SATYRIDAE. By Dr. A. Seitz. 79 



4. Family: Satyridae. 



This family, so extraordinarily rich in species and still more in individuals, has been united by 

 Haase with tiie Morphids and Brassolids to form the large group of Satyroraorphae. In the shape 

 and the iiabits of the larva, the sti'ucture of the pupa, and the coloration, pattern and manner of flight of 

 the imago these 3 families approach each other as closely as in the neuration, the antenna and the form and 

 development of the legs. In contradistinction to these Satyromorphs there are the Danaomorphae on the 

 one side and the Acraeomorphae on the other, a more detailed account of this division being given in 

 the chajiter dealing with taxology. 



One peculiarity in the neuration of the Satyrid wing is the cystoid dilatation of one or the other vein 

 in the basal tirea of the forewing, bladder-like inflations of the principal nervures being visible either on 

 the upper- or on the underside of the forewing. The arrangement of the veins is not essentially different 

 from that of the Acraeomorphae, except that in the true Satyrids the cell is always closed in both wings, 

 while in the former it is not the case throughout. 



The antennae are mostly delicate, being gradually incrassate at the apex, sometimes however 

 bearing a broad club (Sati/rus), and are never above medium length. The palpi are flattened laterally, and 

 densely covered with l)ristly hairs; also the eyes sometimes hairy; tongue strong. The anterior legs of both 

 sexes modified into brushes, the two posterior pairs of legs strongly developed. Egg round, smooth or 

 finely reticulate. Larva spindle-shaped, with rounded head, which occasionally is pointed or bears horns; 

 body finely granulate or clothed with a short pile, without ramified thorns, the anal segment sometimes 

 terminating in 2 points. They feed on Monocotjledons, such as grass, bamboo, palms, etc., being concealed 

 in day-time, feeding at night. The pupa either is suspended by the cremaster or lies free on or in the ground; 

 it is entirely or almost entirely immovalile, the anterior end being obtuse and the abdomen curved ventrad. 



The Satjrid buttertlies are different in size, but very similar in shape. The forewing is as a rule 

 sombre coloured, being above mostly brown, and has the usual outUne i. e. triangular with convex costal 

 margin, the hindwing being mostly ovate or circular. The forewing rarely bears projecting angles, which 

 correspond to anal projections of the hindwing, giving the resting butterfly the form of a drj' leaf, the 

 pattern of which is imitated on the underside of the wings. 



The Satyrids are not protected; no acrid fluids, no vegetable poisons absorbed with the food render 

 them unpalatable for their enemies. They would therefore be the prej' of these in still larger nund^ers, 

 if a tumbUng and quite irregular zigzag flight did not render it very difficult for the bird to catch the 

 insect in the air, and if the body was not so very slender and moreover often strongly hairy as to make 

 it hardly worth while to catch the insect. Young insectiverous birds, like the fly-catcher and red-start, 

 often may be observed chasing species of Epinephele, but one will soon perceive, how difficult it is for the 

 bird to catch the butterflies which continually tumble from one side to the other. This chase, however, appears 

 to ])e onlj' playing or practising, as at other times the birds leave the flying Satyrids entirely unmolested. 



The Satyrids are almost generally only a short time on the wing, the period of flight hardly lasts 

 some weeks. In the time of appearance the sexes differ very marketUy, during the first 2 or 3 weeks of 

 the flight-time the specimens being almost exclusively males, while towards its close there exist only 

 females. Almost in every place where they have two broods, seasonal dimorphism obtains, there occurring 

 also a kind of polychromatism in some genera, as for instance in Melanargia, of which one can find in the 

 same locality specimens with yellow or pure white ground-colour, with variegated or unicolorous underside; 

 on the whole, however, polychromatism is scarce among the Satyrids. 



The Satyrids are usually very local, their flight-places being restricted to certain mountain-sides or 

 certain localities in the woods; here, however, they are mostly in abundance, reaUy rare Satyrids being 

 hardly known. The local occurrence often depends on the distribution of the food-plant, which is often 

 one single kind of grass, but also physical conditions are of great importance, as for instance the occurrence 

 of certain trees, of chalky soil, etc. The plains are inhabibited by very few species, by far the larger 

 majority of the Satyrids being confined to the mountains, often to very definite mountain-ranges, many 

 forms, as in Zygaenids, even being found but in one certain restricted locality, a phenomenon which, for 

 instance, is not known to occur among the Pierids and Nymphalids. 



The time of flight is not restricted to the hours when the sun stands highest, as in the case of the 

 other butterflies. On the contrary, the Satyrids frequently are still on the wing late in the day, and 

 certain genera, like Lethe and Melaiiilis contain decided night-insects, which take to the wing in day-time 

 only when distur])ed, flying about only after sunset to feed and mate. Such species come to the light of 

 the collector's lamp. The sombre coloured species prefer as flight-places shady localities, such as deep 

 rocky ravines, forest-roads densely covered by trees, and dense undergrowth. Whereas nearly all the other 

 butterflies are on the wing only during sun-shine, many Satyrids, especially in the Tropics, prefer dull 

 days, for instance I'jjfliinia and Mi/c<iksis. 



