RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1855-1870]. [Lepidoptera, sexual differences in colour]. CUL-DAR81.176-179. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe 12.2025. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR80-86 contain material for Darwin's book Descent of man (1871).
176
Males |
Females |
Clisiocampa Castrensis |
|
Straw colour |
dull fulvous cheseux |
C. Meustria |
|
Rusty fox colour |
paler |
Trichiura Cratagi |
|
pale ashy |
brown |
Odonestis Potataria |
|
Reddish buff |
Pale fawn |
Lasiocampa Quercus |
|
Chocolate with a buff border |
Buff all over |
Dendrolimus pini |
|
brown |
paler |
Endromis Versicolora |
|
Considerably darker than female |
|
Hypogymnia Dispar |
|
brown |
white |
Dasychira Pudibunda |
|
Darker than female |
|
Loecia coeusa |
|
Front wings ochre colour |
white |
Cycnia Mendica |
|
brown |
white |
176v
Males |
Females |
Eutheuconia Plantaginis |
|
Very gaudy colours |
not so bright and with more black |
--- Russula |
|
⸮yellow but more pretty colours.? |
reddish |
Oenistis Quadra |
|
Xxx grey yellow white blue head; but the male much more diversified in colours. & more beautiful |
bright yellow with blue spots |
Here the Bombycina end; they are the most diurnal moths & have more diversified colour than other moths as far as I imperfectly know. The Noctuiera have no differences in Geometria |
|
brown & white |
Reddish brown |
(not finished) |
|
177v
Stainton whether as insofar as when males more beautiful - [6 words illeg]
178
(Ch. 6)
X Means female more conspicuously marked & therefore hostile fact—
Males |
Females |
Gonepteryx Rhamni |
|
Sulphur yellow |
Pale greenish white |
Colias Hyale |
|
a green patch on under wing |
without green patch |
|
|
Euchloe Cardamines |
|
with orange spot on front wing |
Without orange spot |
In the genus Pontia |
|
Without black spots on upper wing |
With black spots |
Argynnis Paphia |
|
Bright tawney |
Paler tinged with greenish |
Apatura Iris |
|
With a bright purple gloss |
Without a purple gloss and brown |
Hipparchia Januira |
|
x without larger tawney spots on front wings |
with tawney spots |
Hipparchia Teltonces |
|
x With less tawney than female |
With more tawney |
178v
Male |
Female |
Oreina Ligea |
|
Without white pupil to the black ocelli X Oreina "Black eyes with white pupils in the limbs" [Westwood] |
With white centers So female more ocellated |
Hanearis Lucuia |
|
X with the ground paler & orange spots smaller than in the female |
Ground black orange spots larger |
|
|
Thecla Quercus |
Westwoods Butterflies of Grt. Britain 1855 p. 75. |
with much more purple than in female |
|
|
|
Thecla W. Album |
|
The white mark like a W narrow |
broader |
Chrysophanus Chryseis? |
|
Chrysophanus |
|
Far brighter (Copper Butterflies) |
under wings darker & spotted. |
Chrysophanus |
|
nearly the same differences as in dispar |
|
- - - - Virgaureae |
|
brighter than female |
|
Westwood, J. O. 1855. The butterflies of Great Britain, with their transformations delineated and described. London.
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 27 December, 2025