APANTESIS. By Dr. A. Seitz. 
303 
the same being the case with the band behind the cell-end. For further particulars about quenselii-iormn and 
the larva comp. Vol. TT, p. 82. — The species occurs besides in Greenland and other parts of Arctic America. 
19. Genus: Apantesis Wkr. 
This multiform genus forms one of the greatest attractions of the nearctic butterflies. More than 80 
names have been given to forms of this genus, and if one would, as has been unfortunately done with its pale- 
arctic allies, denominate every variation in the spotting of wings or body, the number of Apantesis could easily 
be trebled. In American works the genus is often denoted as Arctia; this, however, can only be done where 
the Arctia caia, which cannot be dealt with congenerically with the Apantesis, is denoted as ,,Euprepia“, 
,,Chelonia “, or ,,Hypercomba u . Among the palearctic forms, the Apantesis are, beside the Orodemnias which 
are, as we mentioned, often inserted in the Apantesis, approximated by that genus for which we employed in 
Vol. II the name Euprepia, containing the species Eupr. pudica, rivularis and their allies. 
The butterflies mostly show on the forewing yellow latticed markings pierced by black, out of which 
a light longitudinal streak on the submedian vein and a large reclining W in the marginal area are distinctly 
prominent. The hindwings are mostly red, which often turns honey-yellow in aberrative forms, with black 
spots or a black marginal band. The abdomen almost invariably shows the red or orange-yellow warning colour 
suggestive of interior oily secretions which are ejected from openings at the neck, on the insect being disturbed. 
The butterflies are consequently not adapted, but rather conspicuous. But as the most brightly coloured forms, 
such as A. arge, are resting directly on the soil, deep in the grass, the animals are anyhow not so easily found 
as might be thought. Nor are they so easily chased up nor are they so heliophile as for instance the palearctic 
Callimorpha, although some are often met with flying in day-time. On seizing them, some species (or all?) 
utter a stridulous sound, whilst when flying past our ears we hear a noise like the cracking noticed in Callimorpha 
dominula or Parasemia plantaginis flying past us. 
The larvae are real bear-caterpillars, i. e. densely covered with stiff hair, often like our Spilosoma with 
coloured longitudinal stripes. They are not dainty in their food, and most of them may be bred with lettuce 
or the leaves of the common lettuce. If one wishes to protect the small larvae, having crept out from the 
eggs, against infectious diseases, they must, beginning from the 3rd skinning, be separated in small groups in 
different receptacles, so that at the time of their pupation not more than 2 or 3 remain in one receptacle. On 
giving them succulent food, I could not notice an inclination to cannibalism, as is reported of different Arctiid 
larvae. Breeding is very easy, since many larvae — at least in one generation — do not hibernate. 
Like in the Old World the magnificently coloured Arctia preponderantly live in the temperate north 
and are replaced towards the south by the more monotonous Spilosominae, the Apantesis are also the most 
common in South Canada and the northern parts of the United States, decreasing so quickly towards the south 
that only 2 species reach yet Mexico. In most of the places of the temperate North America we may reckon 
to meet with about half a dozen of Apantesis-species. Thus Haimbach mentions 6 species for Five-Mile- 
Beach in New Jersey, and 3 or 4 species were met with in different districts already when collecting at a short 
stay. Even of those species, the imagines of which are rarely met with, the larvae are mostly common, and 
that is why the prices of most of the Apantesis-specien are comparatively low, in spite of their great popularity 
with collectors. 
A. blakei Grt. (38 k). This small form from the Rocky Mountains and the Californian Mountains blakei. 
greatly resembles the Orodemnias quenselii by its size and habitus, but the hindwings exhibit a bright yellow 
ground-colour, and the latticing in the forewing is somewhat differently arranged. — bolanderi Stretch from bolanderi. 
the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains is regarded by some as identical with blakei (Dyar), b}^ others 
as a distinct species (Hampson); it differs, besides other marks, by the hindwings being red or very much 
tinted red. 
A. ornata Pack. (= simplicior Btlr.) is another form of the size and about of the exterior of 0. quenselii, 
varying greatly, for which reason it was given quite a number of names. In the typical form the yellow-veined 
forewing is traversed by 3 light transverse bands: before, in and behind the middle. Besides there is in the 
marginal area a reclining W. The hindwings are in normal specimens scarlet, marked black, at the proximal 
margin orange-red. — In the form perpicta Dyar the innermost whitish transverse band of the forewing is absent, 
whilst in achaia Grt. & Rob. (= dahurica Grt.) (38 k) it is still indicated, being broad and in some places even 
double in edwardsii Stretch (38 k). In all these forms the ground-colour of the hindwings is red. — ochracea 
Stretch (= barda H. Edw.) has orange-yellow hindwings, the forewings being similar. ■—- Also sulphurica N'eum. 
( = elongata Stretch) has yellow, instead of red hindwings, but the light vein-stripes of the forewings are narrower! 
or in some places obsolete. — In obliterata Stretch (38 k), having again scarlet hindwings and being perhaps 
a distinct species (the patria of this form is unknown), the vein-stripes of the forewings are noticed to be fine 
whitish, but the light transverse bands are absent. — The egg is light yellow, quite smooth, in the shape of 
ornata. 
perpicta. 
achaia. 
edwardsii. 
ochracea. 
sulphurica. 
obliterata . 
