92 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 



Alae supra nigrae, fasciis macularibus duabus ct radicem versus maculis 

 tribus quadrangularibus omnibus gilvescentibus iustructae. Alae anticae prope 

 marginem anticam, apicem versus et ad margiuem externam mediam, e nigro 

 rubescentes. 



Alae anticae subtus rubrae iisdem maculis ut supra ornatae. Fascia macu- 

 laris externa extus nigro marginata. Alae posticae subtus gilvescentes nigro 

 venosae, et nigro marginatae, radicem versus nigro signatae ; supra medium 

 fascia nigra instructae, cateuam moniliformem continente punctorum gilvorum. 



Limbus ubique et supra et subtus nigro alboque variegatus. 



M. Leanira is so distiuct from all other Melitceae, that it is impossible to make 

 any error in reference to its diagnosis. It is found in June and July in valleys 

 of the Contra Costa hills, where I collected it myself. I received other speci- 

 mens from Yosemite Valley. I have not succeeded in finding the caterpillar. 



I have to add a few observations regarding the geographical distribution of 

 the genus Melitcea in general and of its different types separately. 



The genus Melitcea spreads from the Arctic zone to the tropic of Cancer and 

 some mountain species even farther. Unlike the genus Argynnis in its geo- 

 graphical distribution Melitcea has no Antarctic species. It has its center of 

 abundance in the temperate zone and decreases towards the tropics as well as 

 the arctic zone. According to that peculiarity of the western slope of conti- 

 nents by which the temperate zone is more developed in extent and quality, than 

 in the eastern slopes, the greatest number of species are found in Europe and on 

 our coast. Eastern Asia has very few species, but the genus is better repre- 

 sented on the Atlantic side of this continent, where however, it appears in the 

 aberrant forms of M. Tharos, M. Pyrrha, etc, whose real nature seems still 

 doubtful and which are at least intermediate between Argynnis and Melitcea. 



The genuine type is very uniform, and therefore the diagnosis of the Califor- 

 nian as well as the European species is enveloped in many difficulties, so that 

 even in regard to many European species known and described for more than a 

 century, the limits of the species are frequently more or less doubtful and 

 nearly every Catalogue gives the series of closely allied species in a different 

 form. 



California possesses two types wanting to the European Fauna; Europe 

 one type wanting to California. To us the type of M. Cinxia is wanting, to Europe 

 that most characteristic form of M. Leanira, which is a very natural transition 

 to the genus Synchloe. The other wanting to the old world is that of 31. 

 Pyrrha, an osculant form peculiar to the new world where it extends nearly as 

 far as the equator. 



As regards the development of the genus in size and brilliancy of color, the 

 Californians have a decided advantage. The giants of the genus are all Cali- 

 fornia!] and the coloration more bright and more distinct than the somber hues 

 of their less-developed European allies. 



Like the Argynnides the Melitseae are essentially local. There is no Amphi- 

 geic species, and even the Polar species (which in Argynnis are sometimes 

 Amphigeic) are always different in this genus, never occurring both in Europe 

 and America. In the same way the Atlantic and Pacific species seem always 

 to differ. 



