_—— 
ee 
A Vulnerable “New Species.” 
By Eucenet M. Aaron. 
” 
In his ‘‘ Contributions to Science,” Vol. I, No. 2, July 1889,* Mr. 
Chas. J. Maynard, the author of the ‘‘ Butterflies of New England,” de- 
scribes as a new species an extreme form of Agraudis vanilla, which has 
long been recognized by collectors as commonest in the West Indies. 
This description, under the name of A. zsudaris, affords an interesting 
instance of what can be done in the creation of new species if one as- 
sumes that an extreme form is a constant one, and then advances to the 
work without sufficient acquaintance with the literature, already suffici- 
ently full. 
The following remarks from this description are quoted as pertinent 
to this paper : 
‘‘T can find no description of any species of Agraulis from the West 
Indies, and Kirby does not even give vani/ke as occuring there.” * * * 
‘*General pattern of coloration similar to that of A. vandie, but the 
ground culor is paler, the size smaller, and the wings are broader in prc- 
portion to the length.” * * 
‘Dimensions: (J imsularis, spread of wings, 2.40; primaries, 1.20 
long by .65 wide ; secondaries, .75 long by .78 wide. Antennz, .60 
long. Length of body, including head and palpi, .80. Q, spread of 
wings, 2.50; primaries, 1.35 by 80; secondaries,..80 by 80.” 
“Average vanille: QS, spread of wings. 3.00; size of primaries, 
1.60 by .80; secondaries 1.00 by .80. Antenne, .70. Length of 
body, 1.20. Q. spread of wings, 3.40. Primaries, 1.60 by .80; sec- 
Ondaties, 7.20 by 100, ° * * * 
‘‘ Insularis differs from it (vani/e) in being paler, in having the two 
inner spots in the central cell fused together, these being separate in 
vanilie, and in having only two white dots in the lowest spot.” * * * 
Alluding to the dimensions : “‘‘ This is especially discernible in the 
secondaries, which are not only as broad as they are long, but are some- 
times actually wider than long, whereas in vamd/@ the reverse is the case 
and the secondaries are always narrower than long. * * 
“Yet I have never seen a specimen (vandl/e) east of the Gulf 
Stream.” 
Accompanying this description is a plate, seemingly photo-engraved 
and colored by hand, giving figures of typical Qj zsularis and Qf vanil- 
* Received at the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, Oct. roth, 1889. 
