NYMPHALTNAE: CHLORTPPE CEYTON. 245 



stigmatal stripe; a similar, narrow, yellow stripe marks the entire dorsal crest, becom- 

 ing pale on the thorax and fading out in front of two pale whitish stripes, bordered 

 interiorly with green, which follow the ridges from the ocellar tubercles toward the 

 middle of the mesonotnm ; a similar, straight, oblique, pale stripe l)ordered interiorly 

 with green crosses tlie second al)dominal segment parallel to the posterior l)orders of the 

 mesonotum, and similar but much fainter and more oblique stripes cross the abdominal 

 segments behind this, midway between the infrastigmatal stripe and the dorsal crest; 

 the dorsal surface of the abdomen and to a certain extent of tlie thorax is mottled ir- 

 regularly and delicately with yellow ; the lateral bases of the teetli mai'king the anterior 

 limit of the dorsal crest on the 3d — 8th abdominal segments are marked by a black dot ; 

 stigmata very pale yellow; cremastral hooks very pale horn-color. Length, 23.5 mm. ; 

 height at third abdominal segment, 10 mm. ; at thorax, 7.5 mm. ; breadth near tip of 

 wings, 7.8 mm. ; greatest breadth at base of wings, 7.8 mm. : at the ocellar tubercles 

 3. mm. ; length of latter, 1.1 mm.; distance from their tips to dorsal spine of third 

 abdominal segment, 14.5 mm. 



Distribution (19: 1). This is one of the characteristic members of the 

 Carolinian fauna, its proper home being in the southern United States east 

 of the Great Plains ; but it extends beyond its northern boundaries, reaching 

 as far as Iowa (New Jefferson, Allen ; Desmoines, Austin; Ames, Os- 

 born) and even Wisconsin "rather rare" (Hoy) in the northwest, and in 

 the northeast to southern New York (Brooklyn, Meyer ; Newburgh, Ed- 

 ■wards). It is found as far west as Kansas (Snow) and southern Texas 

 ( Aaron ) , and seems to be more abundant in the Mississippi Valley than 

 east of the Alleghanies, Abbot calling it rare in Georgia, and Edwards 

 having never seen the butterfly in flight in West Virginia, although he has 

 found the larvae. 



Its occasional occurrence in southeastern New York is its only claim to 

 be looked on as a possible New England insect. 



Oviposition. According to Riley and Ed^vards the eggs are laid on 

 the under side of leaves in lai'ge, dense patches (64: 7) of from less than 

 two hundred to five hundred, in two or oftener three, sometimes even four 

 or five tiers. 



Food plant. The only plant known upon which the larva lives is the 

 hackberry, Celtis, a genus of the Urticaceae, feeding indiscriminately upon 

 all the forms found where it occurs, but especially upon C. occidentalis. 

 Boisduval and Leconte state that it feeds on many species of Prunus and 

 on other trees of the same family (Rosaceae) , but this is probably a com- 

 plete error, as Edwards and myself have been unable to induce them 

 to eat them. One, however, that I raised ate freely, in its third stage, of 

 Aristolochia, a nuich more nearly allied but by no means closely related 

 plant. 



Habits of the caterpillar. The caterpillars, when ready to hatch, 

 bite a narrow cliannel almost completely around the egg at the upper 

 shoulder, and lifting up the lid thus formed, like a reversed saucer, escape 

 without further devouring the egg. They are gregarious during the first 



