestionably wrong (see Pl. I, fig. 10), although his
fault is primarily due to the inaccuracy of the engraving given by
Boisduval, an inaccuracy which is slightly accentuated in our copy of
it (Pl. I, fig. 17). But by far the larger part of his paper is made up
of a detailed argument, drawn from the position and character of the
markings and from the direction of the nervures, in which he endeavors
to prove, and in most cases really does prove (though he errs in some
of his statements concerning the neuration), that these markings belong
to the front and not to the hind wing. He argues, for instance, that
the two oval dark spots are plainly traversed by the nervures of the
hind wing, and therefore cannot belong to that wing; that the minute
white spot apparently on the outer border of the hind wing is only
half a spot and must belong to the fore wing, and that the markings on
and near the costal border traverse both wings and must belong to the
one to which they certainly belong in part, the front wing. To this
Boisduval makes no sort of answer, and Butler, to judge from his silence
in the matter, and the comparative illustrations he gives on a plate
published subsequently,[M] considers it unproven. All of these writers
are, however, entirely wrong in supposing that the under surface of the
wings is exposed to view, and that the hind wing covers the front wing.
Boisduval does not distinctly state this; but the whole tenor of his
remarks shows that this was the view taken by him; and when Lefebvre
says: “Si de l’œil on suit les bords de la seconde aile, qu’avec le
Docteur je reconnais couvrir en grande partie la première,” no objection
is offered in Dr. Boisduval’s response; nor does he demur to Lefebvre’s
statement, when the latter speaks of the “face inférieure, celle que
nous voyons.” As we shall show later, however, the upper surface of the
wings is that exhibited on the stone, and the front wing almost entirely
conceals the hind one; compare Pl. I, fig. 13, drawn anew from the fossil.
In the same place to which we have just referred Mr. Butler adds the
following remarks on the probable affinities of this fossil:[N]
The true position of _C. sepulta_ is undoubtedly in the family
_Satyridæ_; and, so far as can be judged from the beautiful
figure in the “Annales,”[O] it is exactly intermediate in
character between three nearly allied genera now existing,
viz.:—_Neorina_, _Antirrhæa_ and _Anchiphlebia_, its more
immediate allies being the commonest species in each of the
above genera. Its characters are distributed between these
three species as follows:—
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