VOL. XVIII. LONDON, AUGUST, 1886. No. 8 



ON THE HISTORY AND THE PREPARATORY STAGES OF 

 FENESICA TARQUINIUS, Fabr. 



BY W, H. EDWARDS, COALBURGH, W. VA. 



Nothing has been known of the history or earlier stages of this butter- 

 fly till quite recently, except what Boisduval and LeConte (1833) gave, 

 both plate and text having been copied from Abbot (about 1800). On 

 the plate the mature larva is represented as lying on a leaf of Hawthorn, 

 and the chrysalis is attached to a stem of same. The larva is green and 

 white-striped, and neither in coloration nor shape resembles the real larva, 

 and the description in the text is made up from the figure. The chrysalis 

 is a little better. The larva (according to Abbot) " lives upon Crataegus, 

 and the species is very scarce." We also read that " this butterfly is 

 plainly quite unlike the true Polyommati in its caterpillar and the shape 

 of its chrysalis. Godart, who knew this species only by the description 

 of Fabricius, wrongly believed that it was an Erycina." Boisduval puts 

 it in Polyommatus with Phleas. 



The late Professor Glover figured the mature larva and the chrysalis 

 on plate xxii of his Lepidoptera, but the larva is surprisingly ill-done, 

 being studded with round knobs that have no place in nature. The 

 chrysalis is fairly done, and both dorsal and side views are given. On 

 another plate is copied Boisduval's figures with no alteration (B., fig. 5). 

 Mr. Glover told me that the larva fed on Hawthorn, and I believe that 

 plant alone is written in his original work. 



Many authors have spoken of the butterfly, and according to Prof. 

 Riley, Mr. Scudder has given quite a list of food plants in different papers, 

 as Alnus, Ribesia, Vaccinium, Viburnum, and conjecturally, Arrow-wood, 

 Elder, Hawthorn. 



At a meeting of the Ent. Soc. of Washington, 6th Jan., 1886, "a 

 letter was read from Mr. C. L. Johnson, stating that he had observed a 

 lepidopterous larva feeding on a species of Aphid, and had bred the insect 

 to maturity. Mr. Lugger stated that the larva was that of F. Tarquinius^ 



