The habitat of this species is the Sierras of California and Nevada.
(13) =Phyciodes picta=, Edwards, Plate XVII, Fig. 20, ♀, _under side_; Fig. 21, ♂ (The Painted Crescent-spot).
_Butterfly._--The butterfly in both sexes somewhat closely resembles _P. phaon_ on the upper side. On the under side the fore wings are red on the median area, with the base, the costa, the apex, and the outer margin pale yellow; the black markings very prominent. The hind wings on the under side are nearly immaculate yellow. Expanse, ♂, .80-1.10 inch; ♀, 1.10-1.25 inch.
_Early Stages._--These may be found described with minute exactness by Mr. W.H. Edwards in the pages of the "Canadian Entomologist," vol. xvi, pp. 163-167. The egg is yellowish-green. The caterpillar moults five times. When mature it is about six tenths of an inch long, armed with seven principal rows of short spines, which appear to vary in color in the spring and fall broods, being light brown in the June brood and greenish-yellow in the October brood. The prevalent color of the caterpillar is some shade of yellowish-or greenish-brown, mottled with lighter and darker tints. The chrysalis is yellowish-brown. The food-plants of the caterpillar are various species of aster.
This species is found as far north as Nebraska, and is abundant in Colorado and New Mexico, ranging southward through Arizona into Mexico.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVIII | | | | 1. _Phyciodes tharos_, Drury, ♂. | | 2. _Phyciodes tharos_, Drury, ♀. | | 3. _Phyciodes tharos_, var. _marcia_, | | Edwards, ♂. | | 4. _Phyciodes tharos_, var. _marcia_, | | Edwards, ♀. | | 5. _Phyciodes barnesi_, Skinner, ♂. | | 6. _Argynnis snyderi_, Skinner, ♂. | | 7. _Argynnis platina_, Skinner, ♂. | | 8. _Eresia texana_, Edwards, ♀. | | 9. _Eresia texana_, Edwards, ♂, | | _under side_. | | 10. _Synchloë janais_, Drury, ♂. | | 11. _Synchloë lacinia_, Hubner, ♂. | | 12. _Eresia ianthe_, Fabricius, ♂. | | 13. _Melitæa anicia_, var. _beani_, | | Skinner, ♂. | | 14. _Brenthis astarte_, Doubleday and | | Hewitson, ♂. | | 15. _Brenthis astarte_, Doubleday and | | Hewitson, ♂, _under side_. | | 16. _Brenthis helena_, Edwards, ♂, | | _under side_. | | 17. _Brenthis helena_, Edwards, ♂. | | 18. _Debis creola_, Skinner, ♂. | | 19. _Debis creola_, Skinner, ♀. | | 20. _Debis portlandia_, Fabricius, ♂. | | 21. _Geirocheilus tritonia_, Edwards, ♂. | | | | [Illustration PLATE XVIII.] | +--------------------------------------------------------------+
