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CHAPTER VI. 
THE BUTTERFLIES. 
The Rhopalocera, or Butterflies, may be readily dis- 
tinguished from the rest of the Lepidoptera, by the anten- 
nae, which terminate in a more or less abrupt knob and 
are without pectinations, projecting processes or conspicu- 
ous arrangements of cilia. The hind-wings are without.a 
frenulum, but the costal vein is strongly curved at the 
base. 
From their diurnal habits and brilliant colouring, but- 
terflies have always been great favourites with beginners, 
and their obvious attractions have no doubt been re- 
sponsible for the creation of many entomologists. These 
beautiful insects attain their maximum development in the 
tropics, especially in South America, where, it is said, a 
single valley sometimes contains as many species as the 
whole of Europe. Notwithstanding its sunny climate, New 
Zealand is, however, singularly poor in butterflies, only 
fifteen species occurring in these islands. Compared with 
this it is interesting to observe that sixty-eight species of 
butterflies are found in Great Britain, about three hun- 
dred in Europe, and no less than seven hundred in the 
Palaearctic Region. It has also been estimated that about 
thirteen thousand species of butterflies are already known 
in the world, and Dr. Sharp considered that there might 
be nearly twice as many still awaiting discovery. It is, 
however, unlikely that any very important additions will 
be made to the butterfly fauna of New Zealand, as these 
insects are always most assiduously looked for by collectors 
and, with the exception of the detection of the very widely 
distributed Danaida chrysippus, no fresh discoveries have 
been made for a period of over 45 years. 
The wings of butterflies are generally held erect in re- 
pose, the under surface of the hind-wings, and the apical 
portion of the under surface of the fore-wings, being nearly 
always protectively coloured, these being portions of the 
wings exposed to view when the insect is at rest. There is 
an unusual amount of ornamental colouring on the upper 
surface. The larva has ten prolegs. 
The two following families of butterflies are represented 
in New Zealand :— 
1. NYMPHALIDAE. 2. LYCAENIDAE. 
Family 1—NYMPHALIDAE. 
In this family the front pair of legs are much reduced 
in size in each sex, their tarsi in the male with but one 
joint, though in the female there are usually five, but with- 
out any claws. The fore-wings have veins 8 and 9 out of 7 

and the hind-wings are furnished with a precostal spur. 
(Plate B., figs. 7, 8, 25, 26, 27.) The pupa is suspended 
by the tail so as to hang down freely. Three sub-families 
are represented in New Zealand :— 
1. Danaipes. 2. SAtTyrRipEeS. 3. NYMPHALIDES. 
Sub-family 1.—DANaIpEs. 
Fore-wings with vein 1 with a short fork at the base. 
Cell of the hind-wing closed. Anterior tarsus of female 
ending in a corrugate knob. Larve smooth, provided with 
a few long, fleshy processes. Only one genus occurs in 
New Zealand. 
Genus 1.—DANAIDA, Latr. 
Eyes glabrous. Club of antenne elongate, gradual. Fore- 
wings with vein 10 separate. Hind-wings with transverse vein 
present. (Plate B., figs. 7 and 8, neuration of D. plexippus. 
A genus of moderate extent, generally distributed within 
the tropics, with two or three species ranging beyond them. 
Imago with termen of fore-wings sub-coneave. Larva with 
pairs of long tentacles. Both larva and imago are pro- 
tected by a strong nauseous smell, or taste, and are uneat- 
able to birds. 
We have two species in New Zealand. 
DANAIDA PLEXIPPUS. 
(Anosia plexippus, Lin.; Papilio archippus, Fabricius, Spec. 
Ins., p. 55, n. 2438 (1781); Danais archippus, Butler, Butterflies 
of N.Z., Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. 265; Anosia erippus, Cramer; Danais 
berenice, Fereday, Trans. N.Z. Inst, vi., 183; Colenso, ib. x. 276.) 
(Plate IV., fig. 10¢.) 
This handsome insect has occurred from time to time 
at various localities in both the North and the South 
Islands, but does not appear to be generally common. Par- 
ticulars of the early capture of this butterfly were 
thus given by Mr. Enys: ‘‘First recorded as a 
New Zealand insect by Mr. Fereday, in a_ paper 
read before the Canterbury Institute, January 2, 1874, 
and printed in vol. vi. of ‘ Transactions.’ Mr. Fereday 
received the butterfly from F. H. Meinertzhagen, 
of Hawkes Bay. Sir James Hector also obtained 
it in Westland. It has also been caught near 
Auckland. In vol. xi. of ‘ Transactions ’ Mr. F. W. Sturm 
records that he first saw this insect, or a closely allied one, 
at the Reinga, up the Wairoa River, Hawkes Bay, Decem- 
ber, 1840, or January, 1841. In 1848 he captured a num- 


