HESPERIDAE: HESPEKIDI. 1855 



RHABDOIDES CELLUS. 



Eudamus cellus Boisd.-LeC, L6p. Amfir. Cecrops festiis Gey., Hiibn., Ztiti- exot. 



sept., pi. 73 (1833) ;— Freuch, Butt. east. U. S., schmett., v : 27, Bgs. 907. 90S (1837). 

 371-372 (1886). 



iSj)athilepiaoelhisBut].,Ent.mont]il.mag., Figured also by Glover, 111. N. A. Lep., 



vii: 57 (1870). pi. B, flg. 25 ; pi. F, fig. 13, ined. 



Imago. Head covered above with miugled dull tawny and black-brown hairs ; the 

 palpi showing the former in preponderance upon the under side, becoming pallid on 

 the basal joint beneath; antennae black-brown above, clay brown externally beneath, 

 the naked crook f usco-castaneous. 



Wings above black-brown with a chocolate tinge, the fringe mostly of the same, but 

 interrupted, especially upon the upper half of the hind wing, with sordid white. 

 Fore wings with a broad, mesial, transverse, pseudo-vitreous belt of amber, with a 

 golden reflection, exteuding from the costal edge just before the middle, toward but 

 not quite to the inner angle, stopping short at the subraedian nervure; its interior bor- 

 der is nearly straight, its exterier less regular, showing a broad, arcuate excision 

 above the middle median uervule, at which it Ijroadeus suddenly and is then convex to 

 its bluntly rounded termination ; midway between this belt and the apex of the wing 

 is a small, silvery white, vitreous, straight bar depending from the costal mai-gin, 

 broken by the nervure into three subequal spots and generally followed at its outer 

 lower corner by a contiguous minute spot. 



Beneath, all the wings brown, with ferruginous aud castaneous clouds, the/o)'e ti:ings 

 marked as above, only that the bread band is white above the subcostal nervure, and 

 has an indistinct, powdery limit at its lower extremity, where it reaches almost or quite 

 to the inner margin; apex of the wing clouded with ferruginous and lilackish brown, 

 the latter in irregular and vague transverse markings, subparallel to the outer margin. 

 Sind loings crossed by two not very distinct, rich, dark brown belts, one pre-mesial, 

 the other extra-mesial, dividing the wing into thirds; they are both broad, with irregu- 

 lar borders, stopping short at the submedian nervure ; a similar but often subobsolete 

 narrower belt, composed of contiguous and confluent lunules, is found just previous to 

 the outer margin, often rendered more conspicuous by a powdering of bluish white 

 scales, which bring it into relief; at other times obscured by a covering of similar 

 scales, aud always indicated to a certain extent by paler luuulate intervals between it 

 and the extra-mesial band. Expanse of wings, 43-51 mm. 



Caterpillar. Last stage. Head black, with a large, bright orange spot at the front 

 base of each hemisphere, lying at the bottom of a large, pale lavender spot, which 

 covers more than half of the front. Body green, with a slender, darker green, dorsal 

 line, a broad, pallid, stigmatal stripe, above which the sides are obscured with darker 

 green ; dorsal thoracic shield narrow, equal, black, the part of the segment in front 

 very pale brownish yellow, like the legs and under surface. Length, 36.5 mm. De- 

 scribed from the figure by Boisduval and LeConte. 



Chrysalis. Uniform pale yellowish brown, the incisures dusky. Length, 24 mm. ; 

 height, 5 mm. From Boisduval and LeConte. 



This is a southern buttei'fly, occurring throughout the southern states 

 from Georgia to Arizona, and as far nortli as AVest Virginia aud Kentucky. 

 It does not seem to be so common as tlie other larger Hesperidi of the 

 same region, and Abbot expressly calls it rare. It occurs also in Mexico, 

 as I have specimens from Putta, about 150 miles from Oaxaca on the 

 Pacific slope. 



Abbot bred the butte)-fly on April 25th, from a caterpillar which shut 



