NYMPHALINAE: BASILARCHIA PROSERPINA. 289 



BASILARCHIA PROSERPINA (ASTYANAX-ARTHEMIS). 



The bastard purple. 



Limenitis proset'pina Edw., Proc. Entoin. BasUarchia arthemis var. proserpina 



soc. Philad., v: 148 (1865); Trans. Anier. Sciuld., Bull. IJuff. soc. nat. sc, ii : 249 (187.5). 



entoni. soc, i: 286-287, pi. 4(1867); Butt. N. BasUarchia astyanax (pars) Scudd., Syst. 



Anier., i, Limenitis 1, figs. 1-4 (1869). rev. Am. butt., 8 (1872). 



Limenitia arthemis form proserpina Edw., Limenitis ephestion Lyman, Can. ent., vi: 



Can. ent., ix: 114 (1877); Butt. N. Amer., ii, 38 (1874). 



Limenitis 1, figs. 5, 6(1879). Figured by Glover, 111. N. A. Lcp., pi. I, 



tig. 18, ined. 



Yes ! There came floating by 



Me, who lay floaling too, 

 Such a strange butterfly ! 



Creature as dear as new : 

 Because the membraned wings 



So wonderful, so wide. 

 So sun-suflTused, were things 



Lilie soul and nought beside. 



Browning.— i^j^ne at the Fair. 



This butterfly (2:9), M'hich I regard as a hybrid between BasUarchia astyauax and B. 

 arthemis, can be briefly described as a butterfly of the size of arthemis, having the 

 coloring of astyauax, with the addition of the outer edge of the broad white bow of 

 arthemis ofteu confused with bluish scales. The upper surface of the wings has the 

 same general tone of color as prevails in astyauax, but shows, particularly on tlie fore 

 wings, a narrow arcuate stripe of white or bluish white scales, following very closely 

 the position of the outer limits of the belt found in arthemis. On the hind wings this 

 is frequently wanting or replaced by the bluish or greenish scales peculiar to the outer 

 border of the hind wings of both species. Sometimes between this and the double 

 marginal row of bluish lunules, there appears a series of minute orange-red spots in 

 the interspaces, which are surmounted more or less distinctly by the bluish scales 

 ■which form the outer border of the arthemis band. Beneath, the ground color of the 

 ■wings is that of arthemis rather than of astyauax. But here the arcuate white stripe 

 Is generally seen with greater distinctness than above, and on the fore wings is usually 

 broader, especially near the middle of the ■wings ; while on the hind ■wings, though nar- 

 rower, it is more distinctly wiiitish, losing very much the bluish cast found upon the 

 upper surface. 



On the fore wings the outer border of the stripe is better defined than the inner, and 

 curves by a series of waves to the costal spot just beyond the middle of the wing, 

 which now forms a part of it ; the curve is most prominent and a little bent at the 

 discal cell. The stripe is always divided by the nervules and obscured more or less by 

 the greenish blue and dark blue scales, which become more and more noticeable away 

 from the outer margin. On the surface of the fore ■wings the belt is usually as broad 

 as the width of the cell, but is sometimes reduced to a narrow stripe often broken and 

 equally faint throughout ; sometimes even merely to one or two faint spots. On the 

 hind wings, however, it generally forms a distinct band of varying breadth, but never 

 equal in width to the stripe of the fore wing, and generally very narrow. Occasionally, 

 as on the upper surface, it extends with lessening intensity some distance toward the 

 base. 



This hybrid shows a tendency to vary in the direction of B. arthemis in the 

 northern part of its region, Avhile in the southern portion the exact opposite is true; 

 that is, it shows a tendency to vary toward B. astyauax. This is exactly as we 

 should expect to find on the hybrid hypothesis ; for the specimens toward the north 

 should show a greater infusion of arthemis blood, and those toward the south a greater 

 of that of astyauax. In the collection of Mr. Mead, now owned by Dr. "W. J. Holland, 



