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Whirlabout
Butterfly.--The male on the upper side resembles Hylephila phylaeus, but may be distinguished by the broader and darker spots on the under side of the wings. The costal and outer margins of the secondaries are also generally more broadly bordered with fuscous than in phylaeus, a fact not shown in the specimen figured in the plate. The female is quite different from the female of phylaeus, as will be seen by a comparison of the figures of the two sexes. Expanse, male, 1.15 inch; female, 1.25 inch.
Early Stages.--These are only partially known. The caterpillar feeds on grasses.
The insect is very rare in the North, a few specimens having been taken in New England and Wisconsin. It is found commonly in the Carolinas, and thence southward to the Gulf, and is abundant in the Antilles, Mexico, and Central America.