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Vanessa atalanta rubria (Fruhstorfer)

Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology
Vanessa atalanta rubria (Fruhstorfer)

Papilio atalanta.—Fabricius, 1775, p. 504; 1787, p. 49; 1793. pp. 118–119.

Vanessa atalanta.—Godart, 1819, p. 319.—Boisduval, Rambur and Graslin, 1832, p. 50.—Boisduval and LeConte, 1834, pp. 175–177.—Humphreys and Westwood, 1841, p. 55.—Doubleday, 1844, p. 78.—Lucas, 1845, p. 58.—Poey. 1847, p. 122.—Wagner, 1870, p. 170.—Scudder, 1888, pl. 2: fig. 6, pl. 78: figs. 58, 59, pl. 83: figs. 52, 53, 55; 1899, pp. 441–456, pl. 12: fig. 5; pl. 20: fig. 7; pl. 33: figs. 29, 29a; pl. 61: figs. 29, 37; pl. 64: fig. 24; pl. 70: fig. 10; pl. 74: fig. 35; pl. 81: figs. 2, 6; pl. 86: figs. 61–65.—Dale, 1890, p. 150.—Barrett, 1893, p. 149.—Favre, 1889, p. 99.—Meyrick, 1899, p. 193.—Dyar, 1903, p. 23 Comstock and Comstock, 1904, pp. 154–156, pl. 26: figs. 1, 2.—Barnes and McDunnough, 1917, p. 11.—Comstock, 1927, p. 131, pl. 43: figs. 1, 2.—Holland, 1931, pp. 153–154, pl. 3: fig. 35; pl. 4: figs. 52, 53, 55; pl. 43: fig. 4.—Frohawk, 1934, p. 136.—Bates, 1935, p. 165.—Davenport and Dethier, 1938, p. 163.—McDunnough, 1938, p. 20.—Wild, 1939, p. 26, pl. 7: fig. 1.—Field, 1940b, pp. 81–84, 274.—Hoffmann, 1940, p. 680.—Macy and Shepard, 1941, pp. 122–123.—Pierce and Beirne, 1941, p. 20, pl. 3: fig. 1 Comstock, 1944, p. 451.—Leighton, 1946, p. 59.—Aubert, 1949, p. 132.—Clark and Clark, 1951, pp. 13, 43–44, 205, pl. 8: fig. f.—Klots, 1951, pp. 49, 107, 113, 114, pl. 6: fig. 7, pl. 14: fig. 9, pl. 17: fig. 2.—Ferguson, 1954, p. 194.—Brown, 1955, p. 100 2 figs.—Zimmermann, 1958, pp. 453, 454, 455, 456–457, figs. 388, 389, 390, 395, 399.—Forbes, 1960, p. 159.—Dos Passos, 1964, p. 77.

Pyrameis atalanta.—Doubleday, 1849, p. 204.—Lucas, 1857, p. 542.—Morris, 1860, p. 8; 1862, pp. 58–59.—Girard, 1868, p. 290.—Kirby, 1871, pp. 185, 648.—Strecker, 1878, pp. 135–136, 190 Godman and Salvin, 1882, p. 219.—Edwards, 1889, p. 25.—Maynard, 1891, pp. 92, fig. 32c (p. 95).—Tutt, 1896, p. 361.—Denton, 1898, pp. 264–266, pl. [54].—Holland, 1898, p. 170, pl. 3: fig. 35, pl. 4: figs. 52, 53, 55, pl. 43: fig. 4.—Skinner, 1898, pp. 23–24.—Stichel, 1900, p. 125.—Wright, 1905, p. 177, pl. 22: fig. 227.—Kirkaldy, 1906, p. 139.—Stichel, 1908, p. 199; 1909, p. 199.—Reuss, 1910b, pp. 62, 63, 64, 65; 1910c, pp. 85, 86, 87, 88, 90.—Verity, 1913 p. 181.—Seitz 1914a, p. 458, pl. 94: fig. A 1; 1914b, p. 458, pl. 94: fig. A 1.—Holland, 1915, p. 100, pl. 33.—Schultz, 1916, p. 27.

