Feb., 'oyj ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 47 



The Identity of Thecla calanus and edwardsi. 



BY HENRY SKINNER. 



Some time ago Mr. Edward D. Keith, of Providence, R. I., 

 sent me some butterflies to name, and among them were some 

 Theclas which I believe I determined to be calanus. Mr. 

 Keith said he thought they were edivardsi, and this led me to 

 investigate these two so-called species. In my collection I 

 have my specimens named, as near as may be, in accordance 

 with the literature and lists, and, as occasion or interest in 

 special ones demand, I try to get them nearer to nature. To 

 elucidate these problems we need large series of specimens 

 with accurate data. I am indebted to Dr. James Fletcher fo r 

 specimens of edwardsi from places in Canada and to Mr. H. 

 H. Brehme for a number of calanus from New Jersey. In all 

 I had before me 73 specimens, and, assuming some light col- 

 ored ones from London and Toronto, Canada, were edwardsi, 

 I divided the lot on the basis of color dark ones as calamis 

 and light ones as edwardsi. This gave 45 calanus, 27 $ and 

 1 8 9 , and 28 edwardsi, 18 $ and 10 9 The brick-red spot 

 at anal angle of secondaries above is not usually present. 

 Three $ and 5 9 calanus have it, and 6 $ and 5 9 cdwardsi. 

 The color of the wings in the lots provisionally divided into 

 edwardsi and calamis varies among the individuals. The extra- 

 mesial band on the primaries below has been supposed by Mr. ' 

 S. H. Scudder * to supply the character by which the two can be 

 separated. In about 40 calanus this band consists of a dark 

 line (slightly darker than ground color of wing) with outer 

 edge narrowly white. This may be said to be divided into 

 nearly quadrate spots by the nerves. In five specimens these 

 spots become more or less oblong. In edwardsi 21 are quadrate 

 and 7 oblong. A typical specimen of either calanus or edzvardsi 

 has a lunate red spot on secondaries below, and I find in some 

 cases such may extend along the marginal band until there are 

 four. The little patch of red on inner margin of secondaries 

 below may be present or absent, and has no significance. The 

 mesial band of primaries is variable, and I see absolutely no 

 differential characters in it. The distribution of a species is 



* Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., xiii, 272, 1870, 



