October, 1902] 



PSYCHE. 



405 



GROUP CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME NORTH AMERICAN BUT- 

 TERFLIES— IV. 



BY SAMUEL H. SCUDDER, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



Mechanitis Fabricius. 

 Butterfly: Palpi thinly clothed, with 

 first and second joints subequal and long, 

 third very short ; antennae more than 

 half as long as fore wing. Wings 

 opaque ; fore wing twice as long as 

 broad, the recurrent nervule in discoidal 

 cell originating between the lowest sub- 

 costal and upper median nervules ; pre- 

 costal nervure of hind wings forked. 

 Femur of male of same length as 

 coxa. Egg : Tall, pointed above, with 

 strong ribs and delicate transversals ; 

 laid in open clusters of about a dozen. 

 CiJtcrpillar at birth : Segments of body 

 somewhat deeply separated, anteriorly 

 tumid below the spiracles ; ranged ap- 

 pendages moderately long, straight (?), 

 pointed, perceptible in after stages. Ma- 

 ture caterpillar : Provided with an inf ra- 

 stigmatal series of fleshy prominences, 

 not prominent on the thoracic, conical 

 and pointed on the abdominal segments, 

 besides transverse series of papillae 

 next the incisures and a pair of fleshy 

 prominences on the sides of the first 

 thoracic segment ; transversely banded. 

 Chrysalis : The wing-cases show a 

 gentle arcuation along the ventral line, 

 but the mesonotum is roundly prominent 

 on the dorsal line ; anterior extremity, as 

 seen from the side, very acutely pointed ; 

 abdomen long conical. ((U,r;;)(av7/T^«, a 

 contriver ; the significance is not clear.) 



M. californica Reak. Bti/ti-r/fy: Wings 

 with nearly the same markings above and 

 beneath. Fore wings brownish black ; a 

 basal streak along the median nervure and 

 two rounded spots near inner angle orange- 

 tawny ; a yellow spot across the cell near its 

 apex, a more or less interrupted oblique belt 

 across the apical half of the wing and an ob- 

 long subapical spot also yellow. Hind wings 

 orange tawny with an entire broad mesial band 

 and narrow- border of brownish black ; be- 

 neath a 2-shaped blackish brown spot, much 

 enlarged above below the middle of the apical 

 half of costal margin. Expanse 60 mm. 

 Early stages: Unknown. — Southern Cali- 

 fornia. 



Dircenna Doubleday. 



Butterfly: Palpi thickly clothed, with 

 first and second joints subequal and long, 

 the third short, but not minute ; antennae 

 fully half as long as fore wing. Wings 

 nearly transparent ; fore wing twice as 

 long as broad, the recurrent nervule 

 in discoidal cell as in Mechanitis; pre- 

 costal nervure of hind wings simple : 

 Femur of male of same length as coxa. 

 Egg: Unknown. Caterpillar at birth. 

 Body cylindrical ; ranged appendages 

 long, slightly bent, seated on papillae, 

 restricted to first stage. Mature cater- 

 pillar: Head round. Body cylindrical, 

 covered with pile and spotted. Chrysalis: 

 As in Dynothea. 



D. klugii lliibii. Biitlrrf/y: Wings 

 with nearly similar markings above and 

 beneath, nearly transparent but somewhat 



