The Butterfly Book: A Popular Guide to a Knowledge of the Butterflies of North AmericaHolland, W. J. (William Jacob)
Science
The Butterfly Book: A Popular Guide to a Knowledge of the Butterflies of North America
Holland, W. J. (William Jacob)
Butterflies -- North America
_Butterfly._--Larger than the preceding species, with the red spots on
the outer margin bigger, the yellow spots generally larger and paler.
Expanse, ♂, 1.85-2.00 inches; ♀, 2.25-3.00 inches.
_Early Stages._--Unknown.
This insect is represented in the Edwards collection by a considerable
series. They come from Truckee, California.
(4) =Melitæa colon=, Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 5, ♂ (Colon).
_Butterfly._--Of the same size and general appearance as _M. chalcedon_,
with which I believe it to be identical, the only possible satisfactory
mark of distinction which I am able to discover on comparing the types
with a long series of _chalcedon_ being the reduced size of the marginal
row of yellow spots on the upper side of the primaries, which in one of
the types figured in the plate are almost obsolete. They appear,
however, in other specimens labeled "Type." The learned author of the
species lays stress, in his original description, upon the shape of the
spots composing the band of spots second from the margin on the under
side of the hind wings; but I find that the same points he dwells upon
as diacritic of this species are apparent in many specimens of what
undoubtedly are _chalcedon_. Expanse, 1.75-2.50 inches.
_Early Stages._--These have not been recorded.
The types came from the region of the Columbia River, in Washington and
Oregon.
(5) =Melitæa anicia=, Doubleday and Hewitson, var. =beani=, Skinner, Plate
XVIII, Fig. 13, ♂ (Bean's Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--_M. anicia_ is a well-known Californian species, smaller
than _M. chalcedon_, and with a great deal of red on the basal and
discal areas of both wings upon the upper side. An extremely small and
dark form of this species, found on the bleak, inhospitable
mountain-tops about Laggan, in Alberta, has been named by Dr. Skinner in
honor of Mr. Bean, its discoverer. The figure in our plate, which is
taken from Dr. Skinner's original type, sufficiently defines the
characteristics of the upper surface. Expanse, 1.50 inch.
_Early Stages._--The early stages of _M. anicia_ and its varietal forms
are quite unknown.
_M. anicia_ is found in Colorado, Montana, Washington, and British
America.
(6) =Melitæa nubigena=, Behr, Plate XVI, Fig. 6, ♂; var. =wheeleri=,
Edwards, Plate XVI, Fig. 9, ♂ (The Clouded Checker-spot).
_Butterfly._--Smaller than any of the foregoing species, and
characterized by the much redder ground-color of the upper side of the
wings, an extreme form being the variety _M. wheeleri_, in which the
black ground-color is greatly reduced and almost wholly obliterated on
parts of the primaries. There are other marks of distinction given in
the figures in the plate which will enable the student easily to
recognize this species, which is subject to much variation, especially
in the female sex. Expanse, 1.20-1.50 inch.
_Early Stages._--Mead, in the "Report upon the Lepidoptera of the
Wheeler Survey," has described the caterpillar and chrysalis.
The species is common in Nevada.
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