362 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



placed directly beneath the lower outer one of the median interspaces, 

 instead of basad of it as in modern Chlorippe. The inner is also shifted 

 more apicad, forming a large patch beneath the inner lower one of the 

 median interspaces. There is no pale marginal line or band. The 

 venation agrees with that of CJiIorippe, with the same open cell. The 

 cell is about i6 mm. long, thus reaching beyond the middle of the wing. 

 Florissant, Station 21 (hill south of the sawmill), July, 1907 (\V. P. 

 Cockerell). 



With regard to the wing-form, it is noteworthy that it resembles more 

 that of Vanessa than that of the modern North American Chlorippe, but 

 it agrees well with the South American C. sultana, Foetterle. The 

 markings, however, are much nearer to those of the North American 

 species. Modern Chlorippe shows a noteworthy sexual difference in 

 wing-form, the males possibly approximating to the older type, if we are 

 justified in regarding the fossil as a representative of such. 



Since the North and South American species of Chlorippe differ very 

 strongly, we are naturally led to ask which is on the whole the older, and 

 where did the genus originate? The fossil certainly is not decisive upon 

 this point, and I do not pretend to offer a definite opinion. Assuming, 

 however, that such a species as C. sultana represents an early type of 

 Chlorippe, certain things follow in an interesting manner. Taking such a 

 species as Vanessa j-albiini, we find that the markings of the anterior 

 wings take the form of three oblique, parallel, more or less broken bands. 

 These bands may be traced in many Nymphalidae ; thus, in Jiinonia 

 coenia the middle one is especially prominent. Now, in Chlorippe sultana, 

 or rather in the variety or allied species, /"az/^r/Vrt, Foetterle, we find these 

 bands all very distinctly represented by rows of white spots, the first and 

 third by two each, the middle one by five. If this is a primitive condition, 

 what has happened in the evolution of the North American species ? 

 The first or apical band remains unaltered, except that the lower spot is 

 often an ocellus. The second is broken by the shifting of the three up])er 

 spots to form somewhat of a crescent, while the two lower spots are no 

 longer oblique, but one above the other. Moreover, a new spot has 

 appeared, just above the first of the two lower, and the three form a 

 straight line parallel with the margin. The lowermost is usually an 

 ocellus. The inner band is modified by the intiusion of the fulvous base 

 of the wing, and has some additional spots. 



