Zoological Illustrations, Volume 1: or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting AnimalsSwainson, William
Science
Zoological Illustrations, Volume 1: or, Original Figures and Descriptions of New, Rare, or Interesting Animals
Swainson, William
Animals -- Pictorial works
Under the head of _Colias Pyranthe_, M. Godart has united the three insects
described by Fabricius, as, _Pap. Pyranthe_, _Nepthe_ and _Gnomia_, all
bearing in their leading colours a very near resemblance to each other. Yet
as this consideration alone appears to have decided this ingenious author
in uniting them, without apparently noticing the nicer but more important
characters of form, proportion, and real sexual distinction, as well as
geography, I cannot but consider the question still remains doubtful; and
although I am not at present prepared to offer an opinion as to the actual
affinity between these three insects, I have little or no doubt that the
one now figured is a really distinct species from either of the above,
which all inhabit various parts of India. This, on the contrary, is from
the interior of the Cape of Good Hope, from whence it was brought by Mr.
Burchall, among whose insects I have seen about twenty unvarying specimens,
but they were all males. I discovered however three or four of both sexes,
varying in size, in Mr. Haworth's cabinet, and the perfect similarity in
colour of the female with the other sex is very striking: it wants of
course the little tuft of hair and opaque spot within the borders of the
wings, so generally found in the male _Coliadae_.
The distinctions of _Colias Pyrene_ as a species rest on the areola of the
anterior wings being considerably larger in proportion than in the others
allied to it, thus making the black dot (which is always placed at the
outer extremity of the areola) much nearer the tip than the base: these
wings are also more sharply trigonal (in the male), and have only the
slightest appearance of a black margin; the hinder wings are also perfectly
entire, and not obtusely undulated as in those insects, and the sexes not
differing in colour. Like most of the insects of this genus, the ocellate
spots beneath vary considerably; sometimes they are silvery, at other times
not; the anal valves in the male are short and obtuse, and the wings in the
female not so sharply pointed.
* * * * *
Pl. 52
[Illustration]
COLIAS argante.
_Orange Colias._
* * * * *
GENERIC CHARACTER.--See Pl. 5.
* * * * *
SPECIFIC CHARACTER.
_C. (Mas.) alis aurantiis, supra immaculatis, posticis subtus atomis
ferrugineis, plerumque puncto gemino argenteo._
_C. (Foem.) alis aurantio-flavis, anticis supra, apice punctoque medio
atris; posticis subtus, puncto gemino argenteo atomisque ferrugineis._
C. (Male.) Wings bright-orange, above immaculate; posterior beneath
with minute ferruginous dots, and generally two silvery spots.
C. (Female.) Wings golden-yellow; anterior above with a central spot
and black marginal tip; posterior beneath covered with ferruginous dots
and two silvery spots.
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