4 



VOL, T.] Le^idoptcra, 247 



cimda^ Callidryas Arganie^ Rhodocera Mcertila and R. Chlormde 



belong to the Southeastern United States and to Mexico. The 

 same is the case with Papilio Thoas and Macroglossa Tantalus, 



There remain only Myscelia^ Achlyodes and Aglaope as endemic 

 insects. The first, of which I possess two specimens, collected near 

 Cape St. Lucas by the w^ell-known Hungarian scientist Xantus, is 

 so nearly related to an exceedingly variable species from Mazatlan 

 that I hesitate to pronounce it distinct, especially as one of Xantus' 

 specimens is rather intermediate. 



Achlyodes is in a similar position. 



The Aglaope is a very interesting type, connecting the Old World 

 Aglaope with the American genus Euchromia. I possess a nearly 

 related species from Mazatlan. All the essential characters agree 

 with those of ^. Infausta from Europe, but instead of the half dia- 

 phanous squamation of that insect, all four wings are thickly cov- 

 ered by scales of metallic lustre like that of the anterior wings of the 

 Old World genus Procris, from which it differs, among many other 

 attributes, by the posterior wings being not half diaphanous, but 

 covered by the same squamation as the anterior ones. It is distin- 

 guished from all members of the group by its size, which makes it 

 a giant not only in the genus, but in the whole family. It would be 

 very interesting to know something of its larval state. 



In most instances we are enabled by a knowledge of the prevail- 

 ing t3'pes of Lepidoptera to form a rather correct idea of the char- 

 acter of the landscape, because it is an exception to find Lepidop- 



terous larva on rare plants. They always take to the ruling genera, 



and this perhaps is one of the reasons why the poorest Lepidopterous 

 fauna is connected with the most varied vegetation, and vice versa. 



For instance, the exceedingly rich flora of the Cape of Good 

 Hope or of South Australia exhibits fewer diurnals than the monot- 

 onous Tundra and stunted hillside forests of Arctic Siberia. 



In the case of our Baja California species, they indicate by Danais 

 Berenice ^.^ooAXynxxmh^x of AsclepiadacCcX and Apocynaceae; by 

 Etiptoicta, the presence of Passifloraceae or Malvaceae; by Lyccena 

 Ha7i7io Terias Jucunda, and Callidryas Argayiti, a prevalence of 

 Leguminosas on which these species feed exclusively. 



On account of the very great labor involved in moving the Cali- 

 fornia Academy of Sciences this number of Zoe is nearly a month 

 late. 