Cynthia atalanta.—Barnes and Benjamin, 1926, p. 14.

Pyrameis atalanta rubria Fruhstorfer, 1909, p. 94.—Martin, 1922, p. 44.—Bang-Haas, 1926, p. 56.

Vanessa atalanta rubria.—Verity, 1950, p. 339.

Vanessa atalanta variety edwardsi Grinnell [excluded name, type 3], 1918, pp. 113, 114, pl. 4: fig. 3.

Cynthia atalanta aberration edwardsi.—Barnes and Benjamin [excluded name, type 2], 1926, p. 14.

Vanessa atalanta aberration edwardsi.—Comstock, 1927, p. 131, pl. 43: figs. 4, 7.—McDunnough, 1938, p. 20.—Dos Passos, 1964, p. 77.

Cynthia atalanta hybrid edwardsi.—Gunder [excluded name, type 7], 1927c, p. 270, pl. 8: figs. 2, 3.

Vanessa atalanta italica aberration edwardsi.—Field [excluded name, type 1 and type 2], 1940b, pp. 82, 84.

Vanessa atalanta italica Stichel, Field not Stichel [a misidentification], 1940b, pp. 82–84, 264.—Klots, 1951, p. 107. Forbes, 1960, p. 159.

Vanessa atalanta italica form minutior Verity and Querci, Field not Verity and Querci [a misidentification], 1940b, pp. 82, 84, 274.

This is the subspecies found in North America. Several authors who have mentioned that the North American population differed from that of European are: Humphreys and Westwood (1841, p. 55), Girard (1868, p. 290), Fruhstorfer (1909, p. 94), Seitz (1914a, 1914b, p. 458), Bang-Haas (1926, p. 56), and others. Fruhstorfer is the first and only author to give a name to this population. All of these authors, however, mentioned characters for the two populations that do not hold up and all missed the real difference between them.

MALE (Figures 36–39).—This subspecies differs from V. atalanta atalanta mainly in having the subapical white bar opposite end of cell on both surfaces and forewing considerably smaller, sometimes half as large as it is in the latter. Usually the submarginal white spot in interspace M2 on the forewing is also slightly smaller, frequently the orange bands on both forewing and hindwing on the upper surface are slightly more narrow, and the central black spots in the marginal orange band of hindwing above are smaller. These last two differences are not constant enough to be considered diagonostic characters.

Length of forewing, 25–34 mm (average 28.7 mm).

FEMALE (Figures 40, 44–46).—Very much like the male, differing from the females of V. atalanta atalanta in the same ways that the males differ from the males of that subspecies. Some females have a larger subapical white bar and a larger submarginal white spot in interspace M2 on the forewing thaji do the males, and some have a slightly larger wing expanse. Because this is true, comparisons between the two subspecies should only be made by sexes.

Length of forewing, 25–35 mm (average 30.5 mm).

INDIVIDUAL AND ABERRATIONAL VARIATION.—The ordinary individual variation in this subspecies is quite like that of V. atalanta atalanta (which see). Fortunately workers have not applied names to individual variants in this population (probably because it was not thought to be a separate sub-species) except in one case where a hybrid was suspected (Grinnell, 1918, pp. 113, 114).

SEASONAL VARIATION.—There is some slight seasonal variation in the adults of this subspecies but this is not at all constant. In the summer many individuals are somewhat darker and larger than spring individuals, with the band across the forewing more narrow and more reddish in color.

METHOD OF IDENTIFICATION.—After having established that there were two subspecies and that the name V. atalanta atalanta belonged to the European population, it was only necessary to find the oldest available name for the North American population. Fruhstorfer's name V. atalanta rubria is the oldest name applicable and is the only available valid name. His original description (1909, p. 94) establishes that he had specimens of V. atalanta from Mexico and the United States.

The Fruhstorfer collection in the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, contains four syntypes of V. atalanta rubric From these, I select as the lectotype, the lectotype candidate labeled “lectotype.” It is a male specimen from “Mexico.”

SYNONYMY.—See previous literature citations. There is one excluded name and several misidentifications, but there is no synonymy for this sub-species.

LIFE HISTORY.—It is not known whether there are differences in the immature stages between the two subspecies or not, nor is it known whether there are any differences in the life cycles, and it is not expected that this will be shown to be the case. The following information does apply to the North American population.

The larval food plants are reported to be: Urtica, Boehmeria cylindrica, Paritaria debilis, and in Hawaii, Pipturus albidus (all Urticaceae, order Urticales). This subspecies also feeds upon Humulus lupulus (Moraceae, order Urticales).

Edwards (1889, p. 25) and Davenport and Dethier (1938, p. 163) have listed most of the references to the life-history notes and to the descriptions of the immature stages. Probably the single most important reference is Scudder (1889, pp. 445–453, pl. 64: fig. 24; pl. 70: fig. 10; pl. 74: fig. 35; pl. 78: figs. 58, 59; pl. 81: figs. 2, 6; pl. 86: figs. 61–65; pl. 83: figs. 52, 53, 55).

DISTRIBUTION.—This species is found in North America from Hudson Bay and Great Slave Lake, south throughout the United States and Mexico into Guatemala, and in Bermuda, Cuba, and Hispaniola and has been introduced into the island of Hawaii.

MATERIAL STUDIED.—One hundred and nine males and seventy-nine females were studied from the following localities: DISTRICT OF MACKENZIE: Fort Resolution (July). BRITISH COLUMBIA: Victoria (July, September, October). SASKATCHEWAN: Redvers. ONTARIO. WASHINGTON: Black Canyon, Brewster (June); Cooney Lake (July); Mud Lake, Brewster (June); Neheotta (August); Yakima (October). OREGON: Crater Lake (July). CALIFORNIA: Camp Baldy, San Bernardino Mountains (July); Los Angeles; Mission San Jose, Alameda County (July). NEVADA: Del Monte Ranch, Reno (August). UTAH: Provo (July); Stockton (August). COLORADO: Golden (June). MICHIGAN: Betsy River (August); Detroit (July, August); Interlochen (August); Lake Wabekaness (August); Monroe Center (August). WISCONSIN: Madison (September). ILLINOIS: Decatur (August). KANSAS: Eureka (April, May, June, July, October, November); Lawrence (June); Troy (May). NEW HAMPSHIRE: Mount Washington (July). NEW YORK: Allegany State Park (July, August); Brooklyn (September); Botanical Gardens, Brooklyn (June); Franklin County (July); Jamaica, Long Island; Maspeth, Long Island (July); Prospect Park (June); Staten Island (September). PENNSYLVANIA: Buena Vista (August); New Brighton (September). NEW JERSEY: Cape May County (July). MARYLAND: Brinklow City. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (June). VIRGINIA: Alleghany County (May); Apple Orchard Mountain, Bedford County (July, 4,000 ft); Difficult Run (June); Fairfax County (October); Green Sea (September); Montgomery County (July); Salem (June, July, October); Shenandoah National Park (September); Suffolk (October). NORTH CAROLINA: Great Smoky Mountain National Park (September). SOUTH CAROLINA. FLORIDA: Homestead (February); Key West (April); Miami; Palm Beach. LOUISIANA: Harahan (June, July). TEXAS: Brownsville (February); Dallas (September); New Braunfels (March, June); San Antonio (September); San Benito (May); Tiger Hill. ARIZONA: Hereford; Huachuca (September); Redington. MEXICO: Cuernavaca (June); Jalapa; Mexico City (June, December); Orizaba (July); Popocatepetl Park (June); San Luis Obispo. GUATEMALA: Volcan Santa Maria (June). CUBA: Cerro, Havana (September); San Bias, Province Santa Clara (July, 600 ft). HAITI. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
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bibliographic citation
Field, William Dewitt. 1971. "Butterflies of the genus Vanessa and of the resurrected genera Bassaris and Cynthia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-105. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.84