. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. is certainly a butterfly; but as the metamorphoses are unknown, we cannot yet form a final opinion as to this curious form. The extraordinary Peruvian Insect, Styx infernalis, is also placed in this family by Staudinger ; it is a small, pale Insect, almost white, and with imperfect scales ; a little recalling a Satyrid. It appears to be synthetic to I'ieridae and Erycinidae. The caterpillars of Pieridae are perhaps the least remarkable or attractive of all butterfly - caterpillars; their skins are as a rule bare, or covered only with fine, short down o
. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. is certainly a butterfly; but as the metamorphoses are unknown, we cannot yet form a final opinion as to this curious form. The extraordinary Peruvian Insect, Styx infernalis, is also placed in this family by Staudinger ; it is a small, pale Insect, almost white, and with imperfect scales ; a little recalling a Satyrid. It appears to be synthetic to I'ieridae and Erycinidae. The caterpillars of Pieridae are perhaps the least remarkable or attractive of all butterfly - caterpillars; their skins are as a rule bare, or covered only with fine, short down or hair; their prevalent colour is green, more or less speckled with black and yellow, and they are destitute of any prominent peculiarities of external struc- ture. Pupation is accomplished by the larva fixing itself to some solid body by the posterior extremity, with the head upwards (or the position may be horizontal), and then placing a girdle round the middle of the body. The pupa never hangs down freely as it does in Nymphalidae. It has been ascertained by experiment that if the girdle round the larva be cut, the pupa- tion can nevertheless be accomplished by a considerable proportion of larvae. Some of the pupae are of very peculiar form, as is the case in the Orange-tip (Fig. 180, A) and Brimstone butterflies. The Orange- tip butterfly passes nine or ten months of. each year as a pupa, which is variable in colour ; perhaps to some extent in conformity with its surroundings. The North American E. genutia has a similar life-history, but the larva leaves its Cruciferous food-plant, wanders to an Fig. 181.—Newly-hatched larva of .EmcAZoc car- oak tree, and there turns to 'famines. A, The larva in profile ; B, one . segment more magnifteil, showing the liquid- a pupa, resembling m colour bearing setae ; C, one of the setae still more the bark of the tree. magnified, and without liquid. It is not unusual for caterpillars to change their habits and Fio. ISO.—Pupation of the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1895
