GEYPOCERA. — INTRODUCTION. By Dr. A. Seitz. 329 



B. Grypocera. Skippers. 



This division, though exceedingly abundant in species, consists of forms whose structure is very 

 similar throughout, and is therefore not quite equal in value to the division A, the true butterflies, which 

 comprises 8 families. The skippers are always of compact build, their frons is very broad, the palpi are 

 short but thick, the wings short in proportion to the stout body, and all six legs are always well 

 developed. The larvae are always quite naked or bear only very dispersed bristles, and never have i)ro- 

 jeetions on the head, or tails, tubercles or other prominences. 



No other group of Lepidoptera descreases so rapidly as we go from the Equator towards the Poles. 

 In the tropics they occur wherever insects at all exist. The first Lepidoptera which come on board as 

 the ships approach America are generally Grypocera. Even in the densest virgin forest shade-loving Grypo- 

 cera are met with, and where there is a flowering shrub on a sunnj- hill, they swarm about m numbers. 

 But there exists no single arctic form, and not one hibernates as imago. In rainy or dull weather these 

 insects so completely disappear that one does not become aware of the extaordinary abundance of the 

 Skippers in species and individuals in some warm countries. Also in Central Europe the principal time of 

 flight is the hottest part of the season, .July and the first half of August. 



America is the home of the greater number of species. From tropical America alone more than 

 1000 species are known, while there occur about 200 in the Palaearctic Region, more than 3.50 in the 

 Ethiopian and over 800 in the Oriental Region. In America this gi'oup has so much ascendancy over the 

 other butterflies that in some districts of tropical South America more than half the number of species of 

 butterflies are Skippers. Nearly all the Grypocera visit flowers, some being exclusively adapted to IjIos- 

 soms. The tongue of many species (e. g. of Calpodes ethlius) is more than twice the length of the body 

 from the head to the apex of the abdomen, and therefore is sufficiently long for sucking the honey from 

 the very bottom of the deepest nectary which no other insect can reach. In the chrysalis of these species 

 the tongue-sheath projects beyond the apex of the abdomen as a dagger-like process, and the shelter in which the 

 pupa lies is specially modified for the sake of this organ, which latter is obviously acquired by natural selection. 

 None of- the Palearctic Grypocera can be considered as a transition to the Heterocera, although they 

 approach them in their structure and some also in their habits, as is stated in the description of the 

 family Hesperidae. In America, however, there occur species {Megathyvius yuccue) which live as larvae in 

 wood and which come so close to the Castniidae in build that sotne authors place them with the latter. 

 Also the Australian Euschemon rafflesiae approaches the Heterocera so much that it has often been removed 

 from the Diurnals. 



The Grypocera are very uniform in size. By far thc^ laiger number of species has an expanse of 

 from 2 to 3 cm, while less than 1 per cent, has a size of 6 to 7 cm. The prevailing ground-colour is 

 black-brown or ochreous. The dark markings of the yellow species are so uniform and the arrangement of 

 the hyaline spots in the lilackish species shows so little variation that the identification of the various 

 forms without the help of very minute and intrinsic descriptions offers great difficulties. This is also the 

 reason why the author of this section has given analytical tables and thereby avoided lengthy de- 

 scriptions and tedious repetitions. 



The larvae live almost never quite exposed, but shelter themselves often only by rolling in and 

 fastening together the edges of a leaf. Sometimes, however, they show particular skill in constructing 

 their house. The larvae of Erionota, for instance, feed on the gigantic leaves of Musa, which are yards 

 long. In forming their shelter they commence by making two incisious from the edge of the leaf towards 

 the midrib at a distance of about 8 to 10 cm one from the other, and then proceed to roll this piece of 

 the leaf up like a cigar, the larva living in the cyhndrical hollow within this roll. The larvae of Cal- 

 podes cethlius, which feed on Canna, turn the leaves into regular funnels, which are gradually narrowed into a 

 point towards the ground, the chrysaUs lying in an upright position in this funnel and the long pro- 

 jecting apical portion of the extremely delicate tongue-case being well protected in the narrow lower part 

 of the funnel. 



The colouring of the larvae is very diverse. Besides simplj- green and wax-yellow caterpillars one 

 meets with all sorts of hues and often even zebra-like transverse bands in vivid and contrasting colours. 

 Sometimes the larva or pupa is dazzling white in its green leaf-cradle, as for instance in Pyilionides cerealis. 

 The head of the caterpillar has nearly always a peculiar dark tint and contrasts with the rest of the 

 body; it bears often markings on the face, and is horny, whereas- the skin of the body is very- thin and 



