106 
Psyche 
[December 
1898. Thanaos persius Holland, Butt. Book pi. xlviii, fig. 
1, (a California specimen). 
1921. Thanaos persius , race afranius Lindsey (approxi- 
mately) Univ. Ia. Stud, ix (4), 52. 1 
1927. Erynnis persius afranius Comstock, Butt. Calif. 212 
(in part) , pi. lix, fig. 2 (not fig. 3) . 
1931. Erynnis afranius Lindsey, Bell & Williams, Deni- 
son Univ. Bull., Jour. Sci. Lab. xxvi, 62 (in part) 
(not Nisoniades afranius Lintner). 
There is further bibliography in Scudd. ’89, Lindsey ’21 
and ’31, and Skinner Syn. Cat. No. Am. Rhopalocera, but 
the latter three must be used with caution on account of the 
confusion of species. 
It would appear that Scudder had a pretty clear idea of 
this species, as shown by the type (whose genitalia I figure, 
fig. 5), the Scudder and Burgess figure of the genitalia, and 
the biological data and foodplants. But his figure shows 
too much brown, and may possibly have been contaminated 
by the Baptisia species. Holland figures it correctly from 
a California specimen 2 , and the main series in the National 
Museum (representing Dyar’s determination) is correct 
and pure; but Skinner failed to recognize it, most of his 
series being of the Baptisia species, which is far commoner 
in the east; and several later workers have followed his 
misidentification, apparently viewing the occasional east- 
ern specimen as aberrant, and putting the western mate- 
rial in afranius. 
Superficially persius can be instantly recognized in the 
east, and I believe in the Northwest and California, by the 
abundant hair on the base and disc of the fore wing, some 
of which is white, and the general smooth appearance, the 
pale spot over the end of the cell being gray when distinct. 
In Arizona the other species show the same pale hair, but 
can be distinguished by the genitalia. Afranius also differs 
as a rule in the paler outer margin of the fore wing, due to 
a large percent of white scales; on which the wedge-like 
1 This determination judged by the arrangement of the Barnes col- 
lection as deposited in the IT. S. National Museum. 
2 The apparent transparent ceil-spots are pin-holes. 
