CARNIVOROUS BUTTERFLIES — CLARK 441 



short, SO that they resemble slugs in their gliding movement. Some 

 of them are smooth, many are clothed with a short down, some have 

 fascicles of short bristles or regularly disposed tubercles, and a few 

 are hairy generally. Several are regularly corrugated dorsally, and 

 others prominently humped in one or two places. Some are furnished 

 with a hard flattened shield on the dorsal region of the last three 

 segments which is used by them to plug up the holes in the fruits on 

 the interior of which they live. 



The majority of lycsenid larvae feed on the buds, flowers, and 

 young leaves of dicotyledonous plants — trees, bushes, or low-grow- 

 ing herbs. A number feed on the seed pods of leguminous plants; 

 these have very long necks, so that with their mouths they can 

 reach far into the interior of the pods and thus scoop out the con- 

 tents with the greater portion of the body remaining outside. The 

 caterpillars of three oriental genera feed on the interior of fruits 

 of several different kinds. The caterpillars of a special group 

 (Lipteninse) live on the bark of trees, sometimes on rocks, feeding 

 on the lichens and the algee growing there ; one of this group, how- 

 ever, is a grass feeder {Durhania). Lastly the larvse of all the 

 species of two groups, so far as known, and a few others feed upon 

 other insects. 



BUTTERFLY CANNIBALS 



Although the only truly carnivorous butterflies are found in the 

 Lycsenidse, the caterpillars of many other types of butterflies are 

 on occasion cannibals. This is particularly true of the vegetarian 

 lycsenids. Our common little blue {Cyaniris ladon) for instance, 

 and certain of our hairstreaks are notorious in this respect. But 

 the common black swallowtail {Papilio polyxenes), the blue swal- 

 lowtail (Laertias philenor), the common milkweed butterfly {Anosia 

 plexippus), and a few others are known also to be sometimes can- 

 nibals. 



When a caterpillar is about to transform into the pupal state it 

 becomes quite helpless; after the larval slrin is shed and until the 

 new skin of the pupa hardens it is more helpless still. It is at this 

 time, just before and just after the transformation to a chrysalis, 

 that a larva is most subject to attack by its companions. 



LYC^NID CATERPILLARS AND ANTS 



In many lycsenid larvae there is a transverse oval ojjening on the 

 dorsal line of the eleventh segment with lips like a little mouth. 

 These lips can, at the will of the larva, be somewhat protruded 

 and a drop of sweet liquid expelled. Ants of very many species are 

 immensely fond of this sweet liquid, and in return for it act as most 

 efficient guardians of the larvae. 



