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
The parts before us are: a poorly preserved body, vague indications of
the terminal palpal joint, an antenna (probably a portion only), an
unrolled tongue, the hinder pair of legs and portions of the other pairs,
the greater part of the two front wings and fragments of the base of
the hind wings. Of the latter, no border remains and only the base of a
few of the nervules, which give scarcely any additional information as
to the pterology of the insect. The only portion of the margin of the
front wings which can be determined with certainty is the most essential
part, the apex and the upper half of the outer border of the left wing,
enough to show that its general contour was similar to that of the
European Satyrids of the present epoch; but throughout the remainder all
the nervules can be exactly traced. This being then the best preserved
portion of the insect, we will consider its structure in detail,
subsequently adding whatever can be gleaned from the examination of the
other parts.[Q] [The account of the structural framework of the wing is
given under the genus].
The basal two-thirds of the wing appears to have been more darkly
clouded than the other portions, although in this fuscous area there is
apparently a clearer space towards the upper, outer portion of the cell.
There is also a distinct, darker, uniform and equal rounded spot in
the middle of the outer two-thirds of the lowest subcostal interspace,
nearly reaching the nervule on either side; in the specimen it appears to
be broader than long by encroaching upon the next interspace in front,
but this is evidently only apparent, the spots of the two wings (one
of which I have stated to be a little in advance of the other) being
blended. The object is so well preserved that one can see throughout the
parallel series of minute punctures forming the points of insertion for
the scales, outlines of the latter of which I have failed to discover.
The wing is 28·5mm. long, the tip of the cell being distant 15mm. from
the base of the wing; the costal nervure is inflated for a distance
of 6·5mm., and the extreme width of this portion is 1mm.; the rows of
punctures indicating the former insertion of the scales are ·12mm. apart.
Of the body itself nothing can be predicated, unless it be that the form
of the abdomen and the appearance of its tip lead us to conjecture that
the specimen was a female which had deposited most of her eggs, or in
which they were but partially developed.
At the anterior upper extremity of the head is a dark prominence which
seems to be the terminal joint of a palpus; it extends ·75mm. beyond the
head and is of a nearly uniform width (·2mm.), scarcely tapering, with a
rounded tip. The basal portion of an antenna, 5mm. long, is slender and
apparently begins to increase slightly and very gradually in size, as in
the genus Œneis Hübn. A finely impressed line, 7·25mm. long, appears to
be the unrolled, though slightly curved tongue.
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