1820 BUTTERFLIES BEYOJJD NEAV ENGLAND. 



CALLICISTA COLUMELLA. 



Hesperia columella Fabr., eut, syst., iii: amer., Lep., ii: 96 (1887). 

 282(179.3). Lycaena modesta Mayn., Amer. uat.. vii: 



Callicista columella Scudd., Bull. Buff. 178 (1873). 

 soc. uat. sc, iii:107 (1876). Callicista ocellifera Grote, Bull. Buff, soc 



Thecla columella French, Butt. east. U.S.. uat. sc, i :178-179 (1873). 

 271-272 (1886). Thecla istapa Reak., Proc. acad. uat. sc. 



Tmolua eurytulus Hubn., Samml. exot. Philad., 1866: 339 (1866). 

 schmett., ii (1822-26). Thecla salona Hew., Descr. Lye, 31 (1868) ; 



Thecla eurytulus Godm.-Salv., Biol, centr. 111. diurn. Lep. 159, pi. 63, figs. 429, 430 (1874). 



Imago. Head with the front pure white, tufted above with blaclv, white and orange 

 scales, the orange in a transverse line behind the antennae. Palpi white, the apical 

 joint brown above. Antennae black brown, auuulated at the base of the joints with 

 white, excepting on the club; the three or four apical joints of the club orange. 



Above : fore wings uniform dark brown, the outer margin with a black thread ; fringe 

 bluish white ; the males witli a quadrate black brown spot of special scales at the ex- 

 tremity of the cell, a little longer than broad, as long as the width of the cell; extrem- 

 ity of the cell marked in tlie female by a faint black bar. Hind wings of the same color 

 as the fore wings but much suffused with blue, by scattered blue scales along the lower 

 half, especially in the female; lower half of the wing with a pre-marginal series of 

 round, blackish brown or brown, circular spots, that in the lower median interspace the 

 largest and darkest ; margin edged finely with black; fringe as above ; the tail black, 

 white-tipped. 



Beneath, soft uniform slate brown; /ore wings with a post-mesial bent series of 

 slender white lunules edged to nearly the same depth externally with black brown ; a 

 marginal series of circular, pale brown spots, each surrounded by a faint, pallid annu- 

 lus and followed interiorly by a series of pale brown lunules and these in the upper 

 half of the wing by yellow sagittae ; edge and fringe as above. Hind wings with a 

 very irregular, interrupted, sinuous, mesial series of black spots encircled with white 

 exteriorly and edged interiorly with orange ; near the base of the cell and of the costo- 

 subcostal interspace, largest in the latter, a round, black spot enlivened with orange 

 scales and annulated with white ; all of these markings are minute ; the outer border 

 is marked in a manner similar to that of the fore wing, excepting that there is a large, 

 conspicuous, black spot in the lower median interspace, occupying the entire width of 

 the interspace, followed interiorly by an orange lunule, and a similar shade of orange 

 sometimes follows the smaller white-capped spot in the upper median interspace, and 

 a streak of orange follows in the same relation over the interspaces below. Expanse 

 of wings, 26-29 mm. 



This pretty butterfly belongs to the southernmost parts of the United 

 States where it is found from Florida, including the Keys, and Georgia to 

 Texas. It is also found beyond our territory in the Antilles and Mexico 

 and even to Guiana, the Amazons and eastern Brazil. But that its north- 

 ern extension may he greater than known is indicated by its caj)tui-e near 

 Buffalo, N. Y. by Reinecke. 



The Buffalo specimen was taken July 13 and Maynard took it in southern 

 Florida, December 25 ; beyond this we have no knowledge of the history 

 of the species. Mr. Maynard says it is of retiring habits, frequenting the 

 edge of shrubbery and keejiiug generally in its shade. 



