PAPILIO XI. 



ASTERIAS, VAR. CALVERLEYI. 2—5. 



Papilio Calverleyi, Grote, Proc. Ent. Sof. Pliil.. If., p. lU. pi. lo, <f . Mead. American Naturalist, III. 

 p. 3.32, 9. 



The male describt'd b}' Mr. Groto was captured August, l"86o. by Mr. L<juis 

 Fischer, in the neighborhood of New Lots, Queens Co., Long Island, and is still 

 in the collection of Mr. Stejjhen Calverley, now of Utica. N. Y., from whom I ob- 

 tained it in ordei- to figure it on the Plate. The female represented was taken 

 by Mr. T. L. Mead, near Enterprise, Florida, April, LS69. I formerly thought 

 it not impossible that we might have to do with a good species here, as both 

 sexes had been taken, iind one of them in a then little explored region. But 

 very full exploratioii of Floritla of late years has failed to produce another ex- 

 ample, and I think this form mu.st be regarded as a snft'used Asterias. Such 

 cases are not of very uncommon occurrence in different species of butterflies, 

 and I have several in my own collection. Many are figured in Esper and other 

 European authors. We have a good example of the phenomenon in Argynnis 

 Ashtaroih, Fisher, which is a suffused Idalia. But when the suffusion is not 

 restricted to one sex only, it would seem that under favoring circumstances the 

 peculiarities of color might be perpetuated, and give rise to a permanent variety. 

 — that is, to a good species. 



The causes of this suffusion in butterflies can only be surmised, but some 

 experiments recently made by me, in which the chrysalids of Phyciodes Tharos 

 were subjected, immediately after forming, to a low temperature, 33° Fahr.. for 

 sevei'al days, indicate that continued severe cold, such as would ensue from an 

 enveloping with ice or snow, for example, soon after the forming of the chrys- 

 alis, may be one cause of the blending of colors in the emerging butterfly. In 

 the instance referred to. not only was there a decided change in the coloration 

 of the butterflies brought about, but in many of them the colors of both sur- 

 faces had run together, aftbrding as fine illustrations of suffusion as in these P. 

 CaherJei/i. 



