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
Der Flügel ist am Grunde stark verschmälert, nach dem
Hinterrande zu stark verbreitert; der Hinterrand ist stumpf
gekerbt; in die Bucht der Kerbe läuft eine Längsfalte, in die
Mitte derselben eine Ader aus, die man aber nicht bis zur
Insertionsstelle verfolgen kann; die äussere Flügelspitze
fehlt; ebenso ein Stück des Hinterrandes an der [183]
Nahtseite. Von den Adern kann man nur die einfache v. analis
in ihrer ganzen Länge verfolgen; sie ist dem Nahtrande sehr
genähert. Die Farbe des Flügels ist hell gelbbraun und war im
Leben wohl weiss oder gelblich. Der Hinterrand ist von der
Mitte an bis zum Aussenrand schwarz, und zwar wird diese dunkle
Parthie auswärts breiter; ungefähr in der Flügelmitte geht
vom Aussenrand ein viereckiger, dunkler Fleck aus, welcher
dieselbe Grösse, Form und Stellung hat, wie der schwarze Fleck
bei Pieris Daplidice; ein zweiter kleinerer, rundlicher Fleck
liegt näher dem Hinter-und Nahtrande und entspricht dem, an
derselben Stelle liegenden, Flecken der Unterseite von Pieris
Daplidice.—Am Flügelgrunde bemerkt man den Schenkel und Schiene
eines dünnen Beines, das wohl diesem Thiere angehört hat.
This insect evidently belongs to the genus Pontia, judging from the
disposition of the markings of the upper surface of the fore wings (Pl.
II, fig. 18); this is the only thing we have here to guide us, although
the drawing made for us in Vienna seems to show that with great pains the
neuration of at least a part of the apex might be traced and lead to more
positive determination. The fossil species seems best comparable with
_P. Protodice_ (Pl. II, fig. 12) of N. America, although, as suggested
by Heer, most nearly resembling _P. Daplidice_, of European species. The
dark spot at the apex of the cell appears to cover a larger area than in
_P. Protodice_, extending with equal breadth almost to the costal margin,
and also covering a considerable space at the base of the subcosto-median
interspace, equal indeed to the entire width of the portion of the spot
within the cell. The region below this spot, next the base of the lower
median interspace, is also rather faintly suffused with griseous tints.
The precise extent of the subcostal spots midway between the cell and the
apex cannot be determined, owing to the imperfect state of the fossil;
but they evidently form a connected series as much larger than the
similar spots in _P. Protodice_ as the cellular spot, and extend from the
costal margin to the lowest subcostal nervures, expanding considerably
baseward in the upper half of their course. There is no spot in the
upper median interspace, as in _P. Protodice_, but, instead, a precisely
similar one in the middle of the apical three-fifths of the lower
median interspace, where it does not occur in _P. Protodice_; and this
affords the principal ground for supposing the insect to be generically
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