44 The Butterflies and Moths of Teneriffe, 



DANAIS PLEXIPPUS, formerly ARCHIPPUS. 

 Plate II. — Fig. 1. 



The largest butterfly found in the Islands, measuring 

 from four to four and a half inches across the wings. 



The larva is very bright in colour, having transverse 

 bands of blackish violet, gold, and white alternately. 

 It has four black horns or fleshy spikes along its back, 

 and when full grown measures about two inches in 

 length, and it is rather stout and smooth. The pupa, 

 green when first turned, and suspending itself by the 

 tail only, has a bright gold band half-way round its 

 base, and a series of gold spots encircling its head. 

 Shortly before emerging to a butterfly, it turns to a 

 dark brown. The caterpillar never suspends itself to 

 the plant on which it feeds, but goes to some of the 

 higher grasses near it, or it prefers still better a mallow 

 plant, from the leaves of which as many as sixteen 

 beautiful bright green and gold chrysalides have been 

 seen hanging, forming quite a picture under the illumina- 

 tion of the glorious sun of Teneriffe. It lives and feeds 



