186 MIMICEY IN N. AMERICAN BUTTERFLIES 



space exposed to the sun and planted with abun- 

 dant flowers and the food-plant of the species. It 

 would probably be safe to use Long Island males, 

 while female pupae or the freshly bred females 

 themselves could be readily obtained from further 

 south. 



THE EVOLUTION OF LIMENITIS (B.) ASTYANAX 

 (F.) AS A MIMIC OF PH. PHILENOR AND ITS 

 PAPILIO MIMICS 



Scudder states that L. astyanax l ranges from 

 the Atlantic westward to the Mississippi Valley, 

 and from the Gulf of Mexico northward to about 

 the 43rd parallel of latitude/ 1 It thus falls 

 entirely within the area ofphiknor. The northern 

 boundary of astyanax corresponds with the 

 southern limit of its parent arthemis, and Scudder 

 (1. c., 289) considers that they interbreed and that 

 the intermediate form proserpina, found along the 

 narrow belt where the two species or sub-species 

 meet, is the resulting hybrid. Both arthemis and 

 proserpina have been bred from the eggs of the 

 latter. There seems little doubt that astyanax is 

 a very recent development from arthemis in the 

 southern part of its range, so recent that the 

 areas of distribution still remain distinct and 

 parent and offspring only meet along a narrow 

 line. It is probable that archippits arose in the 

 same manner in part of the area of arthemis, but 



1 A closely allied species or probably a form of the same species 

 is recorded by Godman and Salvin from Mexico. 



