Genus Euptoieta 



within the United States, and range southwardly over the greater 

 portion of Central and South America. 



(i) Euptoieta claudia, Cramer, Plate VIII, Fig. 9, <3 (The 

 Variegated Fritillary). 



Butterfly. — The upper side of both wings is dull ferruginous, 

 darker toward the base, crossed by an irregular black median 

 line, which is darker, broader, and more zigzag on the fore wing 

 than on the hind wing. This line is followed outwardly on both 

 wings by a pair of more or less wavy limbal lines, inclosing 

 between them a series of round blackish spots. The outer mar- 

 gin is black, with the fringes pale fulvous, checkered with black 

 at the end of each nervule. At the end of the cell in the fore 

 wing there are two black lines inclosing paler fulvous spots, and 

 both wings near the base have some curved black lines. On the 

 under side the fore wings are marked somewhat as on the upper 

 side, but paler in color, with a large apical patch of brownish- 

 gray broken by a transverse band of darker brown. The hind 

 wings are dark brown, with the markings of the upper side 

 obscurely repeated; they are mottled with gray and crossed by a 

 broad central band of pale buff. 



The species varies very much, according to locality, both in size 

 and in the depth of the markings. Expanse, 1.75-2.75 inches. 



Egg. — The egg is conoidal, relatively taller than the eggs of 

 the genus Argynnis, which closely resemble it. There is a 

 depression at the apex, surrounded by a serrated rim, formed by 

 the ends of the vertical ribs, of which there are about twenty, 

 some longer and some shorter, about half of them reaching from 

 the apex to the base. Between these vertical ribs there are a 

 multitude of smaller cross-ridges. 



Caterpillar. — The caterpillar is cylindrical, reddish-yellow in 

 color, marked with two brown lateral bands and a series of white 

 spots upon the back. There are six rows of short branching 

 spines upon the body, which ate black in color; the two upper- 

 most of these spines on the first segment are much elongated 

 and are directed forward. The head is smaller than the body in 

 the mature caterpillar, and is black. On the under side the cater- 

 pillar is pale or whitish; the legs are blackish-brown. It feeds 

 upon the passion-flower. 



Chrysalis. — The chrysalis is pearly-white, marked with black 

 spots and longitudinal streaks 



90 



