PIERIS I. 



PIERIS BECKERII. 8, 9. 

 Pierh Beck-erii, Edwards, But. N. A. I, p. 28, pi. 8, 1871. 



By the kindness of Mr. Mead, I am able to give figures of the mature larva and 

 chry.salis of Becker'd. The larva was drawn and colored by him from nature, 

 and the outlines of the chrysalis were drawn, but not colored. The coloring 

 given on the Plate is from Mr. Mead's description. 



Mature Larva. — " Length 1.25 inch ; color greenish-white, thickly marbled 

 or sprinkled with gray, and with a very distinct orange belt between the seg- 

 ments ; each segment also has 16 or 18 jet black tubercles which taper into black 

 bristles; the head is tinged with yellow." (Figs, d, cV.) T. L. Mead. 



Chrysalis. — " Is of much the same general shape as that of Pieris Protodlce, 

 Bois., but less angulated ; the front is terminated by a blunt point ; the cephalic 

 portion is rounded, with uneven surface, and with the dorsal surface of the tho- 

 rax, is dark-grayish brown ; the ridge above the wing cases, which is quite con- 

 spicuous in Protodice, is absent in Bcckerii ; the remainder is gray, nearly white 

 upon the wing cases, and on the ridges of the first two abdominal segments ; a 

 pale stigmatal streak extends from the margin of the wing cases to the tail ; in 

 line across dorsum are four black dots at the boundary between thorax and ab- 

 domen. Duration of this stage al)out 15 days." (Fig. e.) T. L. Mead. 



Mr. Mead says : " In the Mohave Desert, 24th May, 1878, I found numbers of 

 these larvre on various cruciferous plants." 



Since this species was figured, it has been alleged by several authors to be 

 identical with P. CIdoridice, a species credited in Dr. Staudinger's Catalogue to 

 Southern Russia, Persia, and Siberia. I have examples of Chloridice from Dr. 

 Staudinger, and I apprehend that while there is a certain resemblance, such as 

 would connect the two forms in a sub-group, there is by no means identity. One 

 cannot properly be called a variety of the other, or a local race of the other. 

 Bcckerii in both sexes is well represented on my Plate. Dr. H. A. Hagen, in 

 1881, took 27 or more examples in Oregon and Washington Terr., and says : 



