LIMRNITIS. 



from its base as exists between the base of the wing and that of tlie precostal vein. Upper disco-ceUular vein 

 forming the base of the discoidal one, and arising at a similar distance from the base of the subcostal branch ; 

 lower disco-cellular wanting, so that the cell is open. Median vein and its branches moderately robust. 



Fore Legs of the male small, pectoral, clothed with rather short loose hairs. Femur slightly thickened at the 

 base. Tibia nearly straight, as long as the femur, slightly thickened at the tip. Tarsus two thirds of the 

 length of the tibia, gradually attenuated, and, when denuded of scales and hairs, consisting of three distinct 

 joints ; the basal joint more than half the length of the tarsus ; the second and third of nearly equal length. 

 Fore Legs of the female longer than in the male, more scaly, and nmch less hairy. The femur and tibia of 

 nearly equal length. The tarsus two thirds of the length of the tibia, and of equal thickness with it to the tip; 

 composed of five joints ; the basal joint occupying half the length of the tarsus ; the second, third, and fourth 

 gradually shortening ; each with a pair of short spines at the tip, on the lower side ; the terminal joint very 

 small, with two very short straight spines. 



Four Hind Legs moderately long and robust, scaly. Femur hair}' beneath. Tibia of equal length with the 

 femur, with strong spines beneath (except at the basal one third) and at the tip ; tibial spui-s strong. Tarsus 

 equal to the tibia in length and thickness, with four rows of spines beneath. Claws rather large, but not so 

 long as the terminal seta- of the tarsus, strongly curved, and very acute. Paronychia bifid, setose, nearly as 

 long as the claws. Pulvillus short. 

 Abdomen rather small. 



Larva subcylindrical, narrowed behind, with setose tubercles on the sides of the body, and with several 



pairs of elongated, obtuse, hairy spines on the back ; those towards the head being the longest. 

 Pupa suspended by the tail. Head-case beaked or bifid ; gibbose on the back of the thorax. 



Regarding, with Fabricius, Papilio Populi as the type of this genus, it will consist of a scries of species generally of larger size, and 

 much more varied in their colours, and consequently handsomer than those of the two preceding groups. The propriety of this step 

 has been recognised; Boisduval and E. Doublcday {List Lep. B. M.) having given Populi and its American allies as a genus distinct 

 from Linienitis, under the name of Nymphalis (a nauie whicli must be restored to the C'haraxes, as has been judiciously doue by 

 E. Doubleday in the plates already published of this work). Boisduval and Doubleday, however, remove Camilla and Sibilla to 

 their magazine genus Linienitis ; a step which I cannot approve, considering the genus in the same light as M. E. Blancluud, in the 

 Histoire des Animaux articult's. It is proper to observe, however, that the discoidal cell is not open, as he states, in the sjiecies which 

 he gives as belonging to the genus, namely, Sibilla, Camilla, Populi, and Arthemis ; nor are the fore legs alike in both sexes, nor 

 terminated by a single claw, as stated by Mr. Curtis.* From the preceding genus the species are distinguished by their longer fore 

 wings, generally concave along the apical margin ; the short discoidal cell of the fore wings, the generally oblique position of the pale 

 markings or bars running across the wings, the more hairy palpi, the articulation of the fore tarsi of the males, and the form of the 

 larvK, also appear to be characteristic. 



The Caterpillar of L. Populi, as figured by Hiibner (copied by Boisduval, Sj>. Gen. Lep , pi. m. fig. 8.), is green, varied with 

 brown ; the bead with two points ; the second segment of the body with two thick, erect, somewhat divergent, obtuse, fleshy spines ; 

 the third, fifth, and seventh segments with setose tubercles on the back; and the terminal segments gradually acuminated; the 

 penidtimate with two rather sharp tubercles, directed backwards ; the sides of the body also fin-nisiied with setose tubercles. It feeds 

 on poplars and willows. The Chrysalis is thick, and with a thick tubercle at the base of the abdomen-case- The head is l)ut slightly 

 elongated. This species is widely spread over the northern half of Europe, although not a native of England. 



The Larva of the North American species, L. LTrsula, is represented by Abbot and Smith as more elongated, with the head somewhat 

 serrated at the sides and top ; the second segment of the body with two long, diverging, setose, obtuse horns, and the following 

 segments of the body appear irregul.arly furnished with dorsal tubercles. The Chrysalis nearly resembles that of Populi. The 

 species is remarkable for entirely wanting the white faselaj so characteristic of the genus, the upper surface of the wings being black, 

 the extremities covered with blue scales, with several subapical rows of black lunulcs ; on the under side it is glossed with purple, and 

 elegantly ornamented with bright orange spots at the base and beyond the middle of the wings. It bears, in fact, a singularly strong 

 analogy in its colours to the North American Papilio Philenor, whilst the allied species, Limenitis Disippus (P. Archippus Cramer), 

 bears an equally strong analogy to Danais Archippus in its dark orange-red colour, with a black border to all the wings, spotted 

 with white. 



The Larva of Limenitis Sibilla feeds u])on difl'erent species of honeysuckle {Lordcera), and, as figured by Hiibner and copied by 

 Curtis, has the head subbifid; and the second, third, fifth, tenth, and eleventh segments of the body respectively furnished with a pair 

 of obtuse, fleshy, setose spines, all of nearly equal length ; the other segments, as well as the sides of the body, bearing small setose 

 tubercles. The Chrysalis has the head-case deeply bifid, the back of the thorax gibbose, and the base of tlie dorsal surface of the 

 abdomen furnished with a large obtuse prominence. 



The transformations of Limenitis Procris, an Eastern species closely allied to L. Camilla, are figured in Dr. Horsfield's work on the 

 Lepldoptera of Java. The head-case of the Chrysalis is deeply bifid, each of the horns Ijeing dilated into a broad truncate lobe, acute 

 at the tips ; the wing-cases are singularly dilated towards the dorsal surface, with a short tooth at the base of each, and the segments of 

 the al)domen are very irregular. The Larva has the body very rugose; each segment with thick, obtuse, erect tubercles; those of the 

 second and third segments very much elongated, and the head is also spined at the sides. 



The species are natives of Europe, Asia, the Indian Islands, and North America. Several of the finest species, hitherto undescribed, 



* LinniEus rightly detected the difference of structure in the fore legs of the sexes of these insects. In his description of L. Sibilla ( L. Camilla Mus. 

 Reg. Ulr. p. 302.), he says, " Pedes antici mutici," whilst he describes the other sex (p. 3U2. P. Prorsa) as having six perfect legs. This, coupled with 

 other cliaracters given in his detailed description, especially the double rows of black dots beyond the white fascia of the hind wings on the under side, is 

 sufficient to prove that in this work he was describing the two sexes of the species hitherto known in Englanil under the name of L. Camilla, having no 

 knowledge of the southern European species to which Fabricius inappropriately applied the name of C amilla. 



August I. 1850. 4 D 



