.48 PAPILIO ASTERIOIDES. 



The geographical range of Asterius and congeners is as follows: — the ordinary form of 

 Astorius, with but little variation, occurs from Canada to Florida, inclusive, and from Maine 

 westward to the Rocky Mountains ; in Newfoundland is Brevicauda ; the southern coast of 

 Labrador and Island of Antieosti produce Anticostiensis ; Colorado, and probably other of the 

 western territories, has Indra and Asterius, and, finally, in ^Mexico and Central America are 

 Asterioides and Sadalus. 



P. Bairdii, another variety or closely allied species, which I have not yet had opportunity 

 to closely examine, was taken also in Mexico. 



In view of the above premises, I must adhere to my first belief, that Indra and Sad- 

 alus are true species ; Asterioides, I have not a particle of doubt, is the tropical form of Asterius, 

 and Anticostiensis may lie the sub-Arctic, whilst Brevicauda, if it be not identical with the 

 latter, is a segregated type peculiar to Newfoundland. 



It is curious to note, that whilst Asterius, occupying a vast extent of country lying inter- 

 mediate between those in which Anticostiensis and Asterioides, &q., arc found, should have 

 the macular bauds on wings of female almost obsolete, whilst the contrary is the case in the 

 extreme northern and southern forms which unite in the peculiarity of the female having the 

 bands of as great and greater width than in the male. Thus it is strange to see how extremes 

 meet, and how wonderfully, like " a circle that ever returneth into the self-same spot," arc 

 the works of nature bi'ought to harmonize under the unerring direction of the Great Master. 



All my examples of Asterius c? ? from Peninsular Florida are without the round black 

 spot situated in the division of macular band of primaries nearest the costa ; in all the 

 specimens of Asterius from other localities that I have ever seen, also of Indra, Sadalus and 

 Anticostiensis this spot is prominent, in the majority of instances it is so large as to divide the 

 yellow space into two parts. 



The macular band of primaries in the d" Asterius above alluded to, from Florida, is of 

 greater width than in any examples I have vet seen from other localities. The females present 

 no other differences from examples found elsewhere than in the absence of the black spot 

 alluded to. 



Three other curious varieties of Asterius have came under my observation ; the first, and 

 perhaps most remarkable of which, is the one described by Mr. Grote under the name of 

 Papilio Calverleyi,"'- from a male captured in Queens County, Long Island, August, 1863; a 

 female was subserjuently taken by ]\Ir. T. L. ^Icad in Florida. It is a beautiful insect, the 

 same size and form as Asterius, and with the same dorsal and lateral spots on the body ; the 

 wings have the basal half black and the outer half yellow, inclining to orange on a portion of 

 the secondaries ; a very narrow black marginal band ; faint indications of sub-marginal lanules. 

 Under surface nearly the same as above, but with more orange on secondaries; male and 

 female resemble each other closely. Messrs. W. H. Edwards and Grote contend it is distinct 

 from Asterius; for my part, I think it a most interesting variety of that species. 



The second example in Mr. T. L. Mead's collection is an undoubted female, but is 

 iniirked precisely as in the male. 



*Grote, Proc. Ent. Soc, Phil., 11, p. 441, (f. (I.«fi4.) 

 Mead, Am. Nat., Ill, p. 332, I . (1809.) 



