650 THE BUTTERFLIES OF NEW ENGLAND. 



rudely and uarrowl}' channelled longitudinallj' ; viewed from the side nearly twice as 

 long as broad, tuberculate, equal, curving considerably ,the apical field of anal hooklets 

 nearly circular. Hooklets not very long, pretty slender, the stem nearly straight and 

 enlarging very slightly, tlie crook very strongly bent, considerably enlarged and 

 especially broadened. 



This genus is peculiar to North America east of the Rocky Mountains, 

 extending from the Saskatchewan, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence 

 to tlie Gulf of Mexico.* Two species are found within the limits men- 

 tioned, a northern and southern, meeting on the Avestern prairies ; only 

 the northern occurs in New England, and has been found throughout its 

 extent at distant and various places. 



The butterflies are rather under the medium size and their general 

 pattern resembles that of Phyciodes ; the markings of the upper surface 

 are rather heavier, and beneath, the spots and dashes on the hind wings are 

 mare frequently inclined to silvery ; the dots of the submarginal row, the 

 repetition of those on the upper surface, are delicately ocellated. These 

 butterflies have rather a feeble flight, "are fond of alighting in the vicinity 

 of water and have a decided partiality for the banks of rivers and small 

 streams" (Doubleday). 



The northern species is single brooded in the northern part of its range 

 and partly single, partly double brooded in the southern ; from the slight 

 information we possess of the seasons and transformations of the southern 

 species, it is probable that it folloAvs closely the southern peculiarities of 

 the northern species. They winter as larvae rather more than half grown, 

 hang from nine to fifteen days in the chrysalis and appear in the early 

 part of the hot season. The eggs are soon laid, and in clusters. Li early 

 life the caterpillars live in company, after hibernation or in later life singly, 

 on different Asterineae and Heliantheae, especially the latter, with an ap- 

 parent preference for Helianthus and Actinomeris ; when young they feed 

 upon the parenchyma of the leaf only. 



The eggs are cylindrical , squarely truncate at the base and provided over 

 at least a portion of the sides with about sixteen or seventeen slight vertical 

 ribs. The caterpillars are cylindrical, furnished with a dorsal row, and, 

 on each side, four lateral rows of thorny tubercular spines, of which one 

 row on either side lies below the spiracles. The chrysalids are not very 

 angular, with the dorsal face of the thorax and abdomen well arched and a 

 considerable, but not sharp constriction between ; the ocellar prominences 

 are slightly pronounced and the abdomen is furnished with several rows of 

 small conical tubercles. They are pale yellow brown marked with black- 

 ish streaks. 



* It may be that some species occur also in Central America. 



