1.S4 



PSYCHE. 



[April, 1901 



ON THE PROTECTIVE COLORATION AND ATTITUDE OF 

 LIBYTHEA CELTIS ESP. 



P.y NICHOLAS KUSNEZOW. 



[From Hurae Eiitomologitae, xxxv, i.joo ] 



The article describes tlie protective 

 coloration of the imago of Libythea celtis 

 Esp. and its original attitude in repose. 

 The observations were made by the 

 author on the southern coast of the 



Crimea; they do not require detailed 

 explanations, which appear in the Rus- 

 sian text ; the appearance is clear from 

 the subjoined figure, which is explicit 



enough. The butterfly in repose exactly 

 resembles a dead leaf, just as many 

 tropical Rhopalocera with the famous 

 Kallima at the head. The circumstance 

 that Libytlica celtis makes use of its palpi 

 and antennae for the simulation of a 

 stalk of a leaf is very singular, as no 

 tropical " leaf-shaped " butterfly does 

 it. In this respect the example of L. 

 icltis is unique. In the majority of 

 cases the role of this stalk is bome 

 out by various appendices of the hind 

 wings. 



The coloration completely con- 

 forms to the habits of the insect. 

 The well known species with tail- 

 shaped appendices of the hind wings 

 have a habit of raising the fore part 

 of the body, applying these appen- 

 dices to a stick and concealing their 

 antennae between the fore wings ; the 

 L. celtis, on the contrary, inclines 

 forwards, stretches its palpi and an- 

 tennae, touching with them the leaf- 

 less twig, and raises the anal angles 

 of the hind wings. 



The form of the folded wings and 

 the presence on the underside of the 

 hind wings of a dark median vein — 

 observed only in the L. celtis — make the 

 resemblance to a leaf still more complete. 



