750 AN INTRODUCTION TO ENTOMOLOGY 



This is a southern species which occasionally extends as far north 

 on the coast as New York City, and in the Mississippi Valley as far 

 as Southern Wisconsin. The larva feeds on Cassia. 

 t 



Family NYMPHALID^ 



The Four-footed Butterflies 



The family N^Tnphalidce, includes chiefly butterflies of medium or 

 large size, but a few of the species are small. With a single exception, 

 Hypatus, these butterflies differ from all others in our fauna in having 

 the fore legs very greatly reduced in size in both sexes. So great is the 

 reduction that these legs cannot be used for walking, but are folded 

 on the breast like a tippet. Dr. W. T. M. Forbes has observed mem- 

 bers of this family use their reduced fore legs for cleaning their an- 

 tenna;, and in case of Basilarchia to make a sound. 



More or less reduction in the size of the fore legs occurs in the 

 Lyccenidae and Riodinida?, but there it occurs only in the males, and 

 to a much less degree than in this family. The N>TTiphalidas differ 

 from these two families in retaining all of the branches of radius of 

 the fore wings, this vein being five-branched, except in the genus 

 Ancea. 



This is the largest of the families of butterflies. It not only sur- 

 passes the other families in niimberof species, but it contains a greater 

 number and variety of striking forms, and also a larger proportion of 

 the species of butterflies familiar to every observer of insects. There 

 may be in any locality one or two species of yellows or of whites more 

 abundant, but the larger number of species commonly observed are 

 four-footed butterflies. 



Five subfamilies of the Nymphalidas are represented in our fauna. 

 These can be separated by the following table. Each of these sub- 

 families is regarded as a distinct family by some writers. 



A. Palpi much longer than the thorax, p. 766 Libythein^ 



AA. Palpi not as long as the thorax. 



B. Vein 3d A of the fore wings preserved; antennas apparently naked, p. 765. 



Danain^ 



BB. Vein 3d A of the fore wings wanting; antennae abundantly clothed with 

 scales, at least above. 

 C. Discal cell of the hind wings closed by a well-preserved vein. 



D. With some of the veins of the fore wings greatly swollen at the base 



(Fig. 972). p. 761 Satyrin^ 



DD. With none of the veins of the fore wings unusually swollen at base. 



p. 764 HELICONIN.E 



CC. Discal cell of the hind wings either open or closed by a mere vestige of a 

 vein. p. 750 Nymphalin^ 



Subfamily NYMPHALIN^ 



The Nymphs 



The n}Tnphs can be distinguished from the other four-footed 

 butterflies as follows: the palpi are not longer than the thorax as in 



