Note 23 — Chapter IV

P. philenor is also regarded as serving as a model for two Nymphaline butterflies in the United States. One of these is the large Fritillary Argynnis diana of which the dark female has a markedly blue tint on the upper surface (Pl. XVI, fig. 3). The other is a Limenitis[23] related to our own White Admiral. This form, L. astyanax (Pl. XVI, fig. 5), is a dark form with a bluish iridescence on the upper surface. It is found, like P. philenor, over the greater part of the Eastern States, while to the north, near the Canadian boundary, its place is taken by L. arthemis with prominent white bar across both wings (Pl. XVI, fig. 4). There is reason for believing that where the two overlap there is occasional inbreeding, and that the hybrid is the form known as proserpina, resembling astyanax more than arthemis. It must be admitted that in general appearance L. astyanax and Argynnis diana are more like Papilio troilus than P. philenor. In explanation it has been suggested that all the mimics are on the way to resembling P. philenor, and consequently we should expect them at certain stages to shew more resemblance to one another than to the form they have all as it were set out to mimic. On this view they will all arrive at a close resemblance to philenor in time. Another explanation is that favoured by Professor Poulton on which it is assumed that we are here dealing with a case of Müllerian Mimicry, all of the species in question being distasteful with the exception perhaps of A. diana. Thus troilus and astyanax though distasteful are less so than philenor. Hence it is of advantage to them to have even a chance of being mistaken for the more obnoxious philenor, and so the one has come from the black and yellow Swallow-tail pattern and the other from the white-banded arthemis form to what they are, i.e. more alike to one another than to philenor. They now form a Müllerian combination for mutual protection along with the dark females of glaucus and asterius. But they are themselves still moderately distasteful so that it is to the advantage of the female of Argynnis diana to mimic them. Whether they are all on the way to resembling philenor more closely, or whether they have sufficiently vindicated their inedible properties and are now stationary, it is for the future to reveal to posterity. Lastly we have the view that these different species have attained their present coloration entirely independently of one another, and that we are not here concerned with mimicry at all. Since the sole evidence available at present is that based on general appearance and geographical distribution, the view taken of this case must rest largely upon personal inclination.