Zoological Illustrations Series II/Plate 63
CYNTILIA Swainsonia.
AMYNTHIA Swainsonia.
Family Papilionidæ. Sub-family Colianæ.
Characters.
Antennæ graduating from the base to a lengthened, cylindrical truncated club; the terminal joint of which is naked and concave. Head smooth, destitute of a fascicle of hairs between the antennæ. Palpi as in Colias, the last joint inclining upwards. Wings angulated, with concealed appendages. Feet as in Colias. Nob.
Type. Col. Merula. Auct.
Specific Character.
Wings above greenish white, anterior with a yellow disk, and a quadrangular black dot, encircled with orange: wings beneath obscurely lineated with green.
Colias Swainsonia. Leach. M. S. S.
We had the satisfaction of discovering this lovely Butterfly in the interior of Pernambuco, during our Brazilian researches in 1813. Although assiduously sought after, we never captured more than three specimens, and these were met with far distant from the coast: it must be either excessively rare, or very locally distributed. The colouring is peculiarly chaste and elegant; the ground is a pearly white, tinged with green, and relieved by clear yellow: in the female this latter colour is more diluted, and spreads nearly to the base of the anterior wings. This group appears to be the tropical representative of Gonepteryx; from which it is much more distinguished than Eurymus is from Colias. The two European types are called by British collectors, Brimstones, and Clouded-yellows. Dr. Horsfield has judiciously removed P. Glaucippe from Pieris to Colias, to which (although an aberrant species,) it manifestly belongs. We should not be surprised if that insect leads to Amynthia by means of Amy. Leachiana (Pl. 6. of our first series), which will be seen, from the description, to exhibit many deviations from its conjenors: this however is a mere supposition, for we have not yet analized these groups. Independant of the characters here sketched, Gonepteryx is distinctly separated from Amynthia, by the peculiar construction of the feet. The mistake of the printer, seen upon the plate, was discovered too late for correction.