Or 
vo) 
1917] Marchand—A pantesis nais, A. vittata and A. phalerata 
THE SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN APANTESIS 
NAIS DRURY, A. VITTATA FABR. AND A. 
PHALERATA HARRIS. 
By WERNER MARCHAND, 
Princeton, New Jersey. 
W. J. Holland in the “Moth Book,” p. 132, expressed doubts 
whether the three forms, including A. vittata f. radians Walker, 
are really distinct. The latter view is held by J. B. Smith (Insects 
of New Jersey, p. 441) who says, speaking of these three species: 
“With good bred material at hand the differences are obvious.” 
Without being able to look up the literature on this subject at 
present, I wish to report on a few observations made which tend 
to show that at least two of these species are distinct. During my 
stay at the Bussey Institution in Forest Hills, Mass., during the 
summer of 1915, I was permitted, through the kindness of Prof. 
W. M. Wheeler, to obtain lepidopterous material from the moth- 
trap of the Institution. Eggs were obtained of A. nais and A. 
phalerata, that is of two species identical in appearance with speci- 
mens preserved under these names at the Boston Museum of 
Natural History. Of A. nais eight different broods were raised. 
All descendants gave typical nais: males and females with yellow 
hind wings (never red!), with black costal border of the fore wings, 
and in the males without any black spots on the white collar band, 
while of the females, about half the number had such spots present. 
Of A. phalerata one brood was raised. All the descendants were 
typical phalerata: males with pale, yellowish-pink hind wings, 
often less spotted as compared with A. nais; females with bright 
coral-red hind wings; both sexes with white costal border and with 
two black spots on the white collar band above the head; no yellow 
specimens. Numerous attempts were made to obtain hybrids of 
the two species but all in vain: the two species do not interbreed. 
No difficulty was encountered in obtaining offspring within the 
same species. A second generation was raised before fall of both A. 
nais and A. phalerata. No difference in the appearance of the 
second generation was seen as compared with the first generation. 
Hence I conclude that the two species are certainly distinct. 
Of Apantesis vittata only males were found, hence this species 
