NYMPHALINAE: VANESSA CARDUI. 



473 



of the second and similar to it, 1)ut has a dull, dark green ground witli numerous 

 bluish scales, especially upon tlie interior half and is edged below with black; tlie 

 Avhole of this is surrounded by a narrow yellow annulus, which is ochraceous next 

 t'.ie bluish scales and this encircled narrowly with black ; the outer border for the 

 width of less than half an interspace is pale ochraceous, the very edge a little darker; 

 it is bordered interiorly ))y a rather coarse blackish line which becomes sliglitly slend- 

 erer in the interspaces; this is followed by a whitish band, nearly twice as broad as 

 the marginal band, tapering toward the costal edge and enclosing next its interior 

 ))order an interrupted series of transverse, fusiform, pale blue bars, narrowly edged 

 with black, that in the medio-submedian interspace almost entirely black. Fringe 

 white, interrupted rather narrowly at the nervure tips with blackish, which occasion- 

 ally encroaches slightly on the wing itself. 



Abdomen aiwve purplish black, heavily flecked, espesially on the sides and on the 

 apical half of the segments, with yellowish fulvous scales; beneath white. Append- 

 ages of male (33 : 31) : upper organ not large, the body less compressed than in the 

 previous species, slightly arched longitudinally, the hook straight, bent a little down- 

 Avard, rather small, shorter than the body, depressed, very broad at base, narrow- 

 ing to near the tip, and this portion equiangular, the apical fourth equal, as broad 

 as high, bluntly pointed. Inferior arms straight on a superior, arcuate on a lateral 

 view, slender, tapering irregularly to a simple point. Clasps about half as long again 

 as bi*oad, the inferior edge more strongly curved than in the other species, consider- 

 ably reflexed, especially on the basal half; posterior border produced a little below the 

 middle to an angle much larger than a right angle, not incurved; the upper posterior 

 angle considerably produced to much less than a right angle, finely pointed and some- 

 what incurved ; lower posterior angle lost in the curve of the under edge. Interior 

 ribbon rather stout, compressed, tapering on the apical half, the basal half con- 

 cealed in the reflection of the inferior border of the clasp, much shorter than in the 

 other species, not nearly reaching the angle of the posterior edge of the clasp, toward 

 which the tapering, sinuous, apical half is directed. There is, besides, near the centre 

 of the inside of the clasp, a small, depressed, horizontal tooth, shaped like a shark's 

 tooth, directed inward. 



Aberrations. A variety described by Ragouot (Entom. month, mag., v: 229-230) 

 from a specimen obtained on Sand Hill at Wallasey, England, has a bleached appear- 

 ance as if for protective resemblance to the sands. As described by Ragonot, the 

 upper surface is much paler than inordinary specimens, the disk of the fore wings 

 being quite free from the dark markings, excepting a small blotch in the cell and an- 

 other in the medio-submedian interspace. On the hind wings the usual dark markings 

 are also absent, excepting on the margin which in the front wings is normal. On the 

 under side the ground color of the hind wings and the base of the fore wings are ashv 

 white, while the normal darker markings are obscure or absent, excepting next the 

 outer border of the wing. 



V. c. ELYMi ( Van. ehjmi Ramb., Ann. soc. obs., ii, pi. 5, figs. 1-2, — 1829 ; Van. cardid, 

 var. Herr.-Schaett'., Schmett. Eur., i, Suppl., figs. 157, 158,-1843; Van. cardui, aherr. 

 inornata Brams., Ann. soc. ent. France, (6) vi : 28-1, — 1886). Strecker (Syn. Macrolep. 

 N. A. , 137) thus describes this suftused variety from two New Jersey specimens iu the 

 collection of Mrs. Bridgham of New York. 



"Normal form of ornamentation obliterated. Upper side of primaries has the basal 

 half covered with an orange yellow blotch ; subapical white spots confluent. Secoud- 



6o 



