NYMPHALINAE ; EUPTOIETA. By Dr. A. Seitz. 403 



3. Subfamily: Nymphalinae. 



Group A: Argyniiidi. 



Here we meet for the first time with a group of Nymphalids represented also in the Palaearctic R-gion*). 

 Therefore I refer to what has been said, in \'ol. 1, p. 211 ff., about the Argynninae under "Tribus**) 

 Argynnidi". Also in this, the American part, we combine for simplicity's sake the genera Phijciodes, Eresid, 

 CJilosyne, separated byREUXER as MeUtaeidi. with the true Argynnidi. h\ the far North of America repre- 

 sentatives of the Argynnis-gvoM^, sometimes sejiarated as Brenthis or Boloria, not only play the same part as 

 in the Old World, but frequently even belong to the same species, advancing here as well as there among all 

 Diurna farthest to the Arctic North. Farther South we see the Brenthis flying side by side with typical Ar- 

 gynnis, being more and more superseded by these, which, together with Melitaea, prevail in Southern Canada 

 and the United States. Still farther South, in the southern United States, it is Euptoieta which, less by the num- 

 ber of species than of individuals, takes the lead, Melitaea being replaced by Phyciodes and Chlosyne. The latter 

 genus prevails throughout Mexico and Central America, and the gorgeous, mostly jetblack Chlosyne are, by 

 virtue of their enormous abundance and their almost unique variability, quite characteristic of the butterfly- 

 fauna of the countries lying to the south of the tropic of cancer. Farther South their place is taken by the generi- 

 cally most closely pJlied Phyciodes and Eresia which, especially in the tropical forest-zone of South America, have 

 developed an enormous number of forms, being thus the largest American Nymphalid genus. In the far South, 

 in the Argentine Pampas and Patagonia, the Euptoieta reappear which in the Tropics had completely disajjpea- 

 red, and finally the ring is closed again in the Chilean Andes by Brenthis. Thus we may illustrate the occurrence 

 in America of the principal groups of Argynnidi by the following scheme : 



60" N. L. Brenthis 



45" N. L. Brenthis, Argynnis, Melitaea 



35" N. L. Euptoieta, Phyciodes 



25" N. L. Phyciodes, Chlosyne 



10" N. L. Chlosyne 



Phyciodes, Chlosyne, Eresia 



15" S. L. Phyciodes, Eresia. 



30" S. L. Phyciodes, Euptoieta 



40" S. L. Brenthis. 



1. Genus: £ii|>t<»iela Dbl. 



Although numbering only 3, perhaps even only 2 species, this genus plays an important part by 

 its enormous abundance of individuals. They closely resemble Argynnis, with which they also anatomically 

 agree very well, so that neither Doubleday nor Felder or Reuter succeeded in separating them in a natural 

 way. Like the true Argynnis, they have the head uncommonly large and thick, so that in regularly set speci- 

 mens the base of the costa touches the eyes. These latter are on either side of the broad frons enormously 

 distented, naked (i. e. without rough hair); tongue strong, distinctly coloured, the antennae suddenly termina- 

 ted by a conspicuous club which after drying appears flat. Palpi large and long, porrect, distented, thickly 

 covered with rough, bristly hair. The forewings have the costal margin, especially at the base, strongly 

 curved downwards. All the cells are closed, but in the hindwing the lower discoccllular is so feeble that it 

 can hardly be seen and, indeed, has frequently been overlooked; in the forewing the upper discoccllular strongly 

 curved inwards. The hindwing is remarkable on account of the almost rectilinear costal margin, in conse- 

 quence of which the apex is almost as pointed as in Brenthis. — Also in the earlier stages it closely approaches 

 Argynnis; especially the shortness of the blunt, stout spines of the larva, and the completely rounded ante- 

 rior part of the pupa remind us of Argynnis and Melitaea. Its distribution is rather curious. E. claudia is 

 found in the northern United States, being replaced farther South by hegesia: on the Isthmus we meet, quite 

 locally, hogotana, and again, quite in the far South, claudia reappears, hardly changed at all; thus we find, 

 advancing from the Nortii to the South, the following species: claudia — hegesia — hogotana — claudia. 



E. claudia Cr. (= columbina Godt., daunus Hbst.) (85 a). The upper surface fulvous in the outer half, claudia. 

 faintly suffused with olive-green in the inner half; through the discus a paler, yellow-ochreous band. The 



*) Only among the Cefho.iia which belong to the Heliconnnac, wo find one species touchuig the iiiiiits of the- Pa- 

 laearctic Eegion m the South-East. Of. Vol. I, p. .S43. 



**) In Vol. I we divided the N ymnhaliilae into "Tribus", several of which were united uito a Subfamily: in that way 

 the Argynnidi came, together with the Vunessidi, into the subfamily Vancsniimc. We here drop all further subdivisions, 

 treating the Argynniime as an independent subfamily. 



