Publ. 14. IV. 1914. VANESSA. By Dr. A. Serrz. 457 
P. J-album Zsp. (= v-album Schiff.) (vol. I, pl. 63 d). As large as the largest interrogationis; the typi- 
eal form not occurring in America but in the Old World, where it flies in eastern Europe and as samurai Fruhst. 
in Japan. The American form, j-album dv. (93f), is as a rule larger and the upperside of the hindwing much 
lighter (clay-yellow instead of dark brown) than in examples from the Old World. The species may be at once 
distinguished from all the other Polygonia by the whitish or bone-yellow spots at the costa of both wings. ab. 
aureomarginata Cock. is lighter, more gold-yellow, and the distal margin of the wings unspotted. In America, 
as in the Old World, aberrations occur with irregularly confluent blackish spots: ab. chelone Schultz. — Larva 
iron-grey or earth-brown with clay-yellow spines, on willows. More in the north, from Labrador to Alaska, 
southwards as far as the central United States, singly and not common. — The Japanese form (samurai Fruhst.) 
(vol. I, pl. 63 d) is intermediate between the European and that of North America. The species forms a distinct 
transition to the genus Vanessa, but the imago has the stronger teeth in the wing-margins and the hook-shaped 
white median marks on the hindwing beneath and the larva the spines on the head which characterize Poly- 
gonia. 
10. Genus: Vanessa F. 
The ,,spring-heralds** of the eastern hemisphere, with one exception (#0), are represented in America 
by forms which correspond with those of the Old World. Thus californica corresponds to xanthomelas or poly- 
chloros, milberti to urticae, cyanomelas to canace; antiopa is common to both hemispheres. Wings broad, strongly 
angled, above very brightly coloured, beneath protectively resembling bark. The larvae have no spines on 
the head itself, on the other hand back and sides are strongly spined. They live in nests on nettles, willows, 
fruit-trees, birches, elms, etc., and mostly remain near together almost to pupation. The butterflies live both 
in the plains and the mountains, are good fliers, lively sun-loving insects and hibernate; most species are very 
common. 
V. californica Bdv. (93e). Similar to Pol. j-album, but without the white median mark on the hind- 
wing beneath; the costal spots of the forewing more sharply defined, the distal margins broadly blackish brown. 
The larva likewise similar to that of Pol. j-album, blackish with variegated spines, venter lighter, without true 
spines on the head; on Ceanothus thyrsiflorus. The butterfly flies in the west of the United States and is common. 
V. milberti Godt. (= furciliata Say) (93 e). Basal half of both wings black with red cell-spots; distal 
part red-yellow, proximally, especially in the 9, lighter yellow; margins of the wings blackish, spotted with 
yellow and blue. Under surface somewhat recalling that of V. urticae, but the dise of the forewing less yellow, 
while the whole distal part of both wings is lighter. — Larva more brownish than that of the European /. urticae, 
with yellow spots and spines; on nettles. Butterfly distributed in the whole of northern North America, from 
Newfoundland to the Pacific coast, almost everywhere common, but mostly far less abundant than is urticae 
in central Europe. — The lighter form, subpallida Cock., is that of the Rocky Mountains; its larva lives on Urtica 
gracilis. 
V. cyonomelas Dbl. & Hew. (931). Under surface almost as in polychloros, to which (like the Asiatic 
canace group) this species approximates; above black with blue margin and washed-out blue submarginal band. 
Mexico, very rare, only a few specimens known; I figure it from an example in FRuHSTORFER’s collection. 
V. antiopa L. (—morio L., grandis Hhrm., hippolyta Lyman) (93 f, vol. 1, pl. 63b). The ,, Mourning Cloak‘ 
is black-brown, wings with yellow margin and blue dots before it. Distributed over the entire northern hemi- 
sphere except North Africa, becoming rare in the south but occurring as far as Venezuela; there small and con- 
fined to the mountains. —ab. hygiaea (vol. I, pl. 63c) has the margin broad and the blue dots reduced or entirely 
absent. — antiopa shows no constant variation, as was formerly believed, in the form from the United States 
(to which the name lintneri Fitch was given), but only in the extreme north, in Alaska. From there a specimen 
lies before me with very bright red-brown upper surface, white (not worn) margin slightly tinged with violet 
and on the under surface a light band across the middle of both wings; I figure it under the name hyperbo- 
rea form. nov. (931). — Also from the extreme south of its range a form has been named: thomsoni btlr. It differs 
in the yellow margin, which is twice as broad on the hindwing as on the forewing, occupying nearly % of 
the whole hindwing, and in having the subapical spot of the forewing followed by a chain of smaller yellow- 
white spots arranged in an angled row. Described from a specimen in the Tring Museum, but probably scarcely 
constant. — Larva black with red prolegs, on deciduous trees, such as willows, birches, pears, poplars, elms. 
Whilst in Europe the species is mostly not very common and has only one generation, in North America it 
is in many places abundant and has often two generations. The larva is very easy to rear and changes 
Vv 58 
l-album. 
j-album. 
aureomar- 
ginata. 
chelone. 
californica. 
milberti, 
subpallida. 
cyonomelas. 
antiopa. 
hygiaea. 
hyperborea. 
thomson. 
